Photo by Jerry Zhang on Unsplash I have a confession to make: I drank a few weeks ago. Yes, I know you might be thinking “What?! Why?” Well, I’ll tell you. My wife and her mother were going to be in West Virginia for a week to visit CeAnne’s terminally ill brother. I was going to have a whole week to myself for the first time in 12 years. Although it was a sad occasion, it offered me plenty of alone time. As…
Alcoholism and drug addiction do terrible things to a person. But addiction is also a disease that affects family and friends. One of the most important things I’ve learned in recovery is that I can be the person I always wanted to be: thoughtful, responsible, caring, reliable, morally and ethically responsible. In other words, a good role model. I have heard hundreds – thousands – of others say the same thing. All of this actually makes life easier – it…
So, I haven’t written much in the last two months, and I wanted to let you know that I’m okay. Exhaustion has crept back into my daily life, which means that I’m too tired to write (I often go take a nap instead). Hell, sometimes, I’m too tired to feed the cats! (But I do – no cat goes hungry in this household.) Despite some rough patches, 2018 was a pretty decent year. Even Christmas wasn’t too stressful this year,…
Okay, everyone – hands up if you’ve ever heard this term. Now, hands up if you’ve ever done it? Yup, that’s what I thought. People with mental illnesses are likely to use substances in an unhealthy way in an attempt to relieve their pain and suffering. Unfortunately, it doesn’t work very well. It may work for a few moments or a few hours, but then you’re right back where you were – with the added guilt, shame, and remorse to…
I’m a little proud of myself right now. How often do we say that to ourselves? Probably not much. Definitely not enough. I am a recovering alcoholic. I’ve been sober most of the last 29 years. Yes, I’ve had some relapses. Too many to count, in fact. But I didn’t drink today, which is especially awesome, because I really wanted to. MUSIC IS FOR LOVERS About a month ago, I bought two tickets to a concert by a group called…
