Addiction can affect anyone. We often associate addicts and alcoholics with those living on the streets, but in reality, drug and alcohol addiction can affect anyone. At Duffy’s we recognize the reality that your addiction has become a disease in your life and needs to be treated. Therefore, we embrace the medical model that your addiction is a disease, and we use the social model—which includes education, counseling, and peer support—to treat it. The following blog posts and articles are designed to help you to better understand the disease of addiction.
I have spent hundreds of hours sitting in AA & NA meetings. During these sessions, I have heard a thousand stories that are different in nature, yet similar in content. We are all addicted to some mood-altering substance and we are all struggling to get well. Making Friends in the Rooms In my neck of … Read More
Her name was Katie. I had met her briefly at a support group for mental illness in May 2014. We had formed a relationship based on supporting one another through our struggles with that illness. When she made the move to New York City, I heard little from her. I assumed all was going well. … Read More
If you haven’t been to Duffy’s, I’d like to introduce you to one of our counselors, Christy. Christy is an art therapist with an incredible amount of wisdom. A lot of times, I think we view wise people as somber, quiet individuals who don’t enjoy life, but not Christy—she embodies fun! I had the opportunity to pick … Read More
I’m Patrick, a counselor at Duffy’s, and I’d like to share some observations on the topic of emotional maturity. I’ll focus primarily on the emotional maturity of two groups: The alcoholic/addict in active addiction. The alcoholic/addict in recovery. I’ll often hear that the emotional maturation process is stunted for those with addiction issues when they … Read More
“Many people are living in an emotional jail without realizing it.” –Virginia Satir Anxiety, depression, tension, unhappiness, confusion, anger…these may be factors that cause us to drink and/or drug. I was definitely a ‘self medicator;’ using alcohol and narcotic pills to try and escape uncomfortable feelings. Finding Myself in a Prison of Addiction When I began … Read More
Consider this: you are in long-term recovery for addiction and you have been progressing quite well. Suddenly, you are involved in an accident—a car wreck, a fall at work, or a sports injury—and you are in dire need of pain management. Your doctor prescribes you opiates to ease your suffering, but you and your family … Read More
“…to have a crisis and act upon it is one thing. To dwell in perpetual crisis is another.” –Barbara Grizzuti Harrison Being raised in an affluent area by parents who showed their love by doling out money and material goods, I was a young adult with a major attitude. I never really learned to take care … Read More
If there’s ever a time that it’s “okay” to drink, it’s on New Year’s Eve. Society seems to conspire around us to make that very point. Ads on the television, radio and bilboards along highways try to convince us that one particular brand of liquor or another will deliver us the greatest party, making everyone … Read More
Maintaining sobriety through the holidays can be a challenge, especially early in sobriety. I know an “old timer” that says, “Going to a holiday gathering this time of the year in early sobriety was like walking into a college final exam. You can study all you want, but you still don’t know what’s going to … Read More
Some years ago I owned a restaurant. My produce supplier and I became fast friends, hitting it off right away. Sometimes on weekends, his wife would sometimes accompany him on deliveries. They both knew I loved coffee, so one morning they came into the restaurant and brought me a thermos of fresh coffee. They warned … Read More
