Category: Sober
-
Something I’ve noticed since getting clean is how much I love good conversations. I learn so much just by listening to people. I don’t remember ever having conversations like this before. I think there are two reasons for that. One, when I was drinking or taking pills I wasn’t very interested in listening, I was…
-
A few nights ago I had one of the roughest nights and days I’ve had since acute withdrawal. I’ve had waves before, the sudden returns of withdrawal symptoms, but none as intense as this one. Thankfully they’re fewer and farther apart now, but this one hit really hard. I think it started with a nightmare…
-
Do you believe in miracles? If you do, what qualifies as a miracle in your view? A lot of people think of miracles as something enormous, events so extraordinary they seem to defy all known laws of nature. That’s certainly one way to understand the word, and for a long time, that’s how I understood…
-
It’s sad that we’ve reached a point where even mentioning religion or beliefs can immediately raise defenses and trigger anger. That isn’t what this is about. This is about kindness, and about remembering our shared humanity. I’ve been following the monks who are walking across the United States for peace. If I had to describe…
-
____________________________________________________________________________________________________ Note: I wrote this 2 days ago, before what happened in Minneapolis yesterday. I had planned on publishing it yesterday but didn’t. I’m publishing it now, in the hope that it may help anyone who is feeling overwhelmed by the weight of the world these days. I know it’s inadequate. But it’s all I have…
-
This is part two, and the final part, of what helped me get into recovery, stay in recovery, and ultimately get off benzodiazepines. In the previous post, I talked about support, recovery groups like AA and NA, faith (including faith in yourself), and the importance of living authentically. I’ll continue here with several other things…
-
This has turned into a much longer post than I intended, so I’m going to make it the first part of a two or three part series. Even this first part is long, but it feels important to share. I want to talk openly and plainly about some of the things that were, and are,…
-
How late is too late to work on oneself? When is it too late to become a better person, not just toward others, but toward yourself as well? At almost 60 years old, clean and sober now, I don’t feel that it’s too late at all. I do wish I had started sooner, a lot…
-
One year off benzos today. Honestly, I didn’t think I would ever see this day. I was told, flat out, by doctors and pharmacists that I wouldn’t. That after more than twenty years, at high doses, this drug would always own a part of my life. Yet here I am. This has been the most…
-
A couple of evenings ago,after a day and night of snowfall,we went out for food at one of our favorite places.When we came back outside,the sky looked like it had caught fire. New Mexico sunsets are always beautiful,but this one felt… alive.Pink and gold poured across the clouds,as if the mountains themselves were breathing light.I…
Whispering Wyrd 