The alcohol addiction disease model is a divisive concept between those who see drinking as a choice and those who believe alcoholism relieves an individual of the willpower to resist alcohol. This is even a dividing line between  addiction recovery programs LifeRing and Alcoholics Anonymous. It has been my personal experience, that when active in my addiction, my actions did not align with my moral code. When drunk, I did things I have no recollection of deciding. Furthermore, I cannot count the number of times I have heard a recovering alcoholic say, "I always swore I would never ______, but I did that when I was drunk." To me, this is evidence enough that after I take my first drink, the disease takes control of my brain and I lose any control or willpower I had against alcohol. My alcohol addiction is a disease.

Is it possible to have fun in sobriety? Once you get sober, you'll never have fun again, right? Leading a boring, sad life is a major fear for many problem drinkers that discourages them from seeking a program of recovery. But the myth that sobriety is dull is completely inaccurate. Here's how you have fun in sobriety.

Potentially addictive or harmful qualities of addiction recovery programs are the source of heated debates across the country. One main debate is whether or not addiction recovery programs are more harmful than they are helpful. For instance, I was recently asked, "If addicts can become addicted to anything, doesn't that also apply to recovery groups?" 

Alcohols or drug-related dreams can be disturbing for those in addiction recovery, but what do these dreams actually mean? If you use drugs or alcohol in dreams, what does that mean for your addiction recovery?

You need to regain control over your life in early sobriety. At times like this, it's important to listen to the advice made by recovering addicts or recovering alcoholics who have been sober longer than you. A person who can stay sober through break-ups, marriages, deaths of loved ones, changing jobs, bankruptcy, and so on, probably has some good insight on how to cope with early sobriety. Perhaps this advice on regaining control of your life in early sobriety might help.

Taking personal inventory in addiction and alcohol recovery on a regular basis is critical. Working through a situation by taking inventory in addiction and alcohol recovery is an empowering process.

Nearly one-third of adult Americans do not drink alcohol at all. Furthermore, another one-third of adult Americans consume less than one alcoholic drink per week. These figures from a Washington Post article astonished me; far more Americans don't drink alcohol or very light drinkers than I had realized. 

Alcoholics often wonder if it's safe to eat food cooked with alcohol. After all, alcohol is used to cook many foods: pasta sauces, chocolates, jams and even cakes. Recovering alcoholics are often faced with the question, is it safe for me to consume this food or not?

It's clear to me now that alcoholism recovery is the most important part of my life. Within the recovery community, especially among those with long-term sobriety, the notion of all-or-nothing pervades our approach to life in sobriety. We all have our own set of priorities, but if we, as recovering addicts, place anything or anyone in a position of greater importance than our sobriety, we run the risk of relapse. As a result, this warning is often shared with men and women when they begin to get their life back in sobriety, "Be prepared to lose everything you place before your alcoholism recovery." 

One thing I've learned is to take action in alcohol recovery and stop arguing. Recent well-publicized articles criticizing 12-step programs have been making the social media rounds and set off another flurry of commentary and response (of which I'm a part). I'd like to suggest, however, doing something that in some ways is becoming easier and easier to avoid in the world of instant information--get off the Internet, stop arguing and take action for alcohol recovery.