Today, May 9, is Children’s Mental Health Awareness Day, the climax of the week on mental health awareness. This year’s theme is Out of the shadows: Exposing stigma. Stigma is a mark of shame and disgrace, a negative judgment placed on someone or something. Too often, people are quick to judge and assume the worst in a person that has difficulties—which we all have difficulties at some point in our lives. But, imagine a world in which people had compassion for others who are struggling rather than judging them. A Model of Compassion A classic ... Read More →

If you're a serious or heavy alcoholic drinker, you might have experienced a blackout before. A blackout is different than passing out—this is a moment where you are basically functioning, walking around, talking, performing tasks, but aftewards you have no recollection of what happened.  What is a Blackout?  Real Blackout Stories The following are true blackout stories told by Gene Duffy, our founder. These are powerful reminders of how subtly dangerous excessive alcohol use can be.  Blackout Stories: How the Hell Did I Get Here?  Blackout Stories: What Can't You Do During ... Read More →

When I was a child, the issue of drugs and alcohol was presented one dimensionally. "Good girls and boys' didn't drink or do drugs." If we simply behaved, we never had to deal with the ugly problems of addiction. Poof, it was just that easy. Or so I was told. My Perspective: Bad People The complete avoidance of the real issues of addiction left me with the impression that anyone seriously addicted to anything could not be a good person. Period. They were people to be afraid of. People whose primary purpose was to give oneself a warm and ... Read More →

When you think of the things that influence your recovery, you’re probably thinking of supportive friends, regular 12-step meetings, and a good rehab program. You usually don’t think about running, right? But running is considered one of the most beneficial activities to do during recovery and is a favorite activity of those in recovery--and here at Duffys, we make sure you have time in the schedule for some regular exercise. Check out what they say:  Cathy’s Testimony In her blog, How Running Promotes Long-Term Recovery, Cathy explains why running has such a positive ... Read More →

Prescription drug abuse is the leading cause of death in San Diego. Over the last decade, the number prescription-drug related deaths have shot up 85%.  Think about that. The average San Diego citizen is more likely to die from prescription drugs than car crashes.  This may be due to the increase in prescriptions themselves. As the following video explains, the number of pills distributed to San Diego pharmacies have almost doubled, rising from 675,000 in 2007 to 1.1 million in 2008. Infographic: California Drug Statistics However, evidence shows that the majority of abusers obtain these pills not from physicians, but from family and ... Read More →

Do we celebrate our life in recovery? Are we enjoying ever moment, finding beauty every day? After all, we’ve been given a new opportunity on life—we’re no longer tied down by addiction. While the macro knowledge of our freedom is immense, sometimes it’s easy to forget the daily beauty and blessings. Yet that is exactly how we can celebrate beauty every day. No one else knows how hard it is every day to live every day in recovery—except those of in recovery. But what if we treated every day as ... Read More →

Long popular at raves in Northern California, the use of ecstasy, has become more mainstream in the last decade as a younger generation turns to these illegal substances to help them party harder and give them release from the pressures they face. But how safe is the pill really?   To help you understand ecstasy better, we've prepared a quick infographic about ecstasy--how prevelant it is and how popular it is becoming.   Ecstasy Isn't Always 100% Ecstasy In 2009, over 1 million Americans used ecstasy for the first time--perhaps because they are under the false perception that it is a ... Read More →

I just read an inspiring testimony from Courtney Rundell, a freelance blogger, I want to share with you. Courtney is bipolar and in recovery herself from alcohol and drug addictions. Courtney begins her article, “My Happy Pill,” by describing the Zoloft commercial with the little bouncing ball and the blue bird and the raining clouds who gets fixed after taking his pill:  “For years, I bought the idea of a happy pill – all I’d need to get to “happily ever after” was a prescription. Boy was I wrong. “ Then she ... Read More →

Today in my morning news, I read of the death of a gunman after a 14-hour standoff with officials at a pharmacy in Alliance, Nebraska. Then I found out that in March of this year, there had been another police standoff at a pharmacy in Oakland, California. It might be slightly understandable that the city of Oakland would have unusual criminal activity—after all, it’s a city of nearly 400,000 residents, but Alliance, Nebraska? That’s a small city—their last census numbers reported fewer than 10,000 residents.  And why all this drama about pharmacies? Don ... Read More →

Here’s one good reason you’re not an international pop star (besides the paparazzi of course)--being a musician could make you more vulnerable to alcohol addiction.  Songwriters and artists often fall into a life-pattern of drugs and alcohol because they believe the substances get their creative juices flowing more easily. And recent theories argue that creative people will be more likely than others to be attracted to drugs and alcohol because they are seeking that source of inspiration. Years ago, writers used to talk about finding their "muse"--for many of today's musicians and ... Read More →