Wow, this is so good. I was hooked. I think people forget that when you quit drinking, you also quit a coping mechanism that almost everyone else thinks is fine. Which is ok until you have stuff you have to cope with. Congrats on leaving your job!
This is one of my favorite sequences I've ever read of yours. "I can hear everything, everywhere: planes flying over Canada, foghorns in the Atlantic, a luau in Maui. I can smell the mezcal in Mexico. The living room is a liminal space."
I love the way you wrote this. The order of the vignettes. The way you described each scene in the fewest words necessary. In the first scene, you never told us how you felt, because you didn't have to. You used the sunlight and the objects in the room to tell us.
Congrats on 2 years off the sauce! Inspiring stuff.
Although I haven't quit alcohol, I'm sober curious. Last night, there was a pull towards escapism. I reached out to a friend to share my urge. It's amazing what talking to a safe friend can do. If you ever need someone to reach out to, my DMs are open!
this reminds me of how i felt quitting all my addictions. when you have no way out, you are forced to feel it all. the initial few days, months, weeks are brutal. we feel things we never thought possible. but if we stay the course, we're rewarded with something, maybe even everything - the presence of life. brilliant title and loved your storytelling. thanks for sharing, alex!
Oh man. Read this on a crowded bus and the commuters around me disappeared. The scenes are so sensory and sharp. I felt my insides clench and twist and flatten alongside your own. Thanks for these images and all the vulnerability you’ve tucked inside them Alex. I know they’ll linger in my mind for a while. And I’m truly glad you’ve stayed off the sauce.
I resonate with the ritualistic numbing - I experience a sort of existential restlessness every now and then that used to be quelled withe the sauce but now I fall into doomscrolling, consumption, whatever I can to escape. I've found the only real medicine is the brutally hard sitting with it and letting it move through you (writing sure as hell helps!)
Alex, this is a literate, sensitive, raw act of courage. I hope that sharing the pain, uncertainty, and little victories will help in your journey. And I hope it gets easier.
Love this piece, man—the structure, the descriptions of light, the transformation... all so great. The ending's particularly poignant. Really beautiful writing.
…rock and roll top to bottom what a rad read…
Appreciate it Fis!
Wow, this is so good. I was hooked. I think people forget that when you quit drinking, you also quit a coping mechanism that almost everyone else thinks is fine. Which is ok until you have stuff you have to cope with. Congrats on leaving your job!
good point Michelle!
Thanks Michelle. That's pretty damn spot on.
Beautifully written son. I feel a sadness and, yet, a wonderful warmth of pride in how you have dealt with your losses.
Thanks Dad. Learned from the best.
This is one of my favorite sequences I've ever read of yours. "I can hear everything, everywhere: planes flying over Canada, foghorns in the Atlantic, a luau in Maui. I can smell the mezcal in Mexico. The living room is a liminal space."
Thanks Rick. It felt right (hearted) when it came out.
I love the way you wrote this. The order of the vignettes. The way you described each scene in the fewest words necessary. In the first scene, you never told us how you felt, because you didn't have to. You used the sunlight and the objects in the room to tell us.
This is masterful writing.
Thanks so much Pam. Really means a lot.
I love this: “Two years ago, I would have been nursing a hangover instead of noticing any of this.”
Especially because it’s followed by this: “Forthe first time in months, I sit in my chair comfortably.”
What awareness, presence, and willingness to fully inhabit yourself, your surroundings, and your life.
Love this Alex. Means more having gotten to know you a bit.
I appreciate it James. And I really enjoyed the beginning of getting to know you too.
Congrats on 2 years off the sauce! Inspiring stuff.
Although I haven't quit alcohol, I'm sober curious. Last night, there was a pull towards escapism. I reached out to a friend to share my urge. It's amazing what talking to a safe friend can do. If you ever need someone to reach out to, my DMs are open!
Thanks for the kind words Harrison. Good on you for recognizing it and reaching out to a friend.
this reminds me of how i felt quitting all my addictions. when you have no way out, you are forced to feel it all. the initial few days, months, weeks are brutal. we feel things we never thought possible. but if we stay the course, we're rewarded with something, maybe even everything - the presence of life. brilliant title and loved your storytelling. thanks for sharing, alex!
Thanks for the kind and beautiful words Trina, and major congrats on your own journey.
I want more of this format!!!! ⭐️
🫡
Oh man. Read this on a crowded bus and the commuters around me disappeared. The scenes are so sensory and sharp. I felt my insides clench and twist and flatten alongside your own. Thanks for these images and all the vulnerability you’ve tucked inside them Alex. I know they’ll linger in my mind for a while. And I’m truly glad you’ve stayed off the sauce.
Wow. Thank you for the kind words.
This is fantastic, love the non-chronological vignettes. My favorite line: “Ice cream is pretty feeble in the face of existential dread.” Bravo!
I appreciate it Rachel!
I resonate with the ritualistic numbing - I experience a sort of existential restlessness every now and then that used to be quelled withe the sauce but now I fall into doomscrolling, consumption, whatever I can to escape. I've found the only real medicine is the brutally hard sitting with it and letting it move through you (writing sure as hell helps!)
Good for you for staying strong brother!
Yeah, well said as always. Appreciate it man.
Alex, this is a literate, sensitive, raw act of courage. I hope that sharing the pain, uncertainty, and little victories will help in your journey. And I hope it gets easier.
Thanks so much for the kind words Larry. It's helped a ton already.
I said 'wow' several times reading this. Amazing writing, Alex.
Thanks so much Claire, really kind of you to say.
Love this piece, man—the structure, the descriptions of light, the transformation... all so great. The ending's particularly poignant. Really beautiful writing.
Thanks brother. Means a lot.
Loved reading this. I appreciate you being so real. Thank you.
Much appreciated Donna - means a lot coming from you. Hope life is treating you wonderfully.