Addiction

Lost in the Overeaters Anonymous Wilderness

by Bill Brenner August 22, 2012 Addiction

I’ve explained how food is my addiction — an uncool addiction at that. I’ve written about how Overeaters Anonymous (OA) was my salvation from that addiction. And I’ve told you I’ve been living the 12 Steps of Recovery. Now it’s time to tell you about my summer of going astray, and how I don’t completely regret it. Mood music: [spotify:track:63kyrMgKo0M0qvrDVtD4yN] I’ve kept my eating clean most of the time, though I’ve gotten sloppy in spots. I’ve…  [Read More]

Time to Make Music Again

by Bill Brenner August 21, 2012 Music therapy

When asked what I want for my birthday, I usually say nothing. I don’t want people spending money on me, and I don’t want to be greedy. But this time, with my 42nd birthday only days away, I asked the family for something specific: an acoustic-electric guitar. Mood music: [spotify:track:3t8Id5r985SAZ9o5EGrUtk] I used to play guitar, though I was never very good at it. When I had a band and was writing music, I sang and…  [Read More]

It’s the End of American Dominance, and I Feel Fine

by Bill Brenner August 6, 2012 Political discourse

America is a nation in economic decline. But that reality isn’t necessarily a bad thing. My friend Larry Walsh said on Facebook yesterday: What neither Obama or Romney is telling us is the world we’ve known for the past 70 years is over and not coming back. Both parties are trying to control the decline of the U.S. standard of living long enough to avoid having to take responsibility. Pathetic. Mood music: [spotify:track:4e9eGQYsOiBcftrWXwsVco] It’s an…  [Read More]

Stoned and Panicked on the Interstate

by Bill Brenner July 31, 2012 Fear and anxiety

The memory was buried until yesterday, and frankly I’d have been happy had it stayed buried. Funny thing about suppressed memories — they spill out during the damndest moments, like a drive down I-95 in Maine. We were returning from a family camping trip near Old Orchard Beach yesterday, and as I drove the camper south, my stare caught the north-bound lanes. Sometime in the summer of 1991, Sean Marley, a couple others and I sped…  [Read More]

OCD and Facebook Scrabble Don’t Mix

by Bill Brenner July 2, 2012 OCD

I’ve always avoided all those Facebook games, but I recently decided to give Scrabble a shot. I’m a professional wordsmith, so I figured what the hell. I can kick a few asses and feel good about my word wizardry. But I’m the one getting my ass kicked, in more ways than one. Mood music: [spotify:track:0N7yGNvc6Oy2bAb4gM8euG] I have six games going and I’m getting beat to shit in all but one of them. I have my…  [Read More]

Nikki Sixx, Michael Jackson and Pedophiles, Part 2

by Bill Brenner June 26, 2012 Crime and punishment

Last year, Mötley Crüe bassist Nikki Sixx created a Twitter shitstorm when he opined about Michael Jackson being an alleged pedophile. At the time, I wrote a blog post about it being a fascinating case study in human nature. This week marks the third anniversary of Jackson’s death, and the case study has taken an interesting turn. Mood music: [spotify:track:1S3Bc6pVYOmzad7d1WiQO7] I knew something was up when my post from last year started getting a ton of…  [Read More]

I’m Not a Guru, a Doctor or a Cult Leader

by Bill Brenner June 20, 2012 Communication Skills

I’ve been getting an increase in messages asking me for advice on how to deal with family challenges and addiction. Whenever that happens, I start to get a little scared. Not for me, but for you. Mood music: [spotify:track:5SLCI3OVaP4x2VWiMroDst] One of my relatives recently suggested I shouldn’t be telling people what to do, that I am not a doctor or a drug counselor. She’s right, but I was also a bit floored by that because…  [Read More]

Will E-Cigs Get Me Over Smoking?

by Bill Brenner June 14, 2012 Addiction

Update: July 26, 2012: I’ve been leaning on my crutch like a motherfucker during a trip to Las Vegas. But I haven’t touched the real thing or drank, which is progress. I’ve been using electronic cigarettes lately. Why, you ask? Let me try to explain. When I’m in the mood to feel sorry for myself because I can’t do things I’m addicted to, I’ll throw up my hands and ask myself, “What else is there…  [Read More]

Zombies Are Addicts, Too

by Bill Brenner June 8, 2012 Addiction

Zombies have become the new American superhero, revered in countless Facebook memes and magazine articles. Now we have real people eating other real people. Mood music: [spotify:track:714tlsBfatWBEomrcZmz7i] I normally wouldn’t touch a topic like this, because zombies are a work of fiction. But lately people have been trying hard to will the fiction to life. We have one guy eating the face off a homeless man and another guy eating his buddy’s heart and brain….  [Read More]

Grief Management Put to Music

by Bill Brenner June 7, 2012 Grief management

Weeks after a loved one dies and we’ve allowed ourselves to fall apart, we have to make a choice: Stay in a fetal position, hidden from the world, or stand up and move forward. This is a little tribute to someone who made the latter choice. Mood music: [soundcloud url=”http://api.soundcloud.com/tracks/48842027″ iframe=”true” /] I don’t know Ian Clark very well. We’re connected on Facebook, and I’m very fond of his mom’s band, The 360s (he plays…  [Read More]

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