With the trees and wildflowers bursting into bloom, the first signs of spring are well on its way — and we couldn’t be more excited. The warm breezes that carry fragrant flowering scents wiggle their way under our skin, energizing us for what the season may bring. Recovery View is always focused on renewal, rebirth and hope, but somehow those themes become even more present in our collective consciousness when the world around us is coming to life in all its vibrant hues.

Dr. Gene Wallace, a retired Episcopal priest and practicing psychotherapist, examines the important role of connecting with someone/something greater than ourselves in the headline article “Twelve-Step Spirituality”. He defines this abstract journey as “a humanistic quest, a search for the core of one’s true humanity”, the implications of which extend far beyond recovery from addiction and into a lifelong search for meaning for us all.

Internet/online addiction reflects a shift in this generation’s focus when needing to escape. Dr. Kimberly Young, psychologist and clinical director of the Center for Internet Addiction Recovery, presents the facts about this growing disease and what we, as addictions professionals, can do to help.

Getting sober is one thing; staying there is quite another. At times, life appears engineered to derail even the best of intentions. Dr. Toni Galardi — psychotherapist, life transitions coach and crisis management expert — deconstructs the anatomy of a crisis and how a few simple, but profound changes in thought and behavior can make all the difference between staying in recovery and falling off the proverbial wagon.

Other themes of renewal and hope featured in this issue include: spiritual awakenings and where they might be found; increasing resilience in recovery; web-based addiction education; holistic detoxing; and how to create a vision of yourself living your most fulfilling life and actually bring it to fruition.

We round out the issue with the latest legislation for increased funding for gambling addiction; a gritty look at the slimy underbelly of sexual addiction; and an interview with the author William G. Borchert on his book that has been made into a Hallmark Hall of Fame movie about the life of Lois W. (wife of AA founder Bill W. and co-founder of Al-Anon).

Be sure to take a moment to step outside and welcome in a new season filled with possibility…then get reading!
Blessings,
Jim and Josie Herndon