Back in the day (and at present) I facilitate addiction
recovery groups, having sobered up in ’78 and eschewing nicotine since
’93.
Not all of these groups consist of ordinary citizens; some
meetings I’ve held within the confines of penal institutions around the world
and in court-ordered treatment facilities... Read more
Last week I enjoyed the BBC World News on PBS, a particularly fascinating piece about Turkey, quintessential land of smokers; an aerial
view of Istanbul might be blocked by cigarette clouds. OK, an exaggeration, but bans on smoking in
public places are – believe it or not – already in place there. Although resisted by many (old... Read more
Recently a woman who appeared unwell attended an open SOS
meeting that I led. She was two days off
the patch and lived in a household with a smoking roommate who chain-smoked
indoors. I was, that night, the only other
former smoker in attendance; the other folks were recovering alcoholics, drug
addicts in recovery, and persons... Read more
I suppose we all feel the weight of life from time to
time. Recently I experienced fear-laden
concepts coupled with unpleasant feelings. These came in waves - off and on - a few minutes duration per set, throughout a
couple of days. I called a peer
(translation: friend who’s as flawed and human as yours truly) and... Read more