When I began my job as a substance abuse counselor in an all-male residential program, the group of men were a pretty hardened bunch. Their flesh peaked out from under tattooed murals on their arms, legs, chests and backs. They were pumped up with six-pack abs and chiseled muscled arms that they teasingly showed off… Continue reading Band of Brothers
Author: gaylessaks
Gayle Saks has written about everything from her mother’s suicide, online dating, a failed colonoscopy, to her work with male, female and juvenile inmates and those with substance abuse issues, with deep honesty, candor and humor.
She has written extensively about her work as a substance abuse counselor from the unique perspective of someone who is not in recovery herself. Her blog was voted one of the Top 20 Recovery Blogs for 2016 by AfterParty Magazine.
In 2013 she was invited to be on a panel on HuffPost Live to talk about being middle-aged, where her 15 minutes of poignant and intelligent conversation turned into a soundbyte about her having a hot flash at a Justin Timberlake/Jay-Z concert.
Saks grew up on Long Island, New York, and lives in the Greater Boston area with her husband, daughter, two cats and two dogs or as her husband says, “Too many beating hearts.”
“Gayle, what have I always told you?”: Tough Love From a Heroin Addict
This past weekend I visited with two past residents of the all-male halfway house where I work. Both of them had made it through the 6-month program in the past. Both of them ended up relapsing. They grew up in very rough and tumble neighborhoods in the Boston area and both were fiercely loyal to… Continue reading “Gayle, what have I always told you?”: Tough Love From a Heroin Addict
