by Peg O'Connor | Aug 13, 2026 | Theories of Addiction
Key points Brad Pitt announced that he drinks again after seven years of sobriety. Some programs of recovery view abstinence as necessary, while others do not. Many people commenting on Pitt’s decision are imposing their personal recovery views onto others’ journeys....
by Peg O'Connor | Jul 15, 2026 | Internal Conflicts, Relapse
Key points People in later recovery face different challenges from those early in recovery. Mistaking monotony for boredom may lead to seeking chaos, threatening sobriety. Pride can mask evolving cravings, making them harder to recognize and manage. Rigidly sticking...
by Peg O'Connor | Apr 7, 2026 | Relapse
If your candidates won elections last night, do not relapse. If your candidates lost elections last night, do not relapse. If you are on the winning side, you may feel an elation that seems to take you beyond the daily grind of life. You may feel some vindication and...
by Peg O'Connor | Apr 2, 2026 | Relapse
With summer soon upon us, there will be ample opportunities to quench our thirst with a variety of alcoholic beverages. For those of us in recovery, those opportunities may feel especially treacherous. It may seem that chilled beer cans are throwing themselves at us....
by Peg O'Connor | Jan 25, 2026 | Relapse
I need to remind myself that relapsing will not help anything. Picking up again may bring some immediate comfort in these disorienting, fraught, and perilous times. But that comfort is illusory, a product of the trickster properties of alcohol and other drugs. There’s...
