Life Process Program Blog

Dear Stanton, A client recently asked me your thoughts about ADHD. This is a highly-educated professional who was diagnosed as an adult and has not found medication helpful. I gave them my take on ADHD but said I would...

Dear Stanton, In a family where every game day is sacred and skipping a match is akin to high treason, I’ve started to wonder where passion ends and addiction begins. My partner’s mood swings with the fate of his...

Dear Stanton, I’m reaching out to you about you and what your work means. Your work on addiction and recovery has popped up on my radar more times than I can count, sparking a mix of intrigue and skepticism....

Dear Stanton, My husband is an alcoholic that went through the treatment stages and he is now living in a sober house. He is working.  We have been apart as a result of his treatment.  He has been at...

Dr. Peele, As someone struggling with food addiction, I have been exploring various treatment options to help me regain control over my eating habits. While doing so, I stumbled upon your website and have been pouring through all the...

Question: Hello. To be honest I have a few questions, but I don’t know where to begin. My biggest problem in quitting my alcohol addiction is how to live with regrets. So many things I’ve done wrong, so many...

  Question: Dear Dr. Peele, I have a question that I believe you may be able to provide some guidance on: is it okay to masturbate every day? As a topic that is often shrouded in stigma and misconceptions,...

Hi Dr. Peele, I’m a long-time follower of your work, and have been reading about Ariel’s experience. I can relate to so many of the comments in this article, and I was going to just post my own response...

Hi Stanton, I’m a psych student studying addiction. I wanted to get your thoughts on a question that came up in our class today: is it harder to quit alcohol, drugs or smoking? I know everyone’s experience with addiction...

Dear Stanton, I am a 42-year-old woman who has struggled with alcoholism for most of my adult life. It all began after the tragic loss of my brother when I was in my early twenties, and I turned to...

Dear Stanton, I would love to hear your thoughts and opinions about the prevalence of cannabis stores. I disagree with the point of view often expressed that says “legal” = “benign”. Just interested in you (and Zach’s) thoughts on...

Dear Stanton, Can you provide me with some practical steps to deal with alcohol addiction (I am 84). John Hi John, You’re certainly going after the big questions! I’m wondering where you’re coming from, age 84. Is this about...

Dear Stanton, I’ve mostly moved past my problematic drinking, but I still find myself falling into old habits and patterns of thinking.  I easily slip back into the alcoholic identity/mindset. Before I realized I was doing this, it led...

Dear Stanton, I feel like with the videos I’ve watched you guys put out there isn’t nearly enough practical steps for overcoming addiction.  As much as it’s great to debunk addiction, helping people change their preference for their strongly...

Question Dr. Peele, Do you have tips and tricks for avoiding “love addiction” urges and relapses? * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *...

Dr. Peele, I’m currently working on the LPP program. I’m also seeing a life coach who specializes in addiction and attends and supports 12 step programs. She argues that randomized controlled trials show AA is superior to other programs...

Dear Stanton, I am so glad that I stumbled across your website. Something sensible – finally. I decided for myself that I am an alcoholic about 5 years ago when I was 29 years old. I almost never drank...

An LPP client asked a question about something that he has been pondering:  “Society seems to acknowledge the danger of prolonged depression and the link to addictive behavior. But what about this word dysphoria? Is it something at the...

My boyfriend masturbates all the time. His Instagram consists of ladies like Kate Sarkissian and literally any other lady. He tells me he doesn’t masturbate as much as he used to but I know he masturbates almost EVERY time...

Dear Stanton, I just found out I was pregnant. My husband was told years ago he couldn’t have children so you can imagine our surprise. I was in an accident a few years ago and was prescribed hydrocodone 10mg...

Dear Stanton, My fiancé is good person for the most part. He is a hard worker and treats me well the majority of the time. The problem is he smokes weed a lot, lies to his parents about it....

The Life Process Program Blog features several (anonymized) exchanges between Dr Peele and his readers. We wanted to share these experiences to allow readers to learn more about Dr Peele’s thoughts and opinions, but what we didn’t expect to...

He may smoke, he certainly drinks and, good God, that 60-year-old is trim!   This post is in response to Anthony Bourdain’s Addiction Report Card by Stanton Peele Anthony Bourdain is the worldly gastronomical traveler with an addictive past. ...

I have described how liberals are the most ardent supporters of the disease theory of addiction. (Disclosure, I am a liberal.) This truth was driven home for me by my recent humiliation on The Today Show at the hands...

The two primary (New York) intellectual organs, the New York Review of Books and The New York Times, have recently featured two powerful cultural icons saying exactly opposite things. Marcia Angell, the first woman editor-in-chief of the New England...

The next step in addiction Tx is assisting those addicted to heroin to inject The United States has been stymied in reducing drug-related deaths, which have continued to grow even in places where Naloxone and other anti-overdose medications have...

Subject: INSPIRED. A plea from a dissident Dear Dr. Stanton Peele, I am in much need of your advice. I am nervous sending this to you because, 1: I am anxious and have been most of my life; 2:...

Dear Dr Peele, Thank you for writing “Diseasing of America: How We Allowed Recovery Zealots and the Treatment Industry to Convince US We Are Out of Control,” and co-writing “Resisting 12-Step Coercion: How to Fight Forced Participation in AA,...

We have entered an era in which drug use is widespread, almost ubiquitous, and yet at the same it is viewed as unmanageable and uncontrollable. We need instead to accept and to regulate drug use. Several recent key writings in...

Why the Life Process Program doesn’t focus on trauma—it doesn’t work! Trauma theory has come to dominate addiction practice.  It is commonplace to hear assertions that all addiction is due to trauma, or the converse—no one can escape the...

When Archie Brodsky and I were writing Love and Addiction in the early 1970s, a medical resident told us, “Oh, we’ve established what addiction was long ago.” It turns out, that wasn’t true. In 2013, DSM-5, the most recent...

We are recognizing that addiction is a regular part of life, and it scares the hell out of us. When I published Love and Addiction with Archie Brodsky in 1975, we received catcalls from my fellow faculty members at...

Hi Dr. Peele, Season’s greetings from Calgary! My son is obsessed with TV watching. He is 13 years old. However he is addicted to Cartoons, Laptop games.  He spends up to 12-13 hours in front of TV. Whenever we...

Dr. Peele, I have relapsed so many times but I went to Betty Ford and got 1 year 5 months clean. Then my husband told me to get off my insomnia med (Trazodone) and I did. Then he told...

Hello Dr. Peele, I was hoping you could shed some light on a the topic of cross addiction for me. I have just recently found out what cross addiction is, the idea that if you are addicted to one...

  Dear Stanton: Is there such a thing as workaholism? I’ve read three-fourths of the material on your website and haven’t run into any material dealing with the topic. I do understand that under your model of addiction, any...

Hi, Stanton… My husband was admitted into a well-known treatment center for alcoholism after a family intervention.  I (his wife) was not told about the intervention until the day before it was to occur — it was planned by...

  Further Reading Dear Stanton: Once again, I’m quitting smoking. I have this technique for quitting that I’ve been using for the last couple of years (obviously an amazingly successful technique!). It always makes me think of your ideas....

  Further Reading Dear Stanton (hope you don’t object to the first name), Thanks for taking the time to answer my rather vague questions. I will look into some of the sites you mention as well as your own...

Stanton, I am 35 years old and have had problems with alcohol on and off since I was about 15 years old. I have never been physically addicted to any susbtance/alcohol other than nicotine. I had several incidents that...

  Further Reading Hey, Stanton. Ok, I haven’t gotten really drunk in a while. But for some reason, the only thing I had on my mind for the last couple of weeks was drinking until I got totally wasted,...

  Further Reading Dear Sir: I have a very dear friend who is going threw her 3 AA rehab program. She is starting her 3rd month of a 3 month program. Here is the question. She is a person...

  Dear Chris: I noticed with great interest and appreciation your chapter incorporating values in motivational interviewing in the latest edition of Motivational Interviewing. Values is often the missing link, in my view, in both clinical research and therapy....

  Further Reading Dear Stanton: I was disappointed in your web site. I combed through it but not a word on the most harmful and troublesome drugs, benzodiazepines. It is well known that benzo withdrawal is as bad as...

Dear Dr. Peele: My name is , and recently I had the great fortune of stumbling across your web-page. Wow! What a life-changing event that has turned out to be! I will not bore you with a comprehensive...

Stanton, Can addictions in non-substance abuse cases be related to drug addiction, for example to technologies like the web or TV? Is there counseling for that? Amit Dear Amit: The same general issues apply for non-substance and for substance...

  Further Reading Dear Stanton This is the first time I really devoted considerable time to your website—because it’s the first time I ever needed close-to-home advice on the topic of addiction. I invited a young guy (28) who...

  Further Reading Stanton, What kinds of people do you think are at high risk for addiction? Why do you believe that fear of a drug problem may actually make people more susceptible to addiction? Thanks! Carrie Trebucq Dear...

This young man stands for a large group of individuals – those who turn to AA for help, but who are filled with doubt and ambivalence and now feel ready to leave AA. The AA answer is to “fake...

Dear Dr. Peele, In February, I drank too much vodka — about one pint — and blacked out. In the black out I wandered out to the living room and said something to my husband and son about the...

  Further Reading What do you make of the Stanford group’s claim that continuing in 12-step aftercare helps people recover? Dear Stanton: I am two years away from earning my Ph.D. in clinical psychology. My graduate training has continually...

Dear Stanton: Just a little note to let you know that six and a half years ago I coincidentally came across your book whilst in the middle of my 9th or 10th try with outpatient alcoholism treatment. This was...

  Further Reading Stanton, I was chastized by several heroin addicts — men I like and respect — for a statement I made that society should indeed disapprove of addiction. Of course I don’t myself look down upon drug...

  I find your opinion very, very interesting and extremely controversial. I would love to see you go more public. Why haven’t I seen you on one of the tv news shows like “60 Minutes” and why haven’t I...

  Further Reading I am social activist for whom both AA and Jack Trimpey have failed; what can I do? Dear Stanton: I have been going to AA meetings for almost five years, mostly gay meetings. I have had...

Dear Stanton: What are your opinions about Smart Recovery? Jack Trimpey’s AA Bashing was/is opposed by the Smart Recovery Board, but now there is a ground swell of “Let’s give it back to them.” What are your opinions about...

  Further Reading Dear Stanton: My sister-in-law is a sophomore in college. She has just been admittied to a treatment center for alcohol and marijuana. It is her first program, but she has had counselling since this past summer...

Mr. Peele, If I may bend your ear, if for nothing else, to hear myself think, I would like to share my story. I quit using Meth December of last year. I was using daily for 7 years prior...

  Further Reading Dear Stanton, I am presently locked into a marriage with a disabled wife, who can show no affection. Recently, I met a very attractive woman who, after a few meetings, expressed a desire to strike up...

Stanton, My sister has a shopping addiction. She is 26, she lives at home, she works 30 hours a week at my parents dance studio. Her shopping addiction has escalated exponentially in the past two years. She has gone...

  Further Reading Dear Stanton: Please could you give me your view regarding the following: I have recently discovered that my partner is drinking a lot “differently” to how he has ever described his drinking habits — for instance,...

  Further Reading Dear Stanton: What do you think about sexual addiction. Jennifer Schneider, M.D., PhD has a good article on sexual addiction which begins: Addiction to sexual activities can be just as destructive as addiction to chemical substances....

Further Reading Stanton, does the latest discovery about the effects of cocaine disprove your theory? Stanton, What effects do these results have on your theories? Thanks in advance, Joel Becker Science Slots Piece In Cocaine Addiction Puzzle LONDON (Reuters)...

How come the scientific explanations of addiction I receive in drug court and treatment make no sense to me? Dr. Peele, I am currently halfway through a one-year drug court program, having been arrested with .2 g of heroin....

One thing I have learned from my Website is that many women tolerate long periods of abuse from men, often excusing them because of their addictions.  Here are three examples I received in the last few days.  The letters...

  My 17-year-old daughter has been taking amphetamines, marijuana, cocaine, and possibly other drugs, for approximately 7 months. In the last month, she has been “saved” and baptized in church, and has dropped the “bad influence friends” Now she...

  Further Reading Dear Stanton: I am a counselor who finds you ideas on harm reduction very appealing and sensible. But I wonder about the liability issues involved. If I work with a client encouraging him to limit his...

Can a person be addicted to get-rich-quick schemes? Dr. Peele: My father has what I consider to be an addiction, but it is not addressed in any literature that I have read (including any that I could find on...

  Further Reading I don’t want my husband to use drugs, even if he can resume drinking Dr. Peele: I am writing to ask you about your opinion on using narcotics recreationally after going through an intensive (6 week)...

  Further Reading Dear Stanton: I’ve heard so much about assessment, treatment, relapse prevention and the difficulties of staying sober and the “need” to be in recovery but next to nothing is said about just what recovery is. Besides...

Further Reading Can a counselor use her personal knowledge that I have attended AA against me in a court proceeding? Dear Stanton, For the last couple of years I have attended A.A. meetings, not for alcoholism but for sober...

Hi Stanton, We are raising a “former” crack baby adopted by us at the age of 2. I have seen articles relating to behavioral problems being a product of poverty, not cocaine and been very frustrated. Dr. Ira Chasnoff’s...

Further Reading Dear Stanton: I am trying to stop drinking, and not having much luck. I need to understand it better. Is drinking too much progressive, or not? If I quit now, and start in a year, will I...

  Further Reading Dear Stanton: Do I have the right to ask the recovering alcoholic questions about his recovery? Joan Joan: That’s an ethics question. But let me put it this way — if a recovering alcoholic presents him/herself...

  Further Reading Is it better to rely on psychiatric drugs and to lose the feelings that they mask, or to risk suicide? Dear Stanton, I am faced with a possible serious problem that it seems I must solve...

  Further Reading I was favorably impressed with your insights in The Meaning of Addiction. I wonder what you think about addiction in relation to psychedelics. Do they harm? help? Are they addictive? Allan In general, (a) psychedelics don’t...

  Further Reading I’m currently doing my dissertation on the question of the addictive personality. Do you think there is one? Dear Student: The idea of addictive personality has recently fallen into disuse. It is too glib to say...

  Further Reading My “had a drink and I was okay” sharing was not met with a enthusiasm by my fellow A.A. friends Dear Stanton: I am 45 years of age and have spent the last 15 years both...

  Further Reading Hi, I have been a herion addict for 10 years and 2 years ago I went on methadone and my life is back to normal and I do not use drugs at all. I started on...

  Further Reading Dear Stanton: Thanks to you I was recently able to write in my journal that “I am recovering from my ‘recovery’ “—and leave 4 years of intense OA involvement with which I was increasingly disillusioned. (ie...

Dear Dr. Stanton; I am truly in a bind. Approximately 13 years ago, the Board of Nursing revoked my license for diversion of drugs. I hit rock bottom and decided on my own that this was over forever. I...

  Further Reading What do you think of New York’s decision to put all drug “addicts” through treatment? Dear Dr. Peele, Thank you for your web site. You validated for me a lot of thoughts and opinions I developed...

  Stanton, What do you think of the use of the drug Naltrexone to curb alcohol cravings? Dear Dr. Peele: Thanks for your erudite, yet accessible approach. I am researching a TV documentary on alcoholism. I have found a...

  Further Reading Hi Stanton, I am sure this is not unfimiliar to you with my such case. I have been married for almost 6 years to...

  Further Reading Hi Stanton, Just like some input from you. I resumed drinking after 10 plus years sober, was involved with AA. Started doing some critical thinking on the subject, and read tons of books and literature. My...

  Further Reading Dear Stanton: My son is 19 and has a diagnosis of Tourette’s, OCD, depression, and a complex partial seizure disorder that manifests in the form of rage! He says that marijuana helps him control the rages...

  Further Reading Dear Stanton: Why don’t they have a drug to help meth users go clean? I am aware that it’s not supposed to be physically addictive… although your body is somewhat back to normal after around 2...

Guest response by Robert Newman Further Reading Dear Mr. Peele, I was addicted to H for about 3 years. Then I knew it was time to get off the train, so I got on methadone which worked well for...

Dear Stanton: I wonder what you think about methadone maintenance. In two years I’ve detoxed from heroin 6 times – I never get beyond physical withdrawal (back using within 10 days, released from hospital after 5 days). I have...

  Further Reading Stanton, For 30 years I went to AA, did the Steps and had a sponsor, and stayed sober 3 months at a time. I was in treatment perhaps 35 times and in the state penitentiary once,...

Further Reading Hi…. I wondered if you might answer a couple questions for me. I think that a close family member of mine may have a problem with cocaine. I know that she uses the drug on social occasions….I...

  Further Reading Dear Dr. Stanton Peele: Thank you for providing information on your web site that is thoughtful, provocative and informative. Mine is a question that deals with personal freedom and MJ use and relationships. I married an...

  Further Reading Dear Stanton: What psycho-social tendencies, if any, are inherited by the children of alcoholics? Michael Dear Michael: Cloninger claims that male alcoholics inherit antisocial, criminal tendencies. That doesn’t register for me. It seems more plausible to...

  Further Reading Stanton: I am writing you in hopes that you can provide some insights. About six years ago, I had an experience that has negatively impacted me. My mom at the time was in Overeaters Anonymous. She...

  Further Reading It has been several years since I have last written you. I will try to be a brief as possible. What I have experienced in my struggle with drug addiction has been so profound that I...

Dear Stanton: Are there any programs for cocaine maintenance in the world. If so, do they work as well as methadone? Can IV users of stimulants find or get an acceptable oral alternative?   This question has been asked...

Further Reading What if you think God is a bastard, and the higher power doesn’t work for you? Mr. Peele: Thanks a million for your swift reply to my question about medical malpractice and 12-Step programs. It’s a shame...

  Further Reading Dear Stanton: I know it is wrong for one to proselytize one’s religious beliefs in the workplace, but what of someone who is proselytizing 12-step dogma at work? I neither drink or use drugs. I did...

  Further Reading Dear Stanton: I am a professional pilot. I was a drinker for some time in my life. I decided that alcohol was interfering with things in my life. Although alcohol never was a problem for my...

  Further Reading My husband has been compulsively gambling for about two years (maybe more as I was slow on the uptake). Can you give me some ideas of ways I and other family members can support his recovery?...

  Further Reading Dear Stanton: Does the amount or extent of what there is to lose in one’s life (successful career, loved ones, money, respect, etc.) have an impact on helping an alcoholic to recover? At the risk of...

  Further Reading Dr. Stanton, I am currently on a methadone clinic which I find counter-productive to the well-being and healing of their clients. Indeed, most patients there remain for decades without ever becoming fully ‘clean’ which I assume...

  Further Reading Dear Stanton, My 39 year old brother died of a heroin overdose. He was not alone at the time. The man doing heroin with him didn’t bother to call the authorities until 8 hours after my...

Dear Stanton, I am a CASAC, that is a Drug and Alcohol Counselor, in the state of NY. I went into this field because I wanted to assist people with many aspects of their lives affected by overusing drugs...

  Further Reading Stanton, I recently found out that my 23 year old sister had tried the drug ecstasy, which she claimed was combination of cocaine, heroin, and acid. As far as I know she has only tried it...

  Further Reading Dear Stanton, My husband is an ex-con who just got out. He promised me that he was going to quite the old life he had and concentrate on us. Well, he didn’t come straight home when...

  Further Reading Dr. Peele: I emailed you a few weeks ago regarding the definition given by a therapist of a “dry drunk” as someone who was an alcoholic who never drank. I thought this an aberration, of sorts,...

  Further Reading Dear Mr. Peele: I am looking for models to support a user-controlled, safe place, drop in centre for drug users in a very depressed part of our city. I am heartened by your description, “When people...

  Further Reading Dear Stanton: Is alcoholism a disease? At a bar association seminar we were told that alcoholism is (a) a disease (b) “treatable like a disease”, and (c) a “disease based concept”. I have friends at CDC...

  Further Reading Dear Dr. Peele, I am so grateful for your web site! I wish I could see you personally–do you have a private practice? I would like to talk to you to clear up some things about...

Stanton, I have been abstinent (mostly) for almost 3.5 years with 3 relapse events – 1 moderate (half pint) about 3 yrs ago, 1 heavy (2 pints over 2 day period) about 1.5 years ago, and 1 moderate to...

Further Reading If you suspect your college aged child of substance abuse and addiction, for example, mood swings, withdrawal, lack of initiative, energy and interest, few friends, dislikes nearly everything, bad grades, hates school, doesn’t want to be around...

What exactly is the community reinforcement approach (CRA) and how effective is it? I read about it briefly in your book “Diseasing of America”. I am an Intake Counsellor at a Drop In Crisis Center in Montreal and feel...

  Further Reading Dear Stanton- I was enlisted in a 30 day in-patient treatment center last spring. There is some history (my grandfather) of alcohol abuse in the family. I have a 17 year old cousin (my grandfather’s grandson)...

  Further Reading I was concerned about my alcohol consumption, and now I am forced into treatment. What should I do? Dear Mr. Peele: I have worked for my current employer for 20 years, and have progressed steadily to...

  Further Reading Dear Dr. Peele I am a Swedish researcher working on an article about social work and drug abuse. My question concerns the concept “chemical dependance” which seems to be used to a very large extent in...

Dear Stanton: Oh my, where do I start? I am a married 34 year old full time student at a very prominent university. I am very successful in college. I am currently an honor student and also received an...

  Further Reading Is it possible that someone who went thru heroin withdrawal with Clonidine (last dose heroin 12 days ago) Clonidine patch removed 2 days ago, suddenly have severe heroin withdrawal symptoms (freq. vomiting, diarrhea, “gooseflesh”, shakes)? Dear...

  Further Reading Dear Dr. Peele: I am relatively new to direct treatment in addictions, although I have been in the social work field for over 25 years (BA, MSW, and a year of graduate-level addictions studies). I am...

Dear Stanton: I am 30 years old and essentially a non-smoker. Most everyone I know is a non-smoker. The other night I was in a bar with some friends, all except one non-smokers. Because the one smoker was smoking,...

  Further Reading The catch-22 of employment law: Whether to tell about a substance abuse problem Stanton, I am looking for a suggestion on how to handle the following situation: I worked for eight years on Wall Street (I...

  Further Reading Dear Mr. Stanton, I have been adicted to heroine for almost ten years and have spent seven of those on methadone as well. I have only achieved prolonged periods of heroine abstinence twice, eight years ago...

  Further Reading My son and his counselors think they are doing fine, only I’m going broke; how do I stand up for myself? Dear Dr. Peele: My husband and I have a 23 year old son who is...

  Further Reading Dear Stanton, I have been taking the antidepressant dothiepin for seven years and am finding it really tough to come off the drug. I was originally prescribed it for CFS by an unsympathetic GP. But now,...

Further Reading Stanton, Do you think that the whole seratonin transmitter thing is totally wrong regarding depression? I have suffered from depression for at least thirty years. And I’ve been through therapy, AA and whatever else I could do...

Non-AA help in the U.S. and overseas Hi. I’m writing to you from , Sweden. I like your integrity. I joined the MM list some weeks ago as I searched the Internet for alternatives to addictions as well...

Further Reading Are there costs to abstinence and how do you deal with them? Stanton: I had a husband (now an ex) who was a long time user of alcohol and pot. He was a genial soul when inebriated...

  Further Reading Dear Stanton: I keep reading that marijuana is addictive. Yet, although I have smoked it, I haven’t known many marijuana addicts (maybe a few people who overdo it). Isn’t it wrong to say mj is addictive?...

  Further Reading Dear Stanton: I am a forty-four year old part-time student at a local University in Indiana and a full time minister in a local church. I have been working toward a degree in Behavioral Sciences with...

  Further Reading Dear Stanton: I am a 20 year-old college student who is going on to his fifth semester. Last fall, I was introduced to marijuana by a someone close to me. Since then, I have smoked pot...

Mr. Peele, About 3 months ago I took a hair drug test at work. The test showed positive for marijuana. I had been using marijuana for a few years and only used a small amount each night before bedtime....