OCD

Dirt Bag

by Bill Brenner May 28, 2010 Mental disorders

The author admits he’s not a very good person when he lets the demons out. Mood music for this post: “A Rat Like Me” by Motley Crue: [youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CgiMffbYz1c&hl=en_US&fs=1&] A liar. A hater. Thinking you’re better than other people. These actions describe me pretty well. Not so much today, Thank God. But when the addictions are out of control and the OCD is on full burn, this is who I become. That’s why I have to…  [Read More]

Howie Mandel Fights The Stigma

by Bill Brenner May 23, 2010 Courage

Truth be told, I’ve never been much of a Howie Mandel fan. I liked his brand of humor in the beginning but eventually lost interest. But I give him a lot of credit for being open about his own struggle with OCD and taking the fight to The Stigma: [youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xiZ84SZcPps&hl=en_US&fs=1&]

Hitting Bottom: Songs and Backstory

by Bill Brenner May 23, 2010 Addiction

Hitting bottom is the moment of truth for an addict, whether the shackles are made of heroin, booze or food. I’ve been there. You have a choice: Clean up your act or die a painful death that can be either quick or slow. People ask me all the time about my big moment. The answer is that there wasn’t that one dramatic moment of hitting bottom. It was more a series of bottoms. It was…  [Read More]

OCD Group Therapy With Benefits

by Bill Brenner May 20, 2010 Lighthearted

Not sure why I found this amusing. But I did. [youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VDuRbHd9Jcc&hl=en_US&fs=1&]

The Mental Illness Stigma That Won’t Die

by Bill Brenner May 18, 2010 Communication Skills

The author came clean about his own battles with mental illness and addiction exactly because of stupidity like this… Mood music for this post: “Push Comes to Shove” by Van Halen, from the “Fair Warning” album: [youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g3aW7oofNgs&hl=en_US&fs=1&] Kay Lazar from The Boston Globe wrote a story this week that sent my blood boiling. My problem wasn’t with the reporting or writing. She does a fine job. It’s the topic that burns. The story, available here,…  [Read More]

The Brenners Invade The White House

by Bill Brenner May 17, 2010 Addiction

The author on returning from a journey that would have been impossible a few years ago. It’s 5:30 a.m. and I’m running on less than four hours of sleep, so excuse any typos that follow… I’m back in my “sunrise chair” the morning after returning from one hell of a road trip that included a private tour of the White House West Wing, a stay at buddy Alex Howard’s place and a stay with our…  [Read More]

The Fear of Current Events

by Bill Brenner May 11, 2010 Children's issues

Digging through storage boxes the other day, I found old, 20-plus-year-old copies of Time Magazine, Newsweek, Mother Jones and a host of others. There had to be four years of them, well over 200 volumes. And so I was reminded — again — of all the fear I used to carry around. As I’ve written before, fear and anxiety were byproducts of my particular brand of OCD, just like my addictions were a byproduct. The…  [Read More]

OCD Humor

by Bill Brenner May 8, 2010 Lighthearted

It’s Saturday morning and my brain is fried (but sober and abstinent, so it’s all good). I’m waking up to some videos that do a delicious job of poking fun at my condition. Since I love videos that poke fun at my condition, I must share: Ringu the OCD cat: [youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hyHaSYvwrY4&hl=en_US&fs=1&] OCD granny: [youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TEleD6klvhc&hl=en_US&fs=1&] As Good As It Gets: [youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=44DCWslbsNM&hl=en_US&fs=1&] Howard Hughes OCD (not meant to be funny, but with my sense of humor, well…)…  [Read More]

Shakin’ the (Empty) Money Maker

by Bill Brenner May 7, 2010 Addiction

The author on keeping sane when you gotta make do with less. Mood music for this post:”What’s It Gonna Take” by Motley Crue: [youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wredTXeMS64&hl=en_US&fs=1&] It’s easy to come undone when the money supply tightens up. Just about everyone I know is feeling the financial hurt these days. In our case, we chose to take on the world of financial hurt. Erin has a cool editing business that deserves a chance to flourish and we had…  [Read More]

The Rewards and Risk of Service: A Cautionary Tale

by Bill Brenner April 29, 2010 Addiction

Service is a major tool of recovery. But it can also be dangerous. Mood music for this post: “Serve the Servants” by Nirvana: [youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jtB6gEmr6ZY&hl=en_US&fs=1&] Last night was one of service. I drove down to Salem State College to talk to graduating seniors about their portfolios and resumes. It was the least I could do, after all that college did for my career. It was energizing to talk to the students, who are full of hope…  [Read More]

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