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I'm Here, I'm Queer, I'm Sober!
Penning a seven-page letter to my wife took less than five minutes.
Twelve years of pent-up emotions effortlessly spilled onto the page. With the last period, my body deflated. It was out. I was “out”.
I played the “straight” part and married a woman and got her pregnant as soon as possible. The...
Dec 28, 2024
4 Ways to Find (True) Belonging in Recovery
You may not be old enough to remember the Sesame Street jingle:
"One of these things is not like the other...One of these things doesn't belong!"
For reference, here's an example:
Using the video example, I was the blue balloon in my family.
The sinner.
The outlier.
The black sheep.
The queer...
Dec 28, 2024
Permission to Heal in Recovery
"Get a f*cking job!"
I slammed my 16-year-old son's bedroom door to emphasize my command. You know, because that's what any caring, mature father in recovery would do, right?
My heart racing and stomach churning, I stepped onto the patio. I felt my body deflate and the regret welling up through ...
Dec 28, 2024
Are You Emotionally Regulated?
When I was coming down from meth, I could count on 4 things:
--Binge eating;
--Legarthic muscles;
--Hard, dreamless sleep;
--Emotional rollercoasters.
The unpredictable emotions were the worst for me. I used to say, "I'm in my Tee-motions right now, so disregard the spontaneous sobbing."
Tee-mot...
Dec 28, 2024
How to (Successfully) Delete Your Apps in Recovery
Much of my social media content is being misconstrued, taken out of context, and used as ammunition to fire at me.
So, I thought I'd take this opportunity to give a bit of context around some of the stances I take around crystal meth recovery.
Deleting Geo-Social Dating Apps.
Look, I'm trying to...
Dec 28, 2024
Let's Get Kinky (Sober)
I would bet the most common text sent via dating apps/sites is "What you into?".
I know many of my friends would cut and paste the answer from their notes app.
Or, if you splurged for Grindr-X you could save recurring phrases (how convenient!).
I never knew how to answer that question, to be hon...
Dec 28, 2024
3 Ways to Take Control of Cravings (and your life) NOW
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According to the Journal of Sex Research, men think about sex 19 times per day.
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For men trying to get sober from crystal meth, this equates to 19 cravings per day.
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That's because when meth is paired with sex, the two are neurologically fused.
This is why meth addiction treatment is u...
Dec 28, 2024
The Trifecta: Meth, Sex, and HIV
Meth. Sex. HIV.
You can't talk about one without the other.
Problem is, none of them are being talked about (enough).
When will we, the Queer Community, speak up?
When will we acknowledge the crystal meth epidemic?
An epidemic that is joked about, degraded, and ostrasticized.
An epidemic that is...
Dec 28, 2024
Doing the Hard Stuff in Recovery
Do you know Tina (crystal meth)?
Then you must also know Gina (Gamma Hydroxybutyrate or GHB).
Those girls are thick as thieves.
Gina is a downer to counteract the upper of Tina.
Maybe like taking an Adderall and Xanax together?
I didn't take Gina for the downer. I took her because of the love po...
Dec 28, 2024
The Meth-y Things We Do
Hot meth express. All aboard.
That was a big joke of mine during active addiction.
Like most drug-induced humor, it was not really funny.
The effects of meth on my brain convinced me that I loved the chaos of my life in active addiction. Each day was more unpredictable than the last.
It also con...
Dec 28, 2024
5 Steps to Understanding Willpower
Just because I've been in recovery from meth for six years does not mean I have more willpower than you.
It means I set up my environment to make decision-making easier.
You aren't weak.
You aren't "doing it wrong".
You aren't forever an addict.
I want you to stop wishing for more willpower and ...
by Dr. Dallas Bragg —
Dec 28, 2024
addiction recovery
strong will
Employment Post-Addiction
Three weeks after quitting crystal meth cold turkey. Three weeks after a year of nearly daily injections. Three weeks into an unknown and overwhelming existence.
No car.
No home.
No money.
I had been hired as a server at a taco joint the day my kids picked me up from jail. The inspiration to get...
Dec 28, 2024
addiction recovery