I am here now, and I am OK

Winter makes me exceedingly tired. Not just physically, but mentally & emotionally. I am starting to become exhausted. Somehow, I’ve convinced myself in recent years that the remedy to this is to do more: work more, volunteer my time more, go to graduate school, travel often, etc. But so often, even as I’m able to …

One Year Sober: A Celebration and Reflection

I did it. I'm here. I've been sober for a whole year. I'm not even sure if or how that's possible - but, it must be. It's been 365 days since I took my last drink. And what a wild ride it's been.

Emotional Sobriety: The Beginnings of Self-Acceptance

I started eating low-carb before Christmas, as a way to regain my self-control and composure in the face of piles of sugar, all sitting around me in delicious little packages, from my home to my office to the supermarket and beyond. When I first got sober, I gave myself free license to indulge in anything …

Day 88 Alcohol Free: #literallyme and other boozy meme-isms

I’ve slowly been coming to the somewhat sad and slightly aggravating realization that while my sobriety is incredibly important to me, my newfound attitude about alcohol doesn’t have any effect on anyone other than myself and those around me who also choose to abstain. Wine memes and Pumpkiny Booze Drink recipes and Instagram beer photos …

What I’ve Learned from 80 Days of Sobriety

  So, I've been alcohol-free for 80 days. That feels like everything and nothing at all. I thought I'd write a little piece here about some of the things I've come to realize for myself in the past 80 days - things I wish someone would've explained to me before I started. As such, these …

F*ck Anxiety

Today is a weird Monday. I decided to bike into work, and 15 blocks from the office, my bike chain broke clean off, right as I was crossing a busy intersection. Luckily I had the right-of-way, and my city is really bike-friendly so I wasn’t in any real danger as I tip-toed my bike to …

58 Days Alcohol Free: Settling Deeper Into Sobriety

It's been a fairly uneventful few days, but they've been spent sober, happy, and stable. Thursday afternoon, around 4:30pm, I was invited by a coworker to join some people on the roof of our building for a beer. I elected to bring a can of diet soda and sat with my the group for a …

Deciding to Eat Well in Sobriety

So, I’ve been sober for 56 days now. Overall, the journey has been pretty good. With a few emotional bumps here and there, I can safely say I’ve come out of the last (almost) two months with a clearer sense of what I’m trying to do (live a healthier, more authentic life), and why I’m …

What if We Are the Normal Ones?

Nearly all of the blogs, forum posts and articles I read about other people's journeys away from drinking and through sobriety involve some sort of revelation that they simply couldn't drink like normal people can. At some point or another, these people realize that there is something wrong with them - they're the only ones who …

47 Days Alcohol Free: Who Are You?

A year ago, during the summer, I got somewhere around 40-45 days of sustained sobriety before I caved and decided I wanted to start drinking again. I’d had enough time under my belt to be convinced that I could handle myself, and so I set forth drinking again - with caution, at first. Around the …