I’ve always looked up to astronauts, even if I consider them to be brave and foolish in equal measure. They aren’t just tough — they’re smart, and courageous. They further the cause of science and advance the nature and purpose of the human race. They brought us Velcro, those pens that write upside-down, and that […]
Blog
This is fine.
I try not to let alcohol’s dominance of the cultural zeitgeist get to me. I used to drink socially, many moons ago, and I didn’t always abuse it. There are a lot of people out there who can drink without turning into an alcoholic, I get it. The marketing of alcohol in our culture is […]
Feeding the Donkey Spongecake
“He would say that God had given him a tail to keep the flies off, but that he would sooner have had no tail and no flies.” (Orwell, Animal Farm) There’s a saying in Brazil — I write this as if I’ve ever been to Brazil, or as if I speak Portuguese, or have some […]
The First Day of the Rest of Your Life
“We admitted we were powerless over alcohol – that our lives had become unmanageable.” Until you’re ready to make an honest attempt at recovery, Alcoholics Anonymous’ first step seems trivial. I didn’t take it all that seriously the first, or second, or tenth time I’d heard it said at a meeting. Why are you even […]
I Am Responsible
“My stability came out of trying to give, not out of demanding that I receive.” (The Best of Bill, pg. 46) When we welcome someone new into these rooms, it’s kind of an exciting thing for those of us with some experience in AA. That may sound odd — it’s not like we’re happy to […]
The 17-Year Itch
Across the eastern United States, cicadas are beginning to free themselves from their self-induced isolation, bursting from the earth after seventeen years of hibernation. They’ve spent far too long alone, deep within the comforting embrace of mother nature. They yearn for freedom. To live their lives, to further their species, to break free from almost […]
Narcissist-ism
Narcissist. One of the most overused words I hear thrown around today — outshining even “existential” and “praxis”, perhaps. In many cases, though, as it was famously said: “I do not think it means what you think it means.” Those who favor hyperbole often label all sorts of people as narcissists, accurately or not. They’ll […]
The 12 Steps of The 12 Steps
Once we’ve been involved with any 12-step recovery program for a good amount of time, we start to gain confidence. We’re more familiar with the program. We feel better, our minds aren’t cloudy anymore, and AA starts to look a little bit easier. And so, the 12 steps of the 12 steps: 1. I don’t […]
Accepting Things We Cannot Change
Acceptance is one the central concepts in recovery — after all, what would the first step be without it? Unfortunately, it doesn’t always come naturally. Having spent 20 years of my life in and out of various 12 step recovery programs, you’d think I’d have learned long ago to take things as they come. I […]
Digging Deep
Every alcoholic has their own personal rock bottom. Once you’ve hit it, it’s time to stop digging. We don’t all take that advice, of course — but then again, it isn’t rock bottom if you can keep digging, is it? Sometimes we find ourselves losing friends, but that isn’t enough to dissuade us. Family goes […]