Summer solstice is approaching which can mean only one thing when you’re living in Portland, or any other area of Oregon: things are about to get weird. Oregon is one of the few places where you can call out of … Read More
There’s No Such Thing As Summer Vacation From Sobriety
Alcoholism is known for causing curious thinking in the mind. Most infamously, among men who have developed alcoholism, is the dangerous thought: I can have just one. Learning about alcoholism during treatment enlightens men to the many twisted ways of … Read More
Alis volat propriis: Recovery lessons from our state motto (Men in recovery learn to fly on their own wings to heights never imaginable)
Millions of millennials can lovingly recall the nostalgia of playing Oregon Trail on their 1990s home computers or at school. Portland, known as the “Rose City”, is one of the last towns at the end of the infamous Oregon Trail. … Read More
Letting Go Of Resentments
Whether we are hurt once or hurt dozens of times, it is part of our human nature to want to protect ourselves against future hurt. We learn, quickly, how to trust and how to not trust. We also learn how … Read More
Why Men Need A Brotherhood In Treatment
There are arguments for and against single gender treatment. For men, going to treatment exclusively with other men can be an extremely healing and restorative time in life. In treatment with other men, men are forced to find healthy ways … Read More
How Damaging Is The Stigma Of Addiction?
We talk about the stigma of addiction as something that is attached to addiction, that shapes how addiction is perceived, that accompanies addiction in the greater societal lens. Often stigma is explained as shaming, misunderstanding, and stereotyping. We don’t talk … Read More
Addiction Swapping
Addiction is a process which becomes a way of living for men. Mistakenly, men often believe that their addiction exclusively includes their substance or substances of choice. Get rid of the substance, they think, get rid of the addiction. What … Read More
Codeine Addiction
Codeine is a lesser known problem in the United States than it is in many other countries around the world. The prescription grade opiate is typically found in cough syrups and medications, along with painkillers. In other countries, codeine can … Read More
Genetics, Cravings, And Alcoholism
Cravings are a key component in the overall affliction of alcoholism. People who have never experienced alcoholism or a dependency on any substance are often confused in how it is someone with alcoholism could continue to crave a substance which … Read More
What To Tell Yourself When You Take A Pause
In 2016, Mindful reported on something revolutionary happening in the Hillsboro Police Department, less than 25 miles from the city of Portland in an article called “To Pause and Protect”. Police Officers were hanging out in a yoga studio, learning … Read More