Making a daily gratitude list was a critical part of my early recovery. I finally found a sponsor who had what I wanted. Before I was actually ready to work with a sponsor, I spent about a year “working” with people who did not have what I wanted, and with whom I did not really … Read More
Last week, preparing to fly to Atlanta to give a talk on co-occurring eating disorders and substance abuse, my husband approached me after my morning meditation/prayer time. I was sitting on the floor, unshowered, no makeup, full strength coffee breath, wearing sweat pants and a hoodie with my meditation candle still burning in the background. … Read More
Many women and girls with eating disorders receive benefit from prescription drugs and behavioral therapy. However, all of us in the mental health field have seen patients that simply can’t seem to recover from the disorder no matter what treatment strategies we try. This is why the result of new brain research is so notable. … Read More
The scene: a suburban Chicago Halloween costume store. I ventured in this past Saturday with my 11-year-old step son…crowded…loud…very high energy. He wanted to be a scary jester or a ghoul. Fairly quickly, we found a sufficiently ghoulish head-to-toe costume for him in the boys section. We took a peek at the girls’, women’s and … Read More
Recently, a national conversation has focused on the idea of “Lean In” as put forth by Sheryl Sandberg, COO of Facebook, in her book of the same name. Idea, business, media, academic, and other leaders have weighed in on her ideas of how women can “lean in” to the uncomfortable realities faced in the professional … Read More
I’m at a conference today about Binge Eating Disorder at Ruffled Feathers golf club in Lemont, IL. I spoke, along with other team members, about Binge Eating Disorder and Food Addiction. This place has profound meaning to me. The very first sponsor I summoned up the courage to do a 5th step (Admitted to God, … Read More
What happens to our relationship with God (Jesus, G-d, Higher Power, Universal Spirit, etc.) when we are caught in the grips of an addiction or mental illness? If you want to know what you believe in, what god you really worship, look at your actions. Everyone has a higher power…it is what they turn to … Read More
Typically we need to be willing to let go of an illness to begin the exploration of who we really are—and what we find on our journey there never ceases to amaze those brave enough to embark (as well as those of us who bear witness to it). A trapeze artist wouldn’t get very far … Read More
One of my favorite things to talk about with patients is their perspectives on functional alcoholism or addiction — whether in their own selves, their parents, or others in authority such as bosses, or the President. I ask with a curious mind, what is the definition of functional? Most people define functional as the ability … Read More
According to a CDC report released earlier this month, 6,631 women died of opioid overdoses in 2010, five times more than a decade ago. The rate surpassed the increase seen in men over the same time period. In a NY Times article about the study, researchers hypothesized that it might be because conditions associated with chronic pain, … Read More
