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The OAD Clinic
Blog: Insights and Updates on Addiction Treatment and Mental Health
Andrew Bevan - Voluntary Mentor
Jan 24, 20235 min read
Overcoming Fear and Addiction
When I tell people that I've been sober for more than 20 years, they usually offer congratulations with a comment such as “we admire your...
298 views
Andrew Bevan - Voluntary Mentor
Dec 20, 20224 min read
The Ideal of Abstinence
Alcohol treatment practitioners have different views on abstinence. Some take the approach that it’s possible to have a goal of...
236 views
Andrew Bevan - Voluntary Mentor
Nov 16, 20224 min read
Grief and Addiction
In 1969, Elizabeth Kübler-Ross described the five stages of grief. In my experience, these also characterise aspects of confronting...
260 views
Andrew Bevan - Voluntary Mentor
Oct 18, 20225 min read
The Quest for Peace
All of us, presumably, would like to be at peace. Most alcoholics and drug users are restless. They can’t sit still. They’re not...
195 views
Andrew Bevan - Voluntary Mentor
Sep 14, 20224 min read
Humility on the Path to Recovery
When we hit problems in life, whatever they might be, we need first to acknowledge that we don’t have all of the answers. This is...
181 views
Andrew Bevan - Voluntary Mentor
Aug 16, 20224 min read
The Existence of a Brotherhood
In an earlier blog, we briefly commented on how Special Forces (SF) use meditation techniques as part of training and preparation (see...
142 views
Andrew Bevan - Voluntary Mentor
Jul 12, 20224 min read
Facing Up To Relapse
Relapse is an important topic in alcohol recovery treatment. It’s not inevitable but it can be a serious setback if it happens. It’s...
119 views
Andrew Bevan - Voluntary Mentor
Jun 14, 20224 min read
Suffering and the Search for Meaning
Suffering is part of what it is to be human. The “art of living” (Discourses of Epictetus, 1.15.3) is in large part how we cope with...
149 views
Andrew Bevan - Voluntary Mentor
May 9, 20224 min read
Exploring Self-Identity Through the Lens of Others
We find ourselves in others. We come to know ourselves as others know us. That is how we find our identity in relation to others. It is...
131 views
Andrew Bevan - Voluntary Mentor
Apr 5, 20224 min read
Choose Life
We hear the cry of many, and perhaps we have done it ourselves on occasion – “what is the point of it all?” We do it when we are sick,...
217 views
Andrew Bevan - Voluntary Mentor
Mar 9, 20225 min read
Living Sober Versus Not Drinking
There is a fundamental difference between not drinking and living sober. The former is tough because you focus on being deprived.
3,500 views
Andrew Bevan - Voluntary Mentor
Feb 5, 20224 min read
Inordinate Desire and Excessive Appetite
Alcoholics can’t stop at just the one drink. Whatever the good intentions, one drink is followed by another until oblivion is reached. It...
385 views
Andrew Bevan - Voluntary Mentor
Dec 13, 20215 min read
Reflections Ahead of the Festive Season
This time of year is especially tough for alcoholics. We need to talk about the particular problems posed and the strategies that we can...
114 views
Andrew Bevan - Voluntary Mentor
Nov 3, 20214 min read
Put Recovery to the Test? No Thanks!
Some people ask me - "how did you manage to cope and be a success in your career?" or "how did you manage to carry on with your work...
135 views
Andrew Bevan - Voluntary Mentor
Oct 4, 20214 min read
Practical Wisdom - The Path to Recovery
When I stepped into semi-retirement, I wanted to do something useful and with purpose. I said to somebody that I wanted to stop being an...
116 views
Andrew Bevan - Voluntary Mentor
Sep 3, 20214 min read
Meditation and Addiction Recovery
In an earlier blog from last year, called Be Still – Mindfulness in Lockdown, we talked about how lockdown was an opportunity to stop...
204 views
Andrew Bevan - Voluntary Mentor
Aug 3, 20214 min read
You Can't Do It On Your Own
Addiction is a contentious area. The causes and the treatments are subject to much debate. But there are two basic truths about recovery...
180 views
Andrew Bevan - Voluntary Mentor
Jul 1, 20214 min read
When Were You Really Happy?
Is an alcoholic ever really happy? When I went into psychotherapy, I was asked at some stage, "When you were younger, when were you...
165 views
Andrew Bevan - Voluntary Mentor
Jun 2, 20214 min read
Motivation, Discipline and Reward
Alcoholics and drug users find it tough to stick to a treatment programme. Motivation comes and goes. Discipline is something different....
397 views
Andrew Bevan - Voluntary Mentor
May 4, 20213 min read
Giving and Receiving in Recovery
Alcoholics and other sufferers from addictive disorders have a hard time accepting help let alone reaching out to others in a similar...
257 views
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