July 2010

Friends Who Help You Heal, Part 2

July 30, 2010 Addiction

For a lot of years, I didn’t have many friends. It’s not that people didn’t like me. It’s just that I chose to isolate from the rest of the world for a long time. People with mental illness and addiction do that sort of thing. Mood music: “Damn Good” by David Lee Roth: [youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-mIP7ySBXBg&hl=en_US&fs=1] I’ve [...]

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When to Let the OCD Run Hot

July 29, 2010 Coping tools

Sometimes the best way to deal with OCD when it runs hot is to simply let it run its course. That’s one of the things I’m learning about myself. Mood music for this post: “Check My Brain” by Alice in Chains: [youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1OK1HRqP-fg&hl=en_US&fs=1] I’ve gotten pretty good at managing the disorder most of the time. Medication [...]

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Was Abe Lincoln Really Honest?

July 28, 2010 Lighthearted

Readers of this blog may have seen one of my earliest posts on Abraham Lincoln and how he suffered with serious mental illness and depression. I revere him because he developed his own coping mechanisms to rise above it in a time when there were no anti-depressant medicines and medical understanding of the problem was [...]

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A Good Day

July 27, 2010 Gratitude

These are the ingredients of a good day: –Getting up at 4 and writing in this blog with a strong cup of coffee on the table beside me and Korn in the headphones. –Seeing the sun rise from my living room chair at 5:30. –Talking to my OA sponsor at 6:15. –Talking to one of [...]

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The Breaking Point

July 27, 2010 Mental health

Even when you learn to manage OCD it’s still there, biding its time in the background, waiting for the right moment to pounce. Most of the time, it only gets the chance to pounce if you let it. Mood music: “Coming Undone” by Korn [youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ioJ9ZHqzMT0&hl=en_US&fs=1] Lately, I’ve been giving the demon all the rope it [...]

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Hung Over and Junk Sick

July 26, 2010 Addiction

When you have a binge-eating addiction, the feeling you get before, during and after is a lot like being drunk and stoned. “What’s my drug of choice? Well, what have you got?” Layne Staley, Alice in Chains Junkies have a feeling they get before binging: Their brain is stuck on having whatever  gets them off. [...]

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Learning to Fight Well

July 25, 2010 Communication skills for the crazy

In every marriage there are arguments. They can be good for you, but only if you learn to do it with skill. I’m working on it, but I’m not there yet. Mood music for this post: “Hysteria” by Def Leppard: [youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3SluRyO4EA4&hl=en_US&fs=1] I’ve always steered clear of this topic because nobody likes to talk about arguments [...]

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Get Up and Live: A Playlist

July 24, 2010 Coping tools

Treat this post as a media player. The playlist is made up of songs that to me are about seizing life by the throat. Enjoy. [youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MJDDxHIaaVk&hl=en_US&fs=1] [youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AFG820EwvUQ&hl=en_US&fs=1] [youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dn8vzTsnPps&hl=en_US&fs=1] [youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vVXIK1xCRpY&hl=en_US&fs=1] [youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GdTiZB0wjs0&hl=en_US&fs=1] [youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7WkJ-ZB--G0&hl=en_US&fs=1] [youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h7eRiAnZt24&hl=en_US&fs=1] [youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H6_C4rV7x-Y&hl=en_US&fs=1] [youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MhfRUYUkq_0&hl=en_US&fs=1] [youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y2dI_a3GpS0&hl=en_US&fs=1]

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The Pedophile

July 23, 2010 Addiction

Some people deserve to spend life in a box. But even they have a shot at redemption. Mood music for this post: “Man in the Box” by Alice in Chains: [youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TAqZb52sgpU&hl=en_US&fs=1] As a dad, I have zero tolerance for anyone who hurts a child. So when I discovered someone I’ve known for many years spent [...]

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What’s Crohn’s Disease Got to do With it?

July 21, 2010 Crohn's Disease

I’ve gotten notes lately from folks who’ve read enough of this blog to know I have Crohn’s Disease. They have it, too, and seemed to appreciate that they’re not alone. Some ask what the disease has to do with the mental illness and addictions at the heart of this blog. And so I’ve made this [...]

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