There is Another Way

Shame is such a strong and powerful emotion. It’s the emotion that can drive addiction and at the same time, the one that can stop you from getting help. That was certainly the case for me. The world has come a long way in its attitude towards addiction. The line “hello, my name is X and I am an alcoholic” has almost become a cultural cliche. Whether thats helpful or not is something I will explore another time - but it shows how some addictions have become more socially acceptable to talk about. Yet others remain shrouded in silence. Take sex addiction for example. Sex is a part of every human story, literally none of us would be here without it. It’s often described as one of the most beautiful expressions of love between two people. But still… we don't talk about it. Many of us would happily discuss our relationship with the toilet before we’d ever admit to struggles around sex. When you stop and think about it, that’s absurd. As long as there are topics we can’t talk about, the...

This is what addiction is! Addiction does not kill you with a fireball, it does not allow you to go through the pearly gates backwards at 100 miles per hour. Instead it is slow, painful and self inflicted. There are many who say that there is insanity in the illness called addiction. I can definitely see that there was insanity in my addiction. But it was not just that. There was also desperation, loneliness and pain. The insanity, in my case, came in the shape of repetitive self inflicted damage. I knew that the addictive behaviours that I was engaging in were hurting me. I knew they were hurting my family. I knew that they were putting everything I had lived for at risk. I knew that my addictive behaviours had a power equal to that of an atomic bomb in its ability to destroy my life. But did that knowledge stop me from engaging in them? NOPE! For me that is the complete, selfish definition of insanity. Each time I acted out, I added another metaphorical paper cut to what I later foun...

You have found your way to my first blog post. I'm not sure if it is the right thing to offer congratulations or to extend the hand of sympathy and understanding. I say that because if you are here you are likely to have been directly or indirectly affected by addiction, poor mental health, ADHD, or a combination of all of them.  I have been, and continue to be affected by all three. Directly. Every day. So if this is the case for you, because you are the person who is struggling with addiction, poor mental health, ADHD, or you are just a concerned friend or relative, please hear that I see you, I feel your pain, your anguish and know that you are not alone! And probably, most importantly, THERE IS ANOTHER WAY! I am pleased to say that while I am still affected by all of the above, the effects aren't solely negative any more. Because I have found ANOTHER WAY. And I want to share it with you all. Now I do not profess to have found a magic cure, and this OTHER WAY is not unique, ...