Larry Winter

Day two of reduction in a medication I take for my mental health condition. I slept fairly well. I am experiencing some drowsiness this morning. The psychiatrist informed me this could point to being over-medicated. I mentioned yesterday our hormonal levels change as we age, they need to be factored into the evaluation process. Due […]

Many of us require medication to help manage our mental health and substance misuse conditions. During my lifetime, medication has been part of my treatment plan. Yesterday, I had an appointment with two psychiatrists as part of my three-month routine. We discussed my health. I mentioned that I experience drowsiness in the morning, which impacts

Our ability to recover from a crisis is how to manage distress tolerance. Distress tolerance is helpful when our emotions are high and we utilize destructive actions such as isolating ourselves, drug use, drinking, violence, or talking to ourselves in a demeaning way.  By managing our current crisis, we prevent making things worse for ourselves.

There was a teacher who taught psychology classes at a University. One day, a student asked the teacher, “Do you support people taking medication, or do they suffer from a lack of spirituality in their lives?” This question always seemed to the teacher to be a sign of the immaturity of a young student with

Stigma is difficult for me to explain to people and what it looks like in our daily activities. I will attempt to do so with a story. Sam reaches out to heal a sad woman who spends many days alone in her apartment. Sam was being watched closely by his faith community since Sunday was

When interacting with my brothers and sisters in Recovery, I am astounded by their courage to heal. We may wonder, “What astounds us about these stories?” “Why do we express amazement at those things we see happen”? Throughout my recovery journey, many people have said or done things to help me heal. People include priest,

Several ancient people experienced physical healing. Jesus healed Simon Peter’s mother-in-law, who had a fever. We are told Jesus reached for her hand, and the fever left her instantly. I imagine myself in this scene, astonished by this miraculous example of healing. But as if that were not enough, this healing introduces us to a

When I began to attend support groups, therapy, and taking medication I came out of the desert after wandering in the dark for years. I was prepared to connect with Recoverees and learn what healing was about. Peers were willing to teach me the process of Recovery. It was remarkable to hear what peers went

Recovery is a symbolic baptism where we find hope, healing, and health. We begin to learn to balance our needs with those of our partner, children, family, co-workers, and classmates.      Healing means we are worth more than a sparrow. Sparrows do not hold a high value in the animal community. Viewed as troublesome, sparrows often

Calling and conversion—where does that happen? Recovery reminds us that we are ” right where we are,” in the middle of everything we do daily in our homes and communities, not always at a retreat or mountain top. This is healing news for us. Recovery moments are calling us today, and that change feeds us.