Quitting Smoking Step 2: Gettin’ Kinda Hectic
I caved. Last Wednesday, I smoked a cigarette. I had been 14 days nicotine-free. It tasted terrible and it made me feel awful. Quitting smoking continues to be harder than I thought.
Quitting Smoking Is Harder Than I Thought
It’s been exactly 133 hours and 32 minutes since I smoked my last cigarette. And I must say, this is exponentially harder than quitting drinking.
Six Years Sober & Stronger & Stronger
Aloha! Today I celebrate six years of sobriety. Six years ago, minus one day, I was drinking two bottles of wine or two six packs of beer and smoking crack with homeless people every night. I nearly got addicted to crack.
Does Too Much Social Media Make You Depressed?
Bragging is ubiquitous on Facebook. There’s always people getting married, having babies, and taking exotic vacations. The boasting is particularly pronounced this time of year, when people are recapping 2017 and spotlighting all of their accomplishments. It’s easy to feel inadequate. Just one example from one of my FB friends: Over the past 365 days […]
Rooting for My Dad — Bipolar and Dementia May Be Linked
Dementia has been on my mind lately because there’s a chance that my bipolar dad may have it. He turns 80 on February 1, and he’s flying in from Hawaii — where my parents live — for a neurology appointment at University of Chicago Hospital because the hospitals in Hawaii — especially on mini Maui — aren’t that great.
Bipolar: Gift or Curse? Mental Illness Awareness Week 2017
What to do to commemorate a week dedicated to mental illness? Might seem strange, but I think Mental Illness Awareness Week is something to be celebrated.
Are You Better Off Today Than You Were Five Years Ago?
Jingled. Antifogmatic. Crapulous. Nippitaty. Clearly I went through the thesaurus looking for synonyms for “drunk.” Back in 2012, that’s not only how I was, it was who I was. Five years ago, I was stuck in a whirlwind of alcoholic madness. On my last night of drinking, I went to a Super Bowl party of […]
A Personal Note On My 4th Anniversary of Sobriety
On this — the fourth anniversary of my sobriety — I’m proud to say that my bipolar family has grown in ways I couldn’t possibly imagine. Your support for me — on my blog, on Facebook, and elsewhere — has been the motivation I’ve needed to keep going.
What is Bipolar Disorder? The Simpleton’s Guide to Mania and Depression
Bipolar disorder, formerly called manic depression, occurs when a person experiences mania – an elevated mood marked by increased energy, delusions of grandeur, and sometimes psychosis, paranoia, and hallucinations. Mania is a perpetual high that feels like doing cocaine without actually snorting it. Those who struggle with this malady are also plagued with bouts of horrible depression.