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 recently finished re-reading 12 Stupid Things that Mess Up Recovery by Allen Berger, a recovery classic for people in early recovery. I almost forgot what a great book it was. Allen Berger condenses twelve common pitfalls that can mess up recovery and teaches us how to avoid them with the clarity and wisdom of a man with … Read More
Elizabeth Edwards is an award-winning singer, songwriter who sings about the emotional journey of addicts through recovery. We were able to pull Elizabeth away from her busy schedule and ask her a few questions about her recovery story. I think you’ll find her answers moving. Can you give us a basic outline of your recovery … Read More
If you’re familiar with the recovery process, you know that detox usually comes first. Most rehab centers include medical detox in their programs, but is it really necessary? Is it possible to safely detox from home? The answer depends on your loved one’s addiction and health history. Detox offers the safest and most comfortable way to clean out the … Read More
Robert Downey Jr. is in the news again for addiction. Except this time it’s about his 20-year-old son, Indio Falconer Downey. Police arrested Indio for cocaine possession on Sunday. I can’t speak for Indio or his family, but this event got me thinking about addiction, lies, media, and the family. The lies addiction makes you … Read More
Substance dependence and other addictions are influenced by many factors including genetics, environment and personal character, but the family plays a key role in shaping the development of children. Because children often take on the habits of their parents, family dynamics are very important. Healthy parenting is one of the most powerful factors in preventing … Read More
Addiction is hard—we all know that. But as a mother, going through an addiction means your baby girl or little boy goes through it with you. The documentary On Life’s Terms: Mothers in Recovery tells the gripping stories of five mothers battling addiction while trying to care for their children. Since its premiere in April, the film … Read More
Addiction is a condition, a disease of the brain in which one becomes dependent on a substance or activity. In the world today, the most common addictions we find are that of drugs and alcohol. Governments around the world have invested billions in the rehabilitation and control of the use of these substances, but the … Read More
In the first episode of The Grant, a series of short talks by Gene Duffy, Gene talks about cost of Alcoholics Anonymous. We all know Alcoholics Anonymous is a free program, but that doesn’t mean the program requires nothing of its members whatsoever. There is no cost for attendance, but there is a cost of attention, … Read More
“By judging others we blind ourselves to our own evil and to the grace which others are just as entitled to as we are.” –Dietrich Bonhoeffer I was digging around on Wikipedia on Betty Ford. Interesting—she had a friend, Leonard Firestone, who helped her found the Betty Ford Center. I bounce to Firestone’s page and … Read More
So your family member or friend finally went to rehab. With all the events leading up to this point and all the effort you’ve made to help them get here, the big day may seem anticlimactic. You may be relieved or apprehensive. You may feel hope, or you may be waiting for the other shoe … Read More
