In her memoir, Kim Kim Severson writes about her struggles with her identity and with alcohol. But mostly, she writes about the life stories of eight women who became her source of inspiration: her mother, Anne Marie Severson, and culinary luminaries Marion Cunningham, Alice Waters, Leah Chase, Ruth Reichl, Edna Lewis, Rachael Ray and Marcella Hazan.

If you’re interested in knowing more about Severson or to buy her book visit kimseverson.com

Yesterday, Cameron Douglas, son of actors Michael Douglas and Catherine Zeta-Jones, was sentenced to 5 years of prison and 5 of supervised release.

Last year he was arrested in a hotel in New York in possession of 500 grams of “crystal“, the purest form of meth-amphetamine. He was charged and he pleaded guilty to possession and distribution.

Before the sentence, Michael Douglas and other family members sent letters asking Judge Richard Berman for compassion. “I have some idea of the pressure of finding your own identity with a famous father.” he said.

Catherine Zeta-Jones pleaded for her son to join a rehabilitation center, not a prison.

“What is wrong is wrong, but his positive qualities prevail, so going to a treatment center will help rehabilitate” she said.

His Lawyer,  Nicholas M. De Feis said that  “His dealing was simply the desperate act of an addict.”

Although dealing with the consequences of addiction is part of recovery. It’s sad to see that, even when an addict has a strong support system, authorities feel that a correctional facility works better than a recovery facility.  We hope to see Cameron embracing rehabilitation despite his imprisonment.

Bill Wilson was one  one of the co-founders of Alcoholics Anonymous.

He described himself as  “man who because of his bitter experience, discovered, slowly and through a conversion experience, a system of behavior and a series of actions that works for alcoholics who want to stop drinking.”

Wilson struggled with an alcohol addiction that took him through a series of events that ultimately lead him to, not only  live, but  help people live a sober life. Today, the organization that Wilson co-founded with Dr. Bob Smith, continues world-wide with over a hundred thousand registered local groups and millions of active members.

Today, in the story, An Alcoholic’s Savior: God, Belladonna or Both?, the New York Times tells us  about a particular event that may have triggered the commitment Wilson had towards his recovery.(Read Story here)