Over the past 30 years, a shrewd and expensive lobbying campaign has made Americans more tolerant of marijuana (also known as Cannabis or Pot). In November 2018, Michigan became the 10th state to legalize recreational Marijuana use. Arkansas, New Jersey and others are likely to follow. Already more than 200 million Americans live in states that have legalized marijuana for medical or recreational use. Yet even as marijuana use has become more socially acceptable, … [Read more...]

“I grew up in Chicago in a high rise apartment building,” Vincent Talley says, “I learned early about how to hustle from my shoe shine box.” He also learned, he says, “how to drink, do drugs, and be with women.” The apartment where everyone congregated,” he says, “belonged to a woman named, Tiny. It's where all the pimps and drug dealers hung out.” “Usually,” Talley says, “it was safe, but the one time there was violence on our floor was when this guy got his brains blown out. We … [Read more...]

Towanda, age twenty-nine, six months pregnant, and in search of a fix, walked up the steps to the front door of a frame house in a bad neighborhood, reached through the top of the screen door, which had no screen, and undid it. The inside door was slightly ajar, and she pushed on it until it hit something. Squeezing through, she looked down and met the lifeless stare of a man with a bullet in his head. Terror stricken, she backed out, fell off the porch, got up, and ran. This was … [Read more...]

Recovery is hard, but it doesn’t have to be complicated. “If sobriety were easy, everybody who wanted to be sober would be. The reality is that making life changes is hard—and everything seems more complicated when addiction or alcoholism are in the mix.” This is N.Y. Times best selling author and recovering alcoholic, Michael Graubert talking in an article, on the Hazelden Betty Ford web site. “An Alcoholics Anonymous (AA), Narcotics Anonymous (NA), or any other Twelve Step … [Read more...]

                'Tis the season of glad tidings and good cheer, but for people in recovery from drug or alcohol addiction, the holidays can be an especially trying time to stay healthy and sober. Unrealistic expectations, over-commitment, unhealthy eating, financial strain and fatigue can fray emotions. Travel complications and busy schedules can add to the stress, as well. You might be spending your holidays away from your … [Read more...]