“My son took his life on his 34th birthday rather than go back to prison for the third time.” Can there be sadder words than these from a mother? Pam Christian, the mother, and I (David Palmer) have exchanged several e-mails about her son’s death and now her grandson’s addiction and treatment experience. Here is her account: “This (her son’s death) came after an addiction to drugs that began when he was in his mid teens. At the time of his death, he had a son who had just turned 11. … [Read more...]

                  Judge Brett Kavanaugh is no alcoholic and never has been. Take it from me. I drank alcoholically for 20 years until I was 50, joined Alcoholics Anonymous and haven’t had a drink since 1979, nearly 40 years ago. I continue to attend the occasional AA meeting, and I would go to more if the acoustics were better. I am an expert. If you want to know more about addiction and recovery download my free … [Read more...]

Surely there can be no more worthy  goal than fighting against childhood poverty and winning. With this in mind, Nancy Roob, CEO and president of the Edna McConnell Clark Foundation has called for philanthropists to make such an investment. Two years ago the Foundation created Blue Meridian Partners, led by Roob. Blue Meridian’s plan is to invest a whopping $1 billion over the long term in a relatively few nonprofit companies. “My first job out of Hamilton college,” Roob said, “was … [Read more...]

“Emily Brawn stumbled as she attempted to kick opioids a few years ago. When she wasn’t at 12 Step meetings she grew isolated. “Days and Days in your own head,” she said in the Wall Street Journal article “that is where the relapse starts. Emily is trying a new strategy. In early September, 90 days sober, the 29 year old stepped into a gym in an industrial corner of Boston. Muscled   people were warming up for Cross Fit, surrounded by top-line equipment and a rock climbing wall. But … [Read more...]

Commenting on America’s drug problem, the late Peter Drucker, a world-acclaimed consultant and author, once said, “the only successes fighting alcoholism and drug abuse, have been achieved by such independent organizations as Alcoholics Anonymous (AA), the Salvation Army and the Samaritans.” Drucker added, for good measure, that, “None of the U.S. programs of the last forty years in which we tried to tackle a social problem through government action has produced significant results.” As a … [Read more...]