Many of you have read my story about living on the streets, but this story, which was published several years ago, covers a lot of area that I haven’t covered before. Because of its length, I originally planned to post this over a couple of days but decided against that. It would affect the impact […]
Today I turned fourteen. December 8, 2003 was my first day clean and sober. It may surprise some people to hear that after I got sober my life got worse. I lost all my friends (barfly’s actually.) I wound up homeless, which never happened while I was drinking. My life was in ruins as I […]
Today’s Throwback is from May 2008 “My name is Bradley, and I’m an alcoholic.” I’ve said it over a thousand times. I’m the best tour guide in Los Angeles. I’ll show which bench on the Santa Monica Pier is best for sleeping. I’ll tell you which church distributes the best free food. I’ll give you […]
I haven’t had a drink or taken an illicit drug since December 8, 2003. I’m grateful for my sobriety. I don’t remember much during the time just before and just after my sobriety date, but I do remember well the night I attended my first Alcoholics Anonymous meeting. I immediately knew I was in the […]
“I don’t want to be thought of as a survivor because you have to continue getting involved in difficult situations to show off that particular gift, and I’m not interested in doing that anymore.” – Carrie Fisher Something I learned over ten years ago is that getting sober is hard. Harder than I imagined. Harder […]
Alcoholic Genes A group of 11 genes can successfully predict whether an individual is at increased risk of alcoholism, a research team from the United States and Germany reported last month. The study also mentions some of the 11 genes have been linked to bipolar and other disorders. It’s been my long held belief that […]
Research confirms what members of Alcoholics Anonymous have known for almost 80 years. It is the importance of making amends. An article published in The Journal of Positive Psychology, and reported in Medical News Today, support the claim that it is easier to forgive ourselves for hurting another person if we first make amends. Psychology […]
Restless, irritable and discontent. Sound familiar? Do you have bipolar disorder and have those feelings on a regular basis? These feelings are common among those diagnosed with bipolar, however, they are common among alcoholics, as well. In fact, “restless, irritable and discontent” are specifically expressed in the Big Book of Alcoholics Anonymous. It is in […]
I’ve mentioned on occasion that I was homeless for a period of time. However, don’t think I’ve shared my experience. It’s time I change that. When I became homeless is a little hazy. It was during the period after I became sober, yet, hadn’t been diagnosed with depression or bipolar disorder. That was a six […]
I had six months of sobriety and was frustrated. I was struggling. I was a disaster mentally, physically and spiritually. Old time alcoholics told me that what I was going through was normal. My life was a shambles and since I was sober, I was looking at the disaster I created through clear eyes for […]