While the pandemic stakes might justify using hard-hitting strategies, the nation’s social and political context right now might cause fear tactics to backfire.
Tag: fear
Return to Sender: What an Unsent Postcard Taught Me About Addiction
A timely message from my much younger, unsober self.
Forgive and Remember
Better to face the discomfort than continue to trudge along under a false impression that it’s not dormant inside, oblivious to the ticking of the time bomb that will eventually go off.
Physicians Fear For Their Families As They Battle Coronavirus With Too Little Armor
“With emergency rooms and hospitals running at and even over capacity, and as the crisis expands, so does the risk to our healthcare workers. And with a shortage of PPE, that risk is even greater.”
Scared Straight: How My Fear in Early Sobriety Evolved Into Lifesaving Discipline
I was free from myself. And this freedom was a direct result of being completely mortified at having put myself in such a precarious, powerless position. It was the most honest fear I’d ever felt – and the healthiest.
Everything's Fine: How I Recovered from Panic Attacks
Even when I understand that what I am experiencing is a panic attack, I don’t dare say the words—not even to myself—for fear I will give it more power. I am lying back in a leather chair. The windows are open and I can smell the frangipani; its sweet scent drifting in from the garden.… Continue reading Everything's Fine: How I Recovered from Panic Attacks
Bingeing on Horror No Longer Works, What Do I Do?
This insatiable hunger to feel scared has almost completely jaded me, and now I have no idea what to do with this realization. As a kid, I was scared of literally everything; as a teenager I was perpetually living in all forms of fear — of the real world and the imagined — as a result… Continue reading Bingeing on Horror No Longer Works, What Do I Do?
King of the Bums
If you’re an addict like I am, then maybe you have these issues with self-esteem, fear, an enormous desire to be liked, an ego the size of Texas and hatred of anyone or anything you feel inferior to. I didn’t stroll into recovery willingly. The first time I ever got sober was definitely not by… Continue reading King of the Bums
5 Things I Wish I Knew When I Hit Rock Bottom
When you’re at your lowest point, it’s easy to feel like there is no hope, like you are completely alone, like your life will never be full again. Rock bottom is such a common term in the world of recovery. And while everyone has a rock bottom, no one has the same one. When you’re… Continue reading 5 Things I Wish I Knew When I Hit Rock Bottom
My Life with Phil
If anyone could relate to loneliness, abandonment, depression, it was Phil. We got each other. If my cat could talk, he’d say “You’re so fucking crazy.” Also, feed me, asshole. And not that gluten and grain-free slimy shit. Meow Mix from the corner bodega, where you’ll often spend seven dollars on an activated charcoal latte… Continue reading My Life with Phil
