How To Have A Few Drinks This Summer

As it’s summer, you’re probably drinking more alcohol than usual. There’s a triple-whammy effect to consider here. As Alcohol increases: Sleep Quality decreases. Late Eating increases. Hydration decreases. For these reasons and others, your best best to enjoy a little more alcohol than usual this summer while maintaining balance is awareness & planning. Increase SleepContinue reading “How To Have A Few Drinks This Summer”

Numb Your Pain Without Alcohol

You feel the pressure, but you never let anyone see it. It starts to come out in other ways, no matter how hard you hold back. One of the things I turned to was alcohol. It provides a temporary relief from the pain, but what I didn’t realize that it was making the pain worse.Continue reading “Numb Your Pain Without Alcohol”

How To Get Rid Of Troublesome Thoughts

They won’t go away because they only happen once or twice each day. They won’t go away because you read books for hours. They won’t go away when you’re hanging out with your friends. They won’t go away if you drink a little bit. They won’t go away if you drink a lot. They won’tContinue reading “How To Get Rid Of Troublesome Thoughts”

The ‘Feeling Better’ Myth

“If he gets better quickly and quietly, no one will have to know what happened, and we’ll all be back to normal.” This myth has many faces. Maybe your daughter was in drug rehab, or your husband attempted suicide, or your friend’s alcoholism culminated in an accident. There will be some people you will tellContinue reading “The ‘Feeling Better’ Myth”

How To Reach Someone At The Bottom, Maybe.

Once, I was put on academic probation for failing all of my classes, and summoned to meet a panel of (presumably deans?) so that they could evaluate me. I never went to the meeting. It was set for early one morning, around 9:30 AM, or something like that. I thought about going and explaining myself,Continue reading “How To Reach Someone At The Bottom, Maybe.”

How You Might Manipulate Addiction

I AM AN ADDICT I am as easily addicted today as I was twenty years ago. There’s just something about my personality that drives me to repeat certain behaviors over and over again. I wonder if it’s because I’m searching for a feeling, and, when I get it, I want to repeat it? There areContinue reading “How You Might Manipulate Addiction”

How Do You Escape?

Is there a difference between watching a movie, and watching movies to escape from or cope with mental illness? There’s no correct answer, that’s totally subjective. I guess it depends on the number of hours spent, plus the intent. But I thought it would be interesting to make a list of things I used toContinue reading “How Do You Escape?”

Elements Of Recovery

Elements Of Recovery: A Simplified Diagram   This is a slightly more in-depth follow-up to yesterday’s post on ‘resolve’ and more specifically, a question posed by Matthew Brun: What works for you now? Yes it’s true that I have not been depressed for a long time. Yes it’s true that I have repeatedly posted thatContinue reading “Elements Of Recovery”

What If I Have to Get a Job …

… and a potential employer reads this blog, where they could find out that I had issues in my youth with drugs and depression? It is possible that certain doors could close. Doors where employers frown upon anything that indicates potential for trouble. It is also possible that other doors will open. Doors with employersContinue reading “What If I Have to Get a Job …”

Weed VS. Alcohol

Watching a two-hour movie, eaten frozen yogurt, 4 ounces of paleo chocolate, nuts, and two enormously meaty left over St. Louis smoked pork ribs bring me down enough since smoking a bowl to write my first post while ‘high’. Not something I’ll make a habit of, but an experiment, if you will. I only smoke betweenContinue reading “Weed VS. Alcohol”