Month: November 2015

Even the Darkest Days Have a Brighter Tomorrow

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Stories of Hope: An Interview with Nikki DuBose This is part of a series featuring individuals who share their life experiences with mental health issues. Recently, I asked writer and mental health advocate Nikki DuBose about her history of mental health issues and her current advocacy work. Here’s our interview: DS: When did you first start becoming aware of mental health concerns and how did they affect you? ND: My problems began at an early age, so they became ingrained in my …

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Double Trouble in Recovery: 12-Step Support for Mental Illness and Substance Misuse

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If you ask anyone dealing with a substance use problem what “AA” means, they will immediately say “Alcoholics Anonymous.” Established in the 1930’s, AA is a well-known, effective peer-run approach used to help people in recovery from alcoholism. Several dozen offshoots of AA have been developed over the years which use the same “12-step model,” including NA (Narcotics Anonymous), OA (Overeaters Anonymous), Cocaine Anonymous (CA), Gamblers Anonymous (GA), Emotions Anonymous (EA) and Workaholics Anonymous (WA), just to name a few. …

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Life Can Be So Beautiful

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Stories of Hope: An Interview with Natalie Harris This is part of a series featuring individuals who share their life experiences with mental health issues. Recently, I asked former paramedic and mental health advocate Natalie Harris about the challenges she has faced and how her journey of recovery continues to unfold. Here’s our interview: DS: When did you first started becoming aware of concerns related to your mental health. How did these issues affect you  before you sought treatment? NH: When …

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