Mental Illness Awareness Week – October 5 – 11, 2014 Yes, it’s true…once again it’s time to get involved. It is time to realize that 1 in 4 American Adults and 1 in 5 children will experience mental illness this year. Think about it this way, if you are an adult sitting in a room...Read More

Storytelling is the essential human activity. The harder the situation, the more essential it is.  Tim O’Brien Journal writing as a tool of recovery Last summer we wrote about a new way to share one’s story concerning their struggle with addiction and how their story can change someone else’ story of addiction and recovery. Sharing...Read More

The Academy Awards….and war veterans This Sunday a lot of us will take a few hours to watch the 86th Academy Awards ceremony. We all have our favorite nominated movies and certainly our favorite actors and actresses who we would like to see receive an Oscar, but today it occurred to us that this year...Read More

English: Logo of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, an agency within the United States Department of Health and Human Services. White on blue background with white rays but no white “burst”. No detailed wording. (Photo credit: Wikipedia) Vital Signs published the first Tuesday of each month If you are a regular reader of...Read More

“Alone we can do so little; together we can do so much.” Helen Keller The feeling of being alone, experiencing something that no one else could possibly understand, believing there is no person you can share your “story” with…this is how a young child may feel when they live with someone who suffers from addiction....Read More

Baby-boomers and soda There is a good chance that most baby-boomers will recall their childhood and teenage years and remember that soda pop used to be a treat. Most parents regarded having cola in the house as a luxury. If you went out for dinner ordering a soda was considered special and there was no...Read More

States rethinking mental health care cuts Yesterday morning the news was abuzz with headlines like this “states rethink mental health cuts after shootings.” Both the Associated Press and Reuters authored reports which are now being carried on the major news network and cable channels. Of course, the shootings being referenced are the theater shooting that...Read More

 “Waking Up” to a TV Ad Television ads are designed to grab our attention. Did you ever notice that pharmaceuticals ads spend a lot of time discussing side-effects, warnings, and a suggestion not to start any new medication without first checking with your doctor and/or pharmacist?  This morning we saw a new ad for Intermezzo....Read More

Over the past few years we have written about the dangers of prescription drug abuse. There is no doubt prescription drugs can be and often are deadly. The statistics are alarming: Every 19 minutes someone dies from a drug overdose in the United States. This number includes those dying from both legal and illegal drugs;...Read More

US journalist and commentator Bill Moyers (Photo credit: Wikipedia) I will never forget the first day at the family program when he was in treatment and a family of five from a Southern city – the father a successful banker and leader in the community – trooped in like bedraggled creatures who had been caught...Read More