NOW IS A GOOD TIME
Many of the recovering alcoholics I know are thankful daily that they gained their sobriety when they did. Most drinkers wish they could have sobered up earlier, although they almost unanimously subscribe to the idea that everyone quits drinking only when ready. Happily, not every alcoholic has to hit bottom before they can successfully quit […]
SPIRITUALITY AND DUTY
How does your spirituality influence your duty? Spirituality is a broad concept with room for many perspectives. In general, it includes a sense of connection to something bigger than us. It typically involves a search for meaning in life. As such, it is a universal human experience, something that touches us all. Spirituality is also […]
13 REASONS WHY
Depending on when this article is printed, the Netflix show 13 Reasons Why might be fresh in our minds or just something we Google to remind ourselves. Regardless of the timing, the topic of suicide is always current. I will neither glamorize nor vilify the show or suicide. As a psychologist, I am duty bound […]
FAILING TO PLAN
Every Sheriff’s employee knows the dangers of drinking and driving, or at least they know it when they are sober. Yet, it is a frequent occurrence for one of our employees to get arrested for driving under the influence. This indicates that, after drinking, many individuals say, “Yes, I am OK to drive,” when any […]
Contentment
“…in whatever state I am, to be content…” — Philippians 4:11 The race to a “better” life. The quest for a better position, a better car, a better house, a better relationship, a better physique or a better place in life. A pilot pondered this “better” as he flew a certain route. The pilot always […]
ONE BAD DECISION
All it takes is one bad decision to change your life. This includes taking a chance and drinking more than you should. Given all of the resources that we have, why do employees of our Department continue to get arrested for alcohol and/or drug-related incidents? Is it that they don’t think they will be arrested? […]
DEPUTIES: MINISTERS OF GOD?
Joshua, Moses’s lieutenant, exhorted, “Be strong and courageous. Do not be frightened, and do not be dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go” (Joshua 1:9). In the Psalms, often attributed to King Solomon, we find, “Give justice to the weak and the fatherless; maintain the right of the afflicted and […]
PRINCIPLES OF GOOD PARENTING
I recently had lunch with one of my mentors, who’s a seasoned child, adolescent and family psychologist with a local practice. As we began discussing the roller coaster of parenting, I conveyed some of the challenges I was experiencing in my own journey as a parent. He said something that struck me. “Parenting is never […]