Whether you're on it, off it, or somewhere in between
As a person in recovery, practicing gratitude is a key part of my daily life. It has to be — otherwise, I start to slowly slip back into a self-centered, self-pitying, reckless way of thinking that if left unchecked, will most likely lead me back to the easy-out comfort of my former best friend, vodka. […]
Webster’s definition of rock bottom is “the lowest point possible.” While the expression can be used to identify low points on Earth, people hitting rock bottom from a substance use disorder can feel lower than the lowest points on the planet. What is a rock bottom? Hitting rock bottom means […]
I hate winter. Especially once January hits, and we’ve got three long months ahead and nothing but freezing forecasts and deceptive wind chills. I get blue. Really blue. Like a lot of us do: Seasonal Affective Disorder is in the DSM and while I may suffer from a touch of it, I think most of […]
There’s nothing like a good, cathartic cry. You know, those let-it-all-out sob-fests that leave you feeling so much better once you’ve purged yourself of pent-up emotions. I used to have such soothing feelings of calm after one of these, as I wiped away those purposeful tears, like I’d just cleaned […]
Been on a bender through December? Up for a challenge? Dry January is approaching and anyone can participate. Dry January is a challenge where people voluntarily abstain from drinking alcohol for the entire month of January. Some people participate in Dry January as a healthy way to kick off […]
When I was drinking, especially towards the end, the quality of the spirits I imbibed was of little meaning to me. Sure, I loved fancy Manhattans and very dirty Ketel One martinis, but at the end of the day, a cheap bottle of any vodka worked just fine. All I really needed was a chilled […]
People in recovery often refer to Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Year’s as the Bermuda Triangle and with good reason — it’s a back-to-back trio of holidays that’s filled with triggers, from family issues and finances to travel stress and social anxiety. Not to mention the fact that alcohol […]
Today, I am two years sober. That’s two full years without a hangover, drunk crying, causing a scene, puking in the shower, picking fights with people, passing out at parties, hiding drinks, doing cocaine, drunk driving, and many other horrifying nightmares. […]
Jackass was a huge TV show in the early 2000’s — HUGE. Everyone watched it and I enjoyed it too. Bam Margera was my favorite. He was the best-looking of the bunch with a handsome face, edgy style, and a nice smile. When people would talk about who they […]
It’s funny, I once heard someone say how there are literally hundreds of words for the term “drunk” (smashed, sloshed, over-served, sauced, wasted, tipsy, tanked — you get the idea), but only one word for not being drunk — sober. And that kind of sucks, because the word “sober” doesn’t imply fun and frivolity.
Until I got sober, it seemed that socializing always revolved around drinking for me. I’d plan to meet friends at the bar on weekends, or I’d go for a boozy brunch on Sundays. Even things like paint night with friends, my kickball league, or simply going to the beach had alcohol programmed into it. And […]