I recently joined a Write Your Life Story group that a friend of mine suggested. The way the group works is we write on our own time, and then each week we share out loud what we have written to the group, which is approximately 25 – 30 people. So far I have shared a […]
Category: Alcoholics Anonymous
Bipolar, Depression, Drinking, Drugging
When I first stumbled upon this recent study, I had to laugh. I mean, another study that links mental illness with substance abuse? Really? Was there a need to spend more time and money to discover what has been discovered again and again and again? Well, to my surprise, there was. I’ve heard “10 years” […]
Fifty
Tomorrow (Saturday Sept 28) is my fiftieth birthday. Yep, the big Five-O. I didn’t think it was going to bother me, but I’m shocked that I was wrong. All week I’ve been irritable. It didn’t bother me when I turned thirty. It didn’t bother me when I turned 40. Interestingly, it did bother me […]
Reflection
Over the past couple of days I went back and read my posts during 2008 and 2009. This was when my bipolar disorder was at its worst and MY pdoc had not yet discovered what medications worked for me. I still struggle with it on a daily basis, but rarely close to the way it […]
Anchors Away
“My name is Brad and I’m an alcoholic.” I have said that many times since I got clean and sober over 9 years ago. Drugs and alcohol abuse is very high for those who have a mood disorder. Some studies say as high as 60%. I, for one, took anything I could get my hands […]
Born To Be Alive
4 years ago when I got sober I rarely went to bars and clubs. Finally one night Maurice and I went dancing (I love to dance). During our dancing the 1979 hit came on called “Born to be Alive” by Patrick Hernandez. We danced and swayed and then I started listening to the words “born […]
Drunk Bipolar Kids
It began on a warm summer day in a field in Pennsylvania. It was 1974 and I was 10 years old. Kate, who lived across the street, was around 17. (No, there will be no Mrs. Robinson story here. Remember, I am gay). She and her friends were exciting to me with their cool long […]
How Was Bradley Part III
I started this 3 part series it was because I was reminiscing how far I’d come in the past couple of years. Everything in parts 1 and 2 were leads to this post, which is most of what I was pondering the other day. Before losing my job I began having seizures and the vertigo. […]
How Was Bradley Part II
When I ended my tale yesterday, the roller coaster in my brain could no longer handle the ride. I was “smart” enough quit a good career; “intelligent” enough to move to a strange city; “brilliant” enough to live with a lover in a loveless relationship, and made alcohol and drugs my best friends. I was […]
I’m Telling Everyone
Here’s an old joke that’s still one of my favorites: A man walks into a confessional Man: Forgive me father, I have sinned.Priest: Please tell me, what was your sin?Man: Last night I had sex with a pair of college coeds.Priest: Oh my, that is a great sin. When was your last confession?Man: I’ve never […]