I think I’m a normal person, and that it’s normal to become addicted to an addictive substance. — I’ve found myself responding to other writers about the word alcoholic a lot lately. So much so that I decided to consolidate my responses into this piece, and I welcome your comments. If you identify as an alcoholic, I assume that’s because it helps you in ways I don’t (yet)…

Let’s be real, red wine isn’t good for your heart. In fact, alcohol is carcinogenic. But does it make you happy? — If we feel bad, and we want to be healthier and happier — why do we try everything from diet and exercise to meditation and acupuncture before we consider, with a pit in our stomach, that we might also need to renegotiate our relationship with alcohol? And really, is alcohol…

I stopped drinking last year. I had been told to expect better sex. But it still surprised me when it happened. — Growing up I remember my great-grandmother having her drink every day at 4 pm in a tall glass that I used for drinking milk — 3/4 red wine, 1/4 water. At her 88th birthday party, she was sitting on the grass in a wicker folding chair, and just as her…

I coach trouble makers (and it takes one to know one). — I was trying to get out of the backseat of my mom’s Volvo station wagon. My too-big L.L Bean backpack was stuck in the too-small opening between the door and the seat. The thick heat of our musty garage against my plaid uniform felt like stepping into a panic attack…

This lie funded by the alcohol industry is hurting all of us. — I grew up in a heavy drinking culture that believed alcohol is only bad for you if you are an alcoholic. A friend and I were seated at a bar talking about a mutual friend entering rehab. …

You don’t have to be a problem drinker to have a problem drinking less. — If you’ve ever tried to cut back on your drinking, only to find yourself wondering — why isn’t it easier for me to drink less? You are not alone. At least, I’m with you. Someone I loved died from drinking too much in one sitting. And that brutal reality woke…

Don’t give up on New Year’s resolutions. Just think about them differently — In 1999 I resolved to do a Taebo workout tape every day. Fueled by the exciting, tipsy, happy-hour vibe of December — it seemed like a good idea. And I didn’t even make it to February. Lots of us have just stopped making resolutions at all. Choosing to express gratitude…

When I first left Afghanistan, it was the Mayo that did me in. — The first time I came home from Afghanistan, I had been warned that going to the grocery store might be overwhelming. It was the Mayo that did me in. I stood there in the fluorescent lights, staring at an entire shelf of clean, neatly organized mayonnaise choices. Frozen with indecision…

And what it leaves in the memories of our descendants. — “We are beings who are at the nexus of the dreams of our ancestors and the memory of our descendants” — Dr. Angel Acosta “Is there anything you want to talk about before…” and I hear the tears well up in her eyes. Quickly composing herself with her distinctly shallow…