In recent months my travels have taken me to Philadelphia and New York City, two of the most amazing cities in America. While I have enjoyed staying at comfortable hotels and dining on delicious food, it has been impossible to ignore the significant number of homeless people on the streets, begging for money and food…. [Continue Reading]
Addiction and the Perennial Philosophy
We have known for a long time that among the most powerful ways to overcome addiction is through spiritual interventions. The essence of such approaches is that addiction is a problem of the ego, of our lower self, of the body. By harnessing the powers and energy from our higher self, from the part of us that… [Continue Reading]
Whose Will: Book on Addiction, Courage, and Hope
I had the recent pleasure of speaking with Willie Harris, the author of Whose Will: Ordinary Person, Extraordinary Life a riveting account of his personal struggle with addiction and path back to a spiritual and connected life. Like most, the roots of Willie’s problems with alcohol and drugs began early in life, in a family awash in… [Continue Reading]
Addiction Treatment System 14 Years Later
This past week The National Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse at Columbia University released a scathing report of our addiction treatment system: Addiction Medicine: Closing the Gap between Science and Practice. While the report says nothing new, it does a nice job of summarizing the fact that we have made little progress since the… [Continue Reading]
Calm Energy an Antidote to Addiction
I’ve mentioned Dr. Robert Thayer before on this site, but have not dedicated a blog entry to his ideas until now. When I first read his book, Calm Energy: How People Regulate Mood with Food and Exercise, I was immediately impressed by the implications of his work for those struggling with addiction. In a nutshell, he provides a… [Continue Reading]