Have you ever pulled out a piece of paper, drew a hard vertical line down the center and wrote PROS and CONS at the top to make a decision? When you are ready to question your relationship with alcohol, try this legendary exercise. Mark at the top, "Reasons to Keep Drinking and Reasons to Quit Drinking." It is truly eye-opening to see what transpires on paper.   My own personal list was startling. It went...

As a relatively new term, Gray Area Drinking has become a sobering reality that affects millions of people worldwide. For far too long, society has placed problematic drinking in a black or white box. One is either an alcoholic or they are not. That is simply not true. About 50% of people that consume alcohol are in the gray area. What exactly does it mean to be in the gray area? Gray area drinking is...

So, you have made the choice to try the alcohol-free life for a few days, weeks, months or longer.  Awesome! Now what? The reality of having a rewarding social life or having fun may seem next to impossible without drinking. I know this, I have been there. First and foremost, the key to success is knowing how to prepare, plan, execute and report your findings. It doesn’t have to be hard but will take some...

THE POWER OF “I AM” If you're familiar with the famous story of Moses and the burning bush, you know the power in these words. While we aren't God, there is power in internally verbalizing OR outwardly expressing what we say. This becomes powerful and life-changing, or soul-destroying and hurtful. In most traditional types of recovery programs, it is encouraged that you use the “I am” statement. You know, the famous; “Hi, I’m ______ and...