Choosing A Sponsor
Sponsorship, as described in the Twelve Step programs, has become a vital and important concept in the age of the Covid-19 pandemic. It may not be possible to attend live meetings for the time being but it should be possible...
COVID-19 and Recovery
These are difficult times for recovering addicts and alcoholics. Isolation (both physical and psychological) are at an all-time high. 12-step meetings have been shut down. Relapses on alcohol and drugs are on the rise (both statistically and in terms of...
Feedback (How to Absorb It)
12-step meetings don’t always offer you direct feedback or advice. However sponsors (if sought) can offer you direct one-on-one feedback. In my opinion, this is one of the most potentially beneficial features of the Twelve Step programs. This type of...
Will I Ever Be Able to Drink Normally?
After a short period of abstinence, almost every substance-dependent patient asks this question: “Can I ever drink like a normal person?” Although statistically there will always be exceptions to any rule, it is my experience and that of my recovering...
The Recovering Addict and Opiate Medications for Acute Pain
There are instances when opiate medications are required to control severe, acute pain (e.g. dental procedures, kidney stones…). How can these pain killers be used safely in recovering addicts? First and foremost, the recovering addict needs to establish excellent communication...
When Can Recovering Health Care Professionals Return to Work?
Health care professionals often take much more time off work in the treatment of their addiction than other professionals. This is because of the particular intellectual challenges of the profession, as well as the dangers awaiting health professionals in the...
Firefighters and Naloxone
In a recent Windsor Star article “Windsor Firefighters want to carry Naloxone” by Trevor Wilhelm (December 3, 2019), the issue is raised as to whether firefighters should carry Naloxone as potential first-responders in opiate-overdose situations. This issue reminds me of...
The Addicted Homeless
A May 26, 2018 article that appeared in the Windsor Star “In the Shadows: People living on Windsor’s streets struggle in Times of Plenty” by Dave Battagello made me think how properly funded Harm Reduction treatment (discussed in the previous...
Harm Reduction VS Abstinence
Abstinence refers to complete avoidance of all mood-altering substances in Recovery. Harm Reduction, on the other hand, has often come to mean: the substitution or “replacement” of a toxic addictive substance with a less dangerous but analogous prescribed medication. Recently,...
Local Establishment: Spiritual Soldiers Coffee Compound of Windsor
I recently read a very interesting article in the Windsor Star: “ ‘Not your regular coffee shop’ – Windsor’s ‘sober’ bar for recovering addicts gaining attention” by Sharon Hill March 21st, 2019. Spiritual Soldiers Coffee Compound in Windsor, ON has...