sobER Doc (Dr. Andrew)

Most people think addiction is about chasing pleasure. It’s not that simple. The better question is: What was it doing for me? Relief. Escape. Connection. Control. That insight changed everything. I wrote a book to understand that pattern more deeply. amazon.com/dp/B0GT1HH912

Movement has been my medicine for much of my life. But sometimes, it’s also been my escape. I’m learning that stillness isn’t about doing nothing. It’s about making room for connection. And some mornings, the view from my front yard is a beautiful reminder.

As the moon says goodnight, the sun says good morning. I sit here in absolute awe of nature’s brilliance. What a beautiful reminder to slow down and appreciate the world around us.

Achievement may be the most intoxicating drug I’ve ever used. And I’ve used some pretty powerful drugs. Sometimes achievement isn’t just ambition. It’s seeking relief, validation, or reassurance that we’re enough. I’m learning my worth doesn’t depend on what I achieve.

Recovery isn't only about understanding what drives substance use. It's about developing the capacity to experience those internal states without being compelled to respond in the same way. That is where flexibility and choice begin.

Grateful to deliver the opening keynote at the North Country Public Health Conference. I shared The Emotional Blueprint, exploring how our experiences shape our responses. Our responses have a history. Awareness opens the door to greater flexibility and choice.

Awareness doesn’t give us control over every thought, feeling, or urge. It gives us a pause before we automatically react. We may not control what we feel. But awareness gives us more choice in what we do next.

Recovery isn’t just about stopping a behavior. It’s about understanding what that behavior was doing for us, recognizing the patterns we learned, and discovering we can learn something different. Awareness creates possibility. New learning creates choice.

Grateful for the opportunity to keynote Archways’ 5th Annual Recovery Rally today in Concord, NH. I shared some of my story and a question that changed how I understand recovery: What was the behavior doing for me? Awareness can create an opening for something different.

We often talk about addiction as a disorder of reward. Reward matters. But so does relief. Sometimes the more useful question isn’t simply, “Why does someone keep doing this?” It’s: “What is this behavior doing for them?” Relief is powerful. And the brain learns what works.

Grateful to the Dartmouth Hitchcock Medical Center Department of Surgery for the invitation to speak at Grand Rounds today. We explored emotional learning, the patterns we carry forward, and what can change when we understand not just what we do, but why we do it.

Grateful to see The Fire I Fed featured in The Laconia Daily Sun. The book asks a question that reaches far beyond my own story: Why do we keep reaching for the things that bring relief, even when they eventually cost us? laconiadailysun.com/communit…

A wonderful evening at Scarlet Letter Books talking about The Fire I Fed: From Ashes to Awareness. Grateful to Angie Miller for the thoughtful conversation and to everyone who came out to listen, ask questions, and engage with the ideas behind the book.

Not every uncomfortable feeling needs to be fixed. Sometimes the work is simply noticing the urge to escape, staying with what is here, and allowing the moment to pass without abandoning yourself. That small pause is where choice begins.

For me, recovery began when I stopped asking, “Why the addiction?” and started asking, “What pain needed relief?”

We cannot change patterns we cannot see. Awareness gives us the opportunity to understand what drives us, interrupt old patterns, and choose something different. The goal isn’t to erase the past. It’s to stop letting the past unconsciously write the future.

We don’t just react to what’s happening. We react to what our nervous system has learned to expect. The work isn’t eliminating emotion. It’s noticing it, staying with it, and choosing your response instead of letting old patterns choose for you. That’s where freedom begins.

Honored to have my latest Letter to the Editor published in EM News. Why do some patients keep returning to the ED? They may be seeking relief more than reassurance. Understanding relief-seeking patterns may change the way we care for these patients. ovid.com/10.1097/01.EEM.0000…