So Little Man is 8 weeks old now.  Breastfeeding has become a routine for the most part – and we’re still supplementing a bit of formula every day.  He’s growing and doing well.  We’re sleeping better (mostly) and after last week, I feel a bit more confident in tackling every day.  This is a particularly busy week, so it’ll be interesting to see how many things I get checked off my “list” every day...

Have you considered what your Dreams for 2011 are? Have you written about them – written them down – set some goals and plans?  What are Your Dreams for 2011?  (If you haven’t shared them – visit THIS POST and either share in the comments or add a Linky to your blog post about your dreams for 2011!)  I’ve been mulling over mine for a few weeks – starting a list of dreams – and while I haven’t...

If you are just joining this discussion and exploration of addiction, you may want to go back and start here. While an addict must actively pursue Recovery for him/herself, it is not simply a solitary journey. To be sure, an addict (to any kind of addiction), must make the right choices daily – sometimes hourly – and learn to replace the addictive behavior with healthful thinking & attitudes, the family is a very distinct,...

So while we’ve been talking about secrecy, let’s see if we can determine the difference between secrecy and privacy.  In a recent real-life discussion with others who have loved ones struggling with addiction, this subject came up. How would you define Secrecy vs Privacy? It’s an interesting question, don’t you think?  And in this discussion, the idea was that secrecy is an attempt to hide and cover, privacy is an...

As addiction studies have grown in the past few decades, one of the initial problems I talked about yesterday is that of Secrecy. An addict must admit he or she has a problem in order to pursue recovery.  That’s the first step.  A family can impose an intervention and demand change from an addict, but until the addict ADMITS and CONFESSES that their addiction is out of control, recovery is not going to happen. Secrecy is one of the...

Admittedly, there are a lot of problems associated with addiction.  In my studies and in my own personal journey, I’ve read about, seen, and experienced plenty of them. However, one of the major obstacles to overcome when first dealing with addiction is: Secrecy There is this automatic sense of isolation for an addict – even if he or she is in a room sharing their addiction with others.  The level of pleasure and satisfaction that...

I’ve had to take some time for other things, but this week, I’ll be writing about addiction every day. Some of my information is based on the education I’ve received in my college courses in Christian counseling and Psychology.  Some of my information is taken from my experience as  both being an addict and spouse of an addict. Your reflection, questions, and challenges are welcome.  I want you to know that.  Addiction is...

So I knew that actually posting on my blog about my own addiction – and that my husband struggles with addiction – would bring a firestorm at some point. While I have not revealed any details – and do not intend to here – the reality of how addiction has affected our marriage & family made it necessary for me to talk about it here – and there is more to say. It also opened up the door to a lot of negative...

I saw this picture back from  my school days on Facebook.  I can remember when this picture was taken.  I was a member of the track team.  Seriously.  I laugh about it now cuz I HATE. TO. RUN.  I mostly did hurdles and jumps, although I was a member of a couple of relay teams.  I was always the 3rd runner.  The slow one. Can you pick me out in this picture? When this picture was taken, I was in Junior High school on the JV squad.  Like...

While addiction brings with it Chaos, Devastation,  Ruin, and eventually Death, there is HOPE.  Not just because other people have recovered from addiction.  Not just because of medical and scientific advances in understanding and treating addiction. Frankly, those things don’t always work.  There’s no guarantee. HOPE lies in the fact that GOD is the GOD OF IMPOSSIBLE. NOTHING is impossible to God.  Not one darn little thing. ...