There is a Netflix show about recovery called 'Flaked'. It is a dark comedy much like life in recovery from alcoholism. It is a funny and fairly accurate portrayal of recovery and the struggles that come with getting sober. I highly recommend it. In one scene two of the main characters are leaving a meeting and one says to the other, "You've got a serious platitude problem.". It is true that recovery programs of all kinds are full of platitudes and axioms, sayings and ap

In my active alcoholism these things were secondary, afterthoughts if they were thoughts at all. Food, regardless of nutritional value, was simply something to be consumed. It was as Bukowski put it "fuel" for the next bout of drunken jackassery. And fitness? Ha! Aside from the occasional walk to the liquor store or neighborhood bar it was to be avoided at all costs. I reviled sports and as a kid my father would use exercise as punishment charging my brother and I with

Easy does it? Easier said than done . As alcoholics we go hard. Often we pride ourselves on our stamina and wherewithal when it comes to all-nighters, days long benders and our ability to "function" while in active alcoholism. This eventually comes to an end for all of us. For those of us fortunate enough to seek recovery we get an opportunity to pull ourselves out of the mess we created but we are still using the same tools in sobriety that we used in our drinking days.

These three word describe the antithesis of recovery. It implies falling from somewhere and yet many of us alcoholics are born into lives of decline and deterioration beyond our control. I had an abusive, alcoholic father who manipulated me, my mother and my brother for a lot of our lives. Long after he died he still had a stranglehold on my life. I was filled with resentment, rage and hate. Still residuals of those feelings lingers and wafts up from time to time. I no

These three word describe the antithesis of recovery. It implies falling from somewhere and yet many of us alcoholics are born into lives of decline and deterioration beyond our control. I had an abusive, alcoholic father who manipulated me, my mother and my brother for a lot of our lives. Long after he died he still had a stranglehold on my life. I was filled with resentment, rage and hate. Still residuals of those feelings lingers and wafts up from time to time. I no