Last night I did a random Facebook search and fell into that wormhole we all do on the inter-web. During this search I found a woman I started my sobriety journey with in the Phoenix House Dublin almost six years ago. She was one of my favorite people there because she was such an extrovert, funny, kind, and could always get me out of a rut when I was clueless on those first days how to deal with life without with drugs and alcohol. Unfortunately this night I found out she had passed. Facebook is today’s graveyard these days for those that lost their fight with substance abuse. The wonderful thing was she had not been forgotten- her beautifully written obituary had gone viral, and it was an amazing to witness. So much negativity always occurs after such a death and instead there were articles from People, to Boston.com, to the other various major outlets, and the Boston Globe celebrating a life lost too soon https://www.bostonglobe.com/metro/2018/10/16/heart-wrenching-obituary-young-vermont-mom-struggling-with-addiction-gains-attention/27OvnrDlIxCOE3saACHZKI/amp.html
So everyday you wake up realize that even on your worst day- when you thought life was over and you couldn’t go on that there was always someone glad you woke up. Someone’s life that your smile made better. As you trudge on this sober fight remember every morning you wake up sober you are an inspiration. And that every morning when you rise with the sun there is somebody out there who is grateful that you are in their life. And if nobody has told you they are grateful for you today know I definitely am.
I am not big on resolutions-especially New Year’s one. I used to have a blog called Drunk and Focused which I wrote about drinking, culture, music, and even reviewed every flavor of Maddog 2020. But it’s the first day of 2019, and my first day sober once again- and yes I know how fucking cliche it is to get sober on January 1st. Getting sober on the first is on some basic as fuck shit that it could be an American Eagle commercial. This also a chance to prove I am not washed up in the blog game. This site will not just be about not drinking, though I will journal each day of my sobriety, but it will also highlight the myriad of many other things fucking up my mind these days. So I will write about the joys of mental illness, rap music, tv, pop culture, rants, wrestling, why you should never Facebook message people while in a blackout, and a place to share my writing to prove all that student loan debt I am in was totally worth it to get an MFA. So get ready for the return of the LeBron James of this blog game- this time with a 12 step habit.
Patrick Bernard 