Our silence has allowed others to define us By MAURA CASEY I often wished that state legislators who knew the most about addiction would band together and speak out as one during budget debates. Who better to advocate for treatment and chip away at public denial than the recovering alcoholics I knew who were also…
by BOB VON STERNBERG There’s a growing realization that policy cannot be shaped from the shadows. A bunch of alcoholics and addicts mingled throughout the elegant galleries of the Walker Art Center on a recent evening. They were there for a sold-out screening of a new documentary called “The Anonymous People.” The film’s title is…
By Robert J. Ackerman, Ph.D. Over the past couple of years there has been much discussion about the concept of anonymity in the treatment and recovery of addiction. This discussion has ranged from the very definition of anonymity to the important role that it plays in Twelve Step groups. Today more than ever the idea…
by Laura Hilgers Fay Zenoff recently met a friend for dinner at a sushi restaurant in Sausalito, Calif. After they were seated, a waitress asked if they’d like wine with dinner. Her friend ordered sake. Ms. Zenoff declined. “Not for me,” she said. “I’m celebrating 10 years of sobriety this weekend.” Because of the stigma…