Brian has been in and out of recovery. His first drink came in high school and his first taste of sobriety came at age 26, but he always found himself back in glass, drinking his life away. Brian says his sobriety was empty, unmeaningful,

Jerry grew up in a Midwestern, fundamentalist family. There was no alcohol in his family growing up, but was drawn to alcohol. Upon coming of age, he drank in order o get drunk. He also experimented with marijuana, LSD and other drugs.

Nicki first used methamphetamine at age 13.  She was no stranger to drug use, having smoked pot since age 11 and drinking since age 12.  But from age 13, her life spiraled out of control through drug use sparked by her use of meth; she did other drugs ...

Judy began abusing substances early.  Growing up in small town in Iowa, her first drink came at age 11, and was blacking out in high school.  She would drink, smoke marijuana and drop acid.  It caused her to feel guilty and ashamed, and to cope,

Joe comes from a background of food.  His Italian family revolved around meals; the grocery shopping, the preparation, and the family gathering around the table.  His very large extended family regularly engorged themselves at Sunday dinners.

Jill’s life focused daily on how much she felt she should or should not be eating, and how her diet would affect her body size. She would worry constantly that if she ate just a bit too much at one meal, she would get fat; she would refrain from eating...

Joanne thinks her alcoholism began at age 12 or 13. She grew in a small town where she and her friends had easy access to beer. She was, however, fearful of becoming an alcoholic because one of her parents was a drinker and she never wanted to end up l...

Bill is an alcoholic. Both sides of his family were filled with drinkers, but Bill grew up a successful young man. He went to college on scholarship and even while at school never touched alcohol. His first drink didn’t come until the age of 22.

As a child, Sue didn’t know her desire to eat certain foods was an illness. Sue remembers hovering around candy dishes, and taking way more than her share of special holiday treats. Much like other addicts, Sue tried to keep up appearances.

Claire is a food addict, which she says is a bit different from being a “Overeater.”  They are not overeaters, often, but they use food and its ingredients as a drug. Claire says anything floury would relieve her stress, give her confidence,