This blog is going to focus on the health and welfare of health-care professionals confronted by abusive drug seekers. On February 26, 2014, the Windsor Star City Desk wrote an insightful article on “Doctors reporting abuse from patients seeking narcotics”....
Brian Cross of The Windsor Star has been providing some very important information on the opioid epidemic. In particular, he has written about the difficult subject of parents whose children are addicted to opioids (updated Jan 29, 2018 Windsor Star...
In many ways, anger and/or rage can be considered to be the reverse face of depression; anger and rage can be tremendously destructive, especially in the context of addiction. The most important thing to remember about anger/rage is not to...
A good friend of mine in Recovery asked me to write a blog on Depression. For a while, I drew a blank. I didn’t want to write about this subject from a doctor’s point of view, although clearly, if one’s...
People-pleasing – the inability to say “no”- is common in addicts/alcoholics. It is especially common in health professionals pre- and post-Recovery. Health professionals in general are prone to taking on extra work, accepting other people’s shifts, double-booking, working additional hours...
Some newcomers in the 12-Step fellowships who are atheists or agnostics have trouble with the word “God”. This has led to some of them rejecting these programs which might have been of great benefit to them. The founders of the...
Step 1 of the 12-Step programs involves the alcoholic/addict admitting that he/she is powerless over drugs and/or alcohol. The word “powerless” is problematic. Many alcoholics/addicts find it very difficult to accept the concept of powerlessness when familiarizing themselves with the...
I once heard a recovering alcoholic say: “Guilt is what I feel when I say to myself: ‘I made a mistake’. However, Shame is what I feel when I say to myself: ‘I AM a mistake’”. When it comes to...
Recovering addicts with no hobbies or interests outside of their addiction and/or work have a high risk of relapse. This has been observed by many addiction counselors. One psychologist with expertise in addiction told me that according to one study,...
Narcan (naloxone) is an antidote given in opiate overdose emergencies. It prevents drugs such as heroine, fentanyl and oxycodone from binding to the opiate receptors of the brain. Narcan can prevent, or even reverse, respiratory arrest caused by opiates. It...