So, if I’m really honest about it, Clean and Sober Stoner is partially a good-natured jab at the rigidity of traditional recovery. But it’s also a jab at Stoner/Doom culture as well, and the obsession the scene can have with a certain flower bud. It’s not out of anger, it’s just that the two extremes are kinda funny when you step back and look at it.
Read More WTF Is Clean And Sober Stoner?This might be the best thing David Grohl ever worked on. I bet he wishes he never had to write it. I wish he didn’t, either. But here we are.
Read More Foo Fighters’ But Here We Are: A Clean and Sobering ReviewThere’s an old concept in science called “the observer effect,” where just observing something changes it. In counseling, there’s the “observer-effect bias.” I think people in treatment can intuitively feel when that’s happening.
Read More 30 Years of Heavy Recovery: Chapter 5- ThirtyThe author shares a reflective Thanksgiving post on how his journey to sobriety has led him to feel immense gratitude despite hardships. Dealing with physical and psychological injuries and even near homelessness, he acknowledges his accomplishments, not just in numbers, but more importantly his significant personal growth. The author attributes his survival during the most difficult times to music, particularly the bands he has identified with. Additionally, he expresses empathy towards struggling artists and the passion they pour into their craft.
Read More Doomsgiving 2022Thursday, August 21, 1992 It took a moment for me to react to Joe asking me to chair the meeting. I was familiar with meetings, but I didn’t know shit about them. It felt wrong, like I was the last person on the planet who should do it. The look in his eyes was too […]
Read More 30 Years of Heavy Recovery, Chapter 3. NA/Secretary/Foreshadow of a Memory that Doesn’t Exist YetI left that first AA meeting with something I never had before: phone numbers. I showed David and Robert, and they validated the accomplishment. For most people, it’s probably a very small thing. But for the person struggling with addiction, that kind of trust is reserved for dealers and other connections. Anyone outside of that […]
Read More 30 Years of Heavy Recovery, Chapter 2: After Meeting/Phone Calls/Navy Memories/Home in NAWe walked over to a line of chairs near the coffee, which I gladly got a cup of. And then another, because I was shaking so strongly it spilled out of my hand. Joe looked at me, nodded, and held the cup for me.
“You’re in the right place, “ he said.
Read More 30 Years of Heavy Recovery, Chapter One. Week One: Betrayal/ Hallucinations/12-Step Call/You’re in the Right PlaceAll I know for sure is that the alcohol no longer worked, which is a horrifying thing for any addict.
Read More 30 Years of Heavy Recovery: Prologue, Part 2: The Last Binge30 years of continuous abstinence. Huh…. Back then, I couldn’t wrap my head around that amount of clean time. And it’s a good thing, ‘cause had I known then what I know now, I wouldn’t have been able to make it. I believe that with absolute certainty. Recovery and treatment can tend to protect newcomers […]
Read More 30 Years of Heavy Recovery: IntroductionThe Mothers of Invention: Freak Out!. One of THE greatest, most game-changing albums of all time. Give it a listen some time. I’m not gonna tell you why, or admonish you for not giving it the effort. I’m just putting it out there, man, so you can make your own decision, come up with your […]
Read More It Can’t Happen Here…