Craig Graham is an acknowledged recovering alcoholic. Craig represents thousands of people in our respective communities who, by some circumstance, become depressed or just don't know how to say no to peer pressure. Often feeling hopeless, the quick escape choice to kill the "pain" easily morphs into entrapment. Many become hopelessly hooked "closet addicts" not yet desperate enough to seek help. Too often it takes a shocking jolt such as a near death experience, a broken relationship or incarceration to reach the teachable moment of truth and the first step toward recovery---the commitment to change and find the support people and place to do it. This author has personally learned much from Craig, through his recovery over the past five years, about addicts and addiction along with some of what it takes to be set free from its bondage. [More]

Understanding Anxiety Disorders: How Can I Tell Which One I Have? First of all, everyone has anxiety.  Anxiety can be quite normal in certain instances. It keeps us busy doing things that keep us safe and out of harm's way. For example, having some anxiety because you discovered the battery in your smoke detector is dead will hopefully bother you enough to motivate you to purchase a new battery soon which might save your life.      But sometimes anxiety becomes a problem, not a help. We call this an anxiety disorder. There are just a few anxiety disorders. Here is a really brief explanation of the anxiety disorders for laypersons. If you read one of these explanations and it sounds strongly like what you have, you may do well to see your doctor.   Generalized Anxiety Disorder - anxiety baseline is elevated all the time - excessive worry - can cause bothersome physical - symptoms such as tension, nausea, fatigue, headaches, etc.   Simple ... [More]

Each year millions of people suffer from some form of depression. Researchers estimate as many as one out of every three people will develop depression at some point in their lives. Although the average depression lasts around six months, those with severe major depression or constant dysphoric depression may have symptoms that last for years.
Some depressed individuals resort to suicide as a way of alleviating their anguish. Given the frequency with which depression occurs in our society, the length of time it can last, and the extent of debilitation that can result, methods for coping with this illness are essential. This article will provide several steps one can take in order to manage and overcome depression. [More]

Agoraphobia is one of the most common and most debilitating types of anxiety disorders. It often involves the fear of being in situations in which embarrassing—if not incapacitating—where feelings of panic might suddenly strike, out of the blue, and without escape. [More]