Bill Brenner

When Does It Get Better? (A.K.A. Happiness After Suicide)

by Bill Brenner April 5, 2011 Coping tools

I got a note last night that moved me enough that I need to get it out here. It was from a woman who was close to Zane Mead, who I wrote about a few months back. Mood music: [youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0NlGbLbUl_w&fs=1&hl=en_US&rel=0] I don’t remember Tammy Digan from back in the day, but that doesn’t surprise me. I was mostly a loner back then. Except for a few close friends, I kept to myself. But I…  [Read More]

Sometimes, I Take It Too Far

by Bill Brenner April 4, 2011 Communication Skills

Most of you know by now that when I like a person, I tend to tease them a lot. Most people know it’s in good fun and give it back in spades. But sometimes I worry that I’m taking it too far. I’ve written about it before in the posts “The Power of Sarcasm” and “Sarcasm or Gallows Humor? For me, sarcasm is a mental release that allows me to see the humor in some…  [Read More]

Facebook Depression: It Happens

by Bill Brenner April 3, 2011 Communication Skills

A post from one of my Facebook friends got my attention the other day. He was sharing a new item about something called “Facebook depression” and if his comment is any indication, I don’t think he was buying it: “Really? Facebook depression? Pardon me but ‘Assholes!’” Mood music: [youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b93qfTYbROg&fs=1&hl=en_US&rel=0] Here’s a snippet from the article, which appeared on WCVB Channel 5’s news site: According to a recent poll, more than 20 percent of teens…  [Read More]

Snowblind

by Bill Brenner April 1, 2011 Depression

There are some cranky people in New England today. A snowstorm on April 1 will do it every time. If you suffer from seasonal depression — the kind that strikes in the dead of winter — this kind of weather in spring can throw a person over the edge. Mood music: [youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IkbMd3Bygzs&fs=1&hl=en_US&rel=0] I remember April 1, 1997 when we had a blizzard that dumped at least a foot of snow. I was holed up…  [Read More]

Lies Of The Not-So-Beautiful People

by Bill Brenner March 31, 2011 Communication Skills

I’ve been hooked this week on the new Sixx A.M. song “Lies of the Beautiful People.” The video includes a lot of the photography that inspired the upcoming album and book, “This is Gonna Hurt.” Note: The videos below, when you click on them, will direct you to watch on YouTube. Please do, since you have to see it to get the point of this post. [youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mxMHtjQW6ZQ&fs=1&hl=en_US&rel=0] In interviews, Nikki Sixx describes his passion…  [Read More]

Good Anonymity Vs. Bad Anonymity

by Bill Brenner March 30, 2011 Addiction

In the halls of recovery and in my daily work I deal a lot with anonymity. People hide behind it for good and bad reasons. This is where I separate the honorable folks from the cowards. Mood music (Click the “Watch it on Youtube” link. It’s worth it): [youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mxMHtjQW6ZQ&fs=1&hl=en_US&rel=0] I’ve met a lot of inspirational people who prefer to keep their identities hidden with good reason. In the 12-Step program I embraced to overcome…  [Read More]

How I Can Be Happy Despite Myself

by Bill Brenner March 29, 2011 Addiction

I see a lot of moody people out there on Facebook and Twitter these days. Though I try not to put random complaints on my wall, my darker moods often come across in this blog. But in the big picture, I’ve found ways to be generally happy despite myself. Mood music: Allow me to share. But first, a couple acknowledgements: 1.) I stole this post’s title from somewhere. 2.) I readily admit that despite what…  [Read More]

Change Is Pain, But Not Impossible

by Bill Brenner March 28, 2011 Addiction

Last night’s 12-Step meeting reminded me of just how hard real change is. I used to measure change by who won the next election. I’ve realized that the only real change that matters is within myself. Naturally, it’s the hardest, most brutal kind of change to achieve. Mood music: [youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yqkxDgCIsOw&fs=1&hl=en_US&rel=0] Last night’s AA Big Book reading focused on steps 8, 9 and 10: 8. Made a list of all persons we had harmed, and…  [Read More]

Sean and Duncan Discover The Pixies — And More

by Bill Brenner March 25, 2011 Children's issues

I’m in the long car line in front of the kids’ school this morning. Stuck in park, I put in The Pixies Greatest Hits. The intro to “The Bone Machine” fills the car and I start drumming on the steering wheel. Mood music: [youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NJfCIQHwQT8&fs=1&hl=en_US&rel=0] “Dad, how did you get so good?” Sean asks. I’m not very good, but to an almost 10-year-old it doesn’t take much to impress. “I dunno. I guess it comes…  [Read More]

The Saugus, Mass. Crowd

by Bill Brenner March 25, 2011 Lessons from the past

I’ve been thinking a lot lately about the circle of friends I used to hang out with in Saugus, Mass., the town next to my home turf of Revere. Mood music: I’ve recently been back in touch with some of the friends from those days, and it reminds me of a few regrets I’ve carried over the years. Saugus was as much a home to me as Revere for the simple reason that my father’s…  [Read More]

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