The basic core of addictive behavior is pretty universal; so step back and look at the alcoholic/addict in your life from a neutral point of view and see if these characteristics hit home.

Charlie: You have every right to do what you want within the bounds of what is legal, moral and ethical. However, I want to present some ideas for your consideration.

One Pill Makes You Larger One Pill Makes You Small And the ones that mother gives you Don't do anything at all - Jefferson Airplane My first expo...

Alcoholics Anonymous, the largest 12-step program in the world, states alcoholism is a disease. They consider it a dual problem: a physical allergy and a mental obsession.

Compared with alcoholics not given this opportunity, those in wet housing halved their public health costs and drank less.

I am not against anonymity. I am for openness, honesty and non-judgment around the disease of alcoholism. I am for treatment options, dialog and communication that is not laced with fear and shame.

I recommend to clients that they educate themselves about substance abuse to discover as much as they can on a personal level. We all know knowledge is power.

Why do alcoholics feel the need for anonymity? Because we're ashamed. Why are we ashamed? Because society told us we should be. We need to stop that. I'm tired. Shame is hard work.

Whether it is because they are members of a stressful profession or because personalities with a penchant for addictive disorders are drawn to the law, lawyers have twice the addiction rate of the general population.

If you are ending the year with anything less than a "Wow, what a year," then the change you really need to make this year is to enlist help and support to achieve your goals. Shared goals are more likely to happen.

A decade ago, having recently begun Buddhist meditation practice, I attended a lecture/Q&A with a Tibetan master at a Buddhist center in Hollywood. Th...

I was the invisible child who did all manners of crazy things to be noticed, the teenager who had suffered abuse, rape, and the suicide of her 30-year-old mother.

The alcoholic / addict knows when they are on the road to self sabotage. They know that their behavior will result in substantial and probable irreparable damage.

There's no better way to decompress after work than exactly the way the world tells you not to: drinking alone.