Author: Devora Shabtai

May 25th, 2020

Dave*, a 33 year old businessman from West Virginia, is sitting in my office at a treatment center miles from family and from the comfort of his daily routine, for one goal: to learn how to live without alcohol or substances. To learn how to move past the vicious cycles that have brought him to the verge of destruction time and time again.  This desire for change was something he shared with his wife in between sobs on their bedroom floor af …
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Author: Devora Shabtai

April 3rd, 2020

"We are going to know a new freedom”-Alcoholics Anonymous, p. 83.   I have always marveled at the paradox that our nation’s liberation from the bondage of slavery is marked by the quintessential period of restriction. A holiday that requires us to adhere to strict guidelines and detailed instructions with such profound exactitude and measure. To distance ourselves from something that in the rest of the year we engage in uncond …
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Author: Devora Shabtai

March 29th, 2020

Amid this period of uncertainty, many of us continue to exert effort to tap into inner resources and reservoirs of strength. Some do so through stepping up to take action. Others find strength through meaningful time with loved ones, engaging in enjoyable activities, or within the quiet of solitude.  Yet, in this whirlwind of chaos there is one response that appears to be somewhat global- that of turning to God or a Higher Power.  …
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