Unless you’re part of the 5% that are unnourished by it, there’s an unlimited supply of free goodies for the taking As a person that survived and eventually overcame a life-threatening addiction to alcohol, I would like to give well-deserved acknowledgment to the role that music has played in strengthening…

Staying the course until your comfort zone comes to you The Christmas season of 2017 was a blurry time for me because so much turmoil preceded the holidays. As I stared out a window of my commuter train heading into downtown Chicago, I noticed the city’s impressive skyline coming into…

WEATHERING STORMS What happens when vital tools for recovery are taken away during times of adversity During my most formative years in school, I hated jocks. In hindsight, it was wrong of me, but I was an insecure kid, and the other kids that hung out at the smoking tree…

Grasping at recovery It was the springtime of 1984 and I was impulsively headed to Tennessee in a station wagon full of strangers. At the time I was emotionally lost, and couldn’t avoid the feeling that something was wrong with me, so it didn’t take much for people I just…

Moving forward without faith A path less traveled Throughout my life, I have been anchored to the concept of an afterlife, a divine intelligence looking out for me, and the idea that there are mysterious forces at work that are beyond human understanding. Now I’m comfortable saying that I’m not so sure about any…

THE POWER OF UNCONDITIONAL KINDNESS IN RECOVERY Bringing light to an often dark universe As a person that has taken an unexplainably difficult path to get a handle on alcohol addiction, I have to disqualify myself from offering anyone advice on recovery. I would never recommend that anyone get here…

THE MONSTROUS NATURE OF ADDICTION Engaging in a solitary battle with an invincible opponent I developed an extraordinary bond with my son from the time he started learning to talk. Our relationship has always been uncommon, so it was easy to quit drinking again 19 years ago. There was a…

My experience with alcohol and relapse after nearly a lifetime of addiction Finding sobriety the hard way I remember coming to, surrounded by my closest circle of people. We were all in the bathroom of my friend’s house, which was a distance from town and a perfect party house because…