Front Porch Thoughts

Worry is like a rocking chair: It gives you something to do, but never gets you anywhere. Erma Bombeck I don’t know about you, but if the world gave out awards for worry, I would have a room full...

More than 100,000 died from overdose death in the United States in 2021, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. That is an increase of nearly 30 % from the previous year. Seventy five percent of those...

Fentanyl is the single deadliest drug threat our nation has ever encountered. United States Drug Enforcement Administration Illicit fentanyl is a dangerous killer – a fact all too well known to grieving families whose loved ones have suffered overdose...

It’s good to be on the lookout for a gold nugget of something hopeful glistening in the path we trudge to find recovery solutions for ourselves and our loved ones.  When I was more than waist deep in the muck and...

More than a decade ago, when our beloved son was gripped by the illness of addiction, my husband and I struggled to find him help. We wasted a lot of time going down deep, dark rabbit holes of poor...

For families on weariness overload from the challenge of substance use disorder, the need to kick back, relax and recharge is so very important – truly a critical need.

I was recently gifted with a wooden toolbox used by my grandfather and my father. Grandpa McCann, a proud Irishman, built it 100 years ago from cast off wood. It has a sturdy handle with plenty of room for...

Since the start of spring I have been at war with a family of  woodchucks. And the woodchucks are winning. They have dug their way into my vegetable garden feasting on parsley and kale, despite my best efforts to keep...

Unpredictability. There’s a whole lot of it in the family systems illness of substance use disorder. The unpredictability includes: escalating substance abuse, lying, denial, cravings, anger, physical illness, depression, isolation, risk-filled behavior, sadness, guilt and remorse.  The combination of any of...

Mental health affects every aspect of your life. It’s not just this neat little issue you can put in a box. Shannon Purser There was a time in the recent past that those suffering from mental illness were basically...