Coming from a background of addiction and neglect, Annabel pretty much made up her own rules.  She and her brother did their best to survive, sacrificing "normal" in the process.  A longing for love and approval led down a path of pills, booze and empty relationships.  Living in a downscale Hollywood apartment trying to manage her pill supply led to the gift of desperation.  Hoping to drink herself to death before she left for rehab she failed at that and the story of recovery from booze, pills and sexual trauma began.

The Gift of Desperation

a creative and open minded talk show format featuring, guests, advice, stories from the real world, recovery topics and a connection for recovering people

Health & Fitness

Mental Health

It was in the genes, but it hit hard and fast. A natural mother the fear of losing her kids led grudgingly to rehab. Still not believing she had a problem; angry and unhappy she drank again. After getting sober and working a program again for several years her reaction to health problems led to another relapse. Shortly after that relapse she sobered up again but this time with daily meeting and good sponsorship. Meanwhile she manages to finish a master’s degree in counseling and get a job. Diagnosed with cancer in 2020 she drank again but this time she found out about living one day at a time and faced her feeling of valuelessness. She decided that she loved herself more than her old friend alcohol.

Love Myself More

Join us as we talk with our friend Nick about his recovery journey, professional evolution and expereince in the behavioral healthcare industry. Nick runs a treatment facility, has an intimate relationship with recovery and has a real job ahead to imprint his treatment and management style on an existing facility and philosophy. Let’s get an inside look at Nick’s challenges and successes in this competitive arena.

We all need a North Star

His story spans decades; his job as an AP photojournalist took him to many places in the country and the world; often gone for weeks. His family missed his presence and his wife and he became increasingly estranged. Her genetics took her to her coping skill of choice; drinking. For years her drinking was hidden until it couldn’t be hidden any longer. She had been a closet drinker, convincing the kids that her drinking was her husband’s fault. Lee felt horribly guilty which led him to find Al Anon which he says today saved his life.

 

Thu, 12 April 2018

A Rocky Road

He grew up in what is now Silicon Valley to a hard working business family. He was always the black sheep but never doubted his strong Catholic roots and excellent parochial education. He would tell you that he was an alcoholic from his first drink but that the disease took a long and winding road. He spent many years running the family business, working 100 hour weeks and trying to raise four kids while doing very little drinking. As the kids grew up and the business learned to run itself Mike took the liberty of reintroducing himself to heavy drinking and within a few years was drinking to stay normal. Whether miracle, good values or God directed coincidence, one momentous night he got on the phone and landed in the lap of Betty Ford. Mike’s been around about 8 years and still has a few wrinkles but he’s working on them.

Sun, 5 November 2017

Miracle, Good Values or God Directed Coincidence?

She grew up conservative and religious in a small Texas town. The good girl to the core She always did the right thing and nevvvvver disappointed her Mom. A good education, some grace and maybe a little luck and she was working a dream job and married a dream man. Years later her son got into drugs and landed in rehab which landed Kay in Al Anon A few years later she and her husband divorced but not before he also found recovery. Al Anon started, for Kay a long and difficult path to find her own spiritual path. She and her son laugh together today that his addiction got HER healthy.

The Gift of Desperation

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