Honesty, open-mindedness, and willingness (H.O.W.) are the virtues essential to my recovery from alcohol addiction. Without any one, relapse becomes a very real possibility. Anyone who relies on these virtues can stay sober. It's all that separates recovering alcoholics from alcoholics who are still struggling to get sober. Maintaining the H.O.W. virtues allows for recovery from alcohol addiction but using them as tools in sobriety is neither pleasant nor easy, but it is possible. 

Can you stay sober at a wedding? I think so. Weddings can present a challenge for sober folks (Sobriety Becoming the New Norm). Here are some tips for staying sober during wedding season.

In addiction recovery you have to focus on staying sober even during a tragedy. The weekend's news about the tragedy in Orlando has left many of us feeling sad, angry, shocked or even defeated. As an alcoholic in recovery, I have to carefully work on staying sober during any tragedy.

Addiction is my behavior, it is not about a substance run wild. My alcoholism is rooted in negative behavior that requires rigorous mental health treatment. Even though I am an alcoholic in recovery, I feel that my substance of choice is just a symptom of my addictive personality. My addiction becomes stronger when I engage in one of three behaviors because my addiction is a behavior and it's not about the substance. 

Crack cocaine and powder cocaine are treated very differently in public and political conversation. So what is the difference between crack cocaine and powder cocaine? They affect your body the same way, but the main difference lies in the method of use (Cocaine Effects, Cocaine Side Effects).

Withdrawal symptoms from stimulants, marijuana and hallucinogens is not considered directly life-threatening by the medical community. However, the withdrawal symptoms can still be dangerous, as can the behavior associated with the withdrawal symptoms of stimulants, marijuana and hallucinogens. 

Substance use withdrawal from alcohol, opiates and benzodiazepines is unpleasant and can be dangerous or even fatal, as I wrote about in my last post, Dehumanizing Addicts: A Stigma Leading To Deaths. But different substances produce different kinds of withdrawals and dangers. Here is an overview of withdrawal symptoms for alcohol, opiates, and benzodiazepines (a future post will address more substances).

How do you know if you're addicted to your phone? Phones and tablet devices are rapidly becoming the most addictive substances in Western culture (What Is Addiction? Addiction Definition). The extent to which we use and rely upon our phones is staggering. We are rapidly becoming a society full of cell phone and social media addicts, thanks to fantastic developments in cell phone technology intended to improve our lives. The first step to abating the rise of phone addiction is to spread awareness about what it means to be addicted to your phone. 

Too often American society dehumanizes and devalues the lives of drug users, particularly drug addicts. Not recognizing and responding to the humanity of drug addicts is a dangerous moral and societal failing.

I sought God early in sobriety. Faith in God or a Higher Power is a controversial issue among recovering alcoholics. Many of us grew up in homes where religion was forced upon us and consequently eschewed prayer or reliance upon any God later in life (Addiction Recovery Programs: One Step Forward, 12 Steps Back). For myself, I was not opposed to the concept as much as others, and found, in early sobriety, that it was a great comfort to me. Here are the reasons why I felt compelled to find belief in God in early sobriety and how I did it.