* I'm a little worried by stepping a bit outside the boundaries of what this blog is supposed to be about - addiction and recovery - into the world of gun control that I have alienated and confused readers. I have strong feelings about the subject, but I don't want that to detract from the stronger feelings I have about recovery. I was trying to make a connection to addiction and, while I think that was made, it's a stretch into the great unknown when it comes to special kinds of addiction like power. I feel the need to recommit myself to AA's beautiful policy of eschewing any comments on "outside issues" and sticking to the point of my work on this blog. I feel there's also supposed to be room here for comments about my personal life and so I'll continue to make those because they are all part of my recovery.
* I've decided to switch back to Alcoholics Anonymous and move away from Narcotics Anonymous as my primary recovery support structure. I got wrapped up recently in some internal politics about NA policy with another member recently and it reminded me of why I am involved and do some of the service work I do. I really dislike the politics of some aspects of my life these days...the larger world, work and NA. For most of my recovery I have been speaking to addicts in prisons and detox centers about recovery and this has been my way of giving back to the program what it has so freely given to me. But, when I venture outside that service level I get anxious and lose focus. So, I'm moving back to a simpler life within the AA structure...just going to meetings, listening, sharing and trying to bury my ego.
* The Online-Substance-Abuse-Counseling.com web site I started last year has finally paid off...I have three patients now that I work with through Skype video or on the telephone. It's great work. I am my own boss and do not have some Capo-like manager staring at me and questioning every one of my therapeutic decisions. The work with the patients is interesting and invigorating. They seem to be benefitting from the encounters. I am trying to promote the site better to attract new patients. The site is now the #1 listing on page one in Google when the actual words "online substance abuse counseling" are entered, and I'm near the top when other key words are added. So I'm really looking forward to more work through it.
* I'm back to teaching again this Summer at the graduate school and also within a local state prison. I'll be teaching psychology to prisoners who will receive college credit for the course. I've worked in prisons before and know the environment well. It'll be a challenge discussing anti-social personality disorder there (for sure!), but it ought to be a stimulating place to teach. It looks like adjunct teaching is my karma for a while...I lost out on two good tenure-track jobs recently because I think I didn't fit the demographic they had in mind. At least I'm teaching and that is a good thing.
* I've started to take better care of my body by watching what I eat (currently on a "juicing" kick) and exercising more. Feeling a bit better about myself and how I move through space. In many respects, like so many other people, I have taken myself for granted a lot over the years and can no longer just assume I will be healthy and fit. It's taken me about 10 years - actually since the cancer surgery in 2004 - to finally get the idea that I need to maintain my body rather than exploit it. Hopefully this will work to stabilize my weight and fitness so I can establish an eating and exercise routine that will maintain health. "They" (whoever they are) were right: In the end, the only thing that really matters is how healthy you are. All the rest is extra.
All the best,
Roger W.
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