“The 12 Steps of Holiday Anonymous” From The Meadows

The holiday season can be a time of joyous celebration with our loved ones, a time when we begrudgingly drag ourselves to dreaded events or a time when feelings of loneliness can be overwhelming. For many of us, some combination of all three is present this time of year. In… Read More

Complex PTSD and Addictive Disorders: Why Simplistic Solutions Do Not Work

By Jerry Boriksin, PhD The logic is easy but seems to elude the most brilliant of minds: Some complicated conditions require multiple approaches delivered skillfully and in the proper sequence. A single solution, no matter how powerful, tends to fail when up against sufficient intensity and complexity. To put this… Read More

Isn’t the term “Sex Addiction” Just an Excuse for Bad Behavior?

By Maureen Canning News stories about celebrities struggling with sexual addiction have raised questions about the legitimacy of sexual addiction as a disorder. Many say the diagnosis is an excuse for bad behavior. But assessing someone’s behavior from afar is not an effective tool for understanding another’s reality. Some may… Read More

I Can’t Tell Anybody About What I Do Sexually. I’m Too Ashamed.

I can’t tell anybody about what I do sexually. I’m too ashamed. Shame about addictive sexual behavior is normal, but when certain behaviors – such as voyeurism or exhibitionism – fall far from the cultural norm, there can be a profound sense of judgment, shame, and stigma. When an addict’s… Read More

Dating in Sobriety

“In desperate love, we always invent the characters of our partners, demanding they be what we need of them, and then feeling devastated when they refuse to perform the role we created in the first place.” – Elizabeth Gilbert (Eat, Pray, Love) In Facing Love Addiction, Pia Mellody outlines how… Read More

Self-medication and PTSD: A Path to Greater Complexity and Addiction?

Readers familiar with their own journeys or observing the struggles that loved ones endure know that PTSD symptoms sometimes demand immediate relief. Mood-altering chemicals, especially alcohol and marijuana, often provide temporary relief from anxiety, anger, depression, and other “limbic” surges. For many, alcohol and marijuana “take the edge… Read More

Continuing Education Update: Trauma and the Body, with Peter Levine PhD

In an Unspoken Voice: How the Body Releases Trauma and Restores Goodness The Meadows presents Peter Levine, PhD December 3, 2010 Austin, Texas Trauma is neither a disease nor a disorder, but is rather an injury caused by paralyzing fright, helplessness and loss. If we enlist the wisdom… Read More

Follow @Meadowsrecovery on Twitter

The Meadows is pleased to announce its new Twitter account, @Meadowsrecovery. Follow our latest news and events at The Meadows and our posts here on the Addiction Recovery Reality blog. @Meadowsrecovery is just one more way of keeping in touch to help us ensure that you won’t… Read More

Recent Interviews for Maureen Canning

The Meadows Maureen Canning was interviewed twice recently on the topic of sexual addiction. Maureen first appeared on the Radio Health Journal podcast, an award-wining half-hour weekly radio magazine on issues in health, medicine and society. This program is now available for audio download. The second… Read More

Spirituality is Something You Are: Forgiving, Loving, Finding Serenity

Note: This article was originally published in the Winter 2007 edition of MeadowLark, the Meadows’ alumni magazine. Spirituality is Something You Are: Forgiving, Loving, Finding Serenity An excerpt from Changing Course: Healing from Loss, Abandonment and Fear By Claudia Black, PhD, MSW When you set out on a new course… Read More