If you are worried about a loved one's drinking, here are 11 ways to know if their use might be problematic.

It has been 7 years since my brother's suicide and I still find people that I've known for years who have lost someone to suicide, yet never mentioned a thing about it. I get it. It's not a fun topic of conversation. But it is something that shouldn't be stifled either. The stigma of suicide loss is so great that often as survivors we worry about what others will think. What will they think about our family? What will they think of my loved one that passed? What will they

My self-hate journey started in a 7th grade locker room when a girl poked my belly and called me the "Pillsbury dough girl".

We are all going to screw up our kids. And, that's okay. Parenting an adult child that is in active addiction is especially hard.

People are struggling. Here are three things you can do to help today.

If something or someone is in your life then you must be okay with it.

Treatment for addiction is just the beginning, the start of recovery. Put yourself first. It's necessary.

Is there such a thing? If there was, we certainly would all want some. . . no, we would want ALL of the secret sauce. Someone amazing once told me that life was never meant to be easy. I couldn’t agree more. How boring would life be if we were able to sail through without any pain or sadness? Did you just stop right there? Are you thinking, “GIRRLLL, I’m not buying it?”. Pain and sadness are part of life’s great journey. We all have some. None of us want it. We would never c

Do you find yourself making excuses and hanging out on the couch at night instead of doing that thing you want to do? Want to get laundry done but are catching up on the Bachelor? How about dishes? Cleaning the bathroom? We all know how much better we will feel when it is done, but how do we get up off the couch to actually getting it done? The Two Column Worksheet This tool is from Dr. Burns and his book “Feeling good: the new mood therapy”. In it, he discusses drug-free tre

Do you ever have those days when you are just so mad, irritated, or crabby and you can’t really say why, but you simply are? Nothing happened, you just feel like crap. Everyone has these days, even the most successful people in the world. Or, perhaps you are feeling down, a little like laying in bed all day. Maybe you are nervous about a meeting coming up. A big to-do list and holidays can all add stress to otherwise great days. Here are five things you can do right NOW to fe

Chances are, if you have a college student, you are unaware of an alarming, but accepted drug problem across campuses. It is something that is becoming “normal” among students and has become widely known as “the study drug”. Adderall Adderall is a stimulant medication most commonly used to treat ADHD. It is also used to treat narcolepsy. The generic name for the drug is amphetamine or dextroamphetamine. There is a picture attached to this post, but be advised that Adderall ca

I’ve been writing a book over the last few months. The book is a compilation of women’s stories of addiction. I have spent months meeting and speaking with women in recovery, to learn about them. It is an absolute blessing to be trusted with these stories and I know they will inspire others. Now, as I work each day to write, I find commonalities among the stories. Perhaps the most common thread among all of them is loneliness. The question becomes: how do we manage loneliness

Last week I had the pleasure of meeting and hosting Kevin Briggs, a retired CA highway patrol officer.  Kevin used to patrol the Golden Gate Bridge (GGB) and he has learned skills over the years that have enabled him to save hundreds of lives. I found Kevin through his Ted Talk and was determined to bring him to MN.  With the funds raised from last year’s bike run, that’s exactly what we did! Kevin was humble and full of wisdom.  My goal for the event had always been about th