As I laid in bed thinking about the next day, about my turn, fear flooded my entire body. I was like a pressure cooker with no relief valve, and I knew I had to do something fast. I dressed quickly and left my room, walking outside into the cold Arizona night. The black sky was… [Continue Reading]
Interview with Dr. Bruce Alexander
Last year I dedicated a post to the work of Dr. Bruce Alexander, a psychologist from Canada who wrote a great book about The Globalization of Addiction. I am now extremely excited that my good friend Jari Chevalier, from Living Hero, recently completed an interview with Dr. Alexander. There are so many wonderful things in this podcast that I… [Continue Reading]
Root Causes of Addiction: Part 2
In my previous post on the roots of addiction, I discussed how adverse childhood experiences (ACE’s) to a large extent play an important role in development of addictive behavior. Given that over 80% of those who develop addictions begin adaptive behaviors to cope with ACE’s prior to the age of 15, we as a society need to place a greater… [Continue Reading]
Root Causes of Addiction: Part 1
In my life there have been many times when I felt isolated, disconnected, and alone. These times have never been pleasant, and in the absence of nurturing relationships, close friends to call on, or a tribe of my own, I coped by engaging in substitute relationships with work, money, entertainment, food, hobbies, and exercise – just to name a… [Continue Reading]
Gabor Mate Addiction Podcast
I recently learned about the website Living Hero that produces podcasts of “living luminaries and mavericks” hosted by Jari Chevalier. Her most recent interview was with Dr. Gabor Mate, a Canadian physician with a broad range of life experience (and wisdom) on topics including: mind-body medicine, stress and trauma, ADD, and addiction. I first heard about… [Continue Reading]