Whether you're on it, off it, or somewhere in between
I’m staring out the window, and I can see the moon.What am I going to do now? I can’t sleep. It’s my second night in detox, and they’ve stopped giving me Ativan.I’m no longer a seizure risk, they say.That’s too bad — another night of benzodiazepine-laced sleep would’ve been nice.Especially in this hellhole.I have a […]
For anyone with alcohol use disorder, quitting drinking can feel like a daunting prospect. While early recovery can be uncomfortable and it may seem like progress is slow, the healing begins as soon as the drink is put down. Aside from heavy hitters like lower risk of cancer, heart, and liver disease (and for some, […]
I never thought I had much of a sweet tooth. So when I stopped drinking, I was surprised at the amount of cookies, candy, and ice cream I was plowing through each day, particularly at night. I couldn’t seem to get enough sugar, which was odd considering I typically passed on dessert. Many people who […]
At the end of my drinking, there was no longer anything fun about being a functioning alcoholic. I had crossed over the threshold of functioning into complete alcoholic dysfunction quite quickly. Yet, I continued to fool myself into thinking I was “functioning” because I could pay my mortgage on time, look put together (at least some of the time), and hold down a job.
When I had my first drink at the age of 16, I didn’t know that I would become gravely addicted to the substance I was experimenting with. But I had received warnings, including the following advice from my mother to discourage my nail-biting habit: “People with oral fixations become alcoholics. Don’t drink.” But other than […]
If you were faced with a fatal and progressive disease, you’d likely do everything in your power to rid yourself of it. Humans are wired to go to great lengths to avoid death, and I imagine you would, too. You’d follow your doctor’s orders, take medications, try experimental treatments, explore holistic remedies, change your diet, […]
We did it! Winter is over and just like that, it’s the first day of Spring. The days are longer, the weather is warming up and soon enough, the tulips will be blooming. However, for many people in early recovery, the change of seasons can bring about some challenges. After being shut in by the […]
Parades, corned beef, shamrocks, and wearing green are just a few ways people celebrate Ireland’s foremost patron saint, St. Patrick every year on March 17th. But the 40 shades of green and Irish dinner aside, most people mark this holiday with drinking — a lot of drinking. And that’s probably because this holiday is associated […]
The first year of sobriety is tough—no joke. In the early days of my recovery, after my alcohol withdrawal symptoms subsided and my “pink cloud” completely evaporated, I felt emptier than ever. Whether I wanted to admit it or not, a huge part of my adult life had revolved around alcohol. And suddenly, I couldn’t […]
When I was still drinking, Super Bowl Sunday was always followed by a dreadful, hungover Monday. Even though I never watched sports, or cared about anything other than my pool numbers, I always drank like a monster. While some drinkers can turn any old day into a drinking occasion, certain calendar markers can become just […]
Every year on January 1st, I listen to “New Year’s Day” by U2. The line, “all is quiet, on New Year’s Day” always feels real to me. Something about the holiday has a kind of calm, silent, and weird feeling to it. The madness of the holidays is over (thank god), it still gets dark […]