Think! Mary Ellen writes: “A week before Christmas my brother Jim, was diagnosed with a very extensive cancer. We don’t know the type of cancer yet, but we do know that the tumors are large and in many organs. He hardly had any symptoms at all, so this was a real shock to him [...]
Merry Christmas! Our favorite holiday videos First, Jingle Bell Goats And now…our gift to you – The Great Question: Who is in charge of your life? Yes, it’s a personal question – but it’s the most important one we can each ask and answer. Please consider the following: It’s Christmas once again, and the New [...]
With the holidays nearly upon us, we are coming into the most stressful time of the year for many people. Over-drinking goes hand-in-hand with stress and attempts at stress reduction. But with alcohol the stress gets worse and ratchets up the stress in other family members, who usually make sure you know about it. Why [...]
Damn it, Scruffy! Get Your Head Out Of The Sand!! Mary Ellen’s Scruffy is a great office dog, but he’s a lousy role model. Isn’t it time you stopped emulating him and started getting a life? […]
We received the following e-mail and knew that many of you can relate to the problem of being stuck in the “contemplation hell” the writer describes. We thank her for permission to reprint it here. “Dear Mary Ellen and Ed, I am finally hitting send on this email I drafted Sunday. I drank two bottles [...]
Tired of being the “Frog In The Cooking Pot”? This old psychologists’ analogy refers to the fact that if you toss a frog into a pot of hot water he (or she) will jump back out. But if you put him in a pot of cool water and gradually raise the temperature, he will remain [...]
We’d like to wish all of you a wonderful Thanksgiving and a happy holiday season throughout the weeks to come. Please remember that enjoying this season is recognizing that alcohol abuse is usually a way to avoid having an actual life. It means being a spectator of our lives, not participants. As a former client [...]
First, let us warn you that this Newsletter is only meant for those of you who actually do want to end your alcohol abuse. To that end it’s brutally honest. SO! PLEASE! STOP READING RIGHT NOW IF YOU DON’T WANT YOUR REALITY EXPOSED! Still here? Good – now take a minute and relax. Drop your [...]
Stay away from the “Normies”? AA and 12 Step based treatment programs are always exhorting you to stay away from “normies” – anyone who is actually living a normal life and who doesn’t have problems with alcohol, whether they drink or not. Ironically, we have similar advice for our clients, but for diametrically opposed reasons. [...]
Happy Halloween? Here it is, Halloween weekend and a time for massive “adult” celebrations that usually involve more alcohol than any weekend including Super Bowl Sunday. How’s that working out for you? Probably not too well. Is it also a preview of the rest of the holiday season right up through the Super Bowl? And [...]