With the widespread COVID-19 regulations requiring us to shelter at home and to practice social distancing from all but those who share our household, how do people in recovery from alcoholism or other addictive processes maintain their sobriety? A crucial component of recovery involves regular contact with others on a similar path. Isolation, and the […]

It’s the beginning of July, and you may be wondering where all of those New Year’s resolutions went. You thought that you really meant it when you vowed to never again eat an entire chocolate cake at one sitting, drunk-dial your ex at 2 a.m., or fall behind on your credit card payments. Yet here […]

Look at every path closely and deliberately. Try it as many times as you think necessary. Then ask yourself, and yourself alone… Does this path have a heart? If it does, the path is good. If it doesn’t, it is of no use. Carlos Casteneda   Whether it’s an addiction or our just having gotten […]

There are few topics as loaded as addiction – especially if you’re talking with someone (perhaps yourself) who’s struggling with an unhealthy attachment to a substance (such as alcohol, drugs, or food) or behavior (gambling, sex, or shoplifting). We generally don’t like to feel as if we’re in the grips of a behavior that we […]

There’s no getting around it – food is an essential and often extremely pleasurable part of life. (That is, unless you’re a breatharian, a concept I personally cannot understand.) Not only is food necessary for our physical sustenance, but it also figures prominently in many social and religious events. Thanksgiving and turkey (or tofurky). The […]

When it comes to food, the concept of healthy eating has a host of definitions. Some camps suggest avoiding particular foods entirely, such as sugar or desserts, and indeed there is research to indicate that high-sugar or high-fat foods can fuel addictive behaviors if indulged in regularly (see Is Food Addiction Real?). Another school of […]

With over two-thirds of adults in the United States being either overweight or obese, it’s clear that something has gone awry in our relationship with food. A lot of societal factors are at play, including our spending more time at the computer, being more sedentary in general, and increased concerns over economic insecurity contributing to […]