Ten years ago I was drunk and doing drugs on the streets of Chicago. Today I am sober. I’m skydiving to commerate my journey to freedom from drugs and alcohol. I continue to live strongly with bipolar disorder, and I embrace the spirit of aloha, hanging on for dear life.
t wasn’t a State of the Union speech because President Biden has only been in office since Jan. 20, but it sure did feel like one. Last week, on day 99 of his administration, Biden noted that he had exceeded the goal of 100 million vaccines in arms in his first 100 days, surpassing it with more than 200,000. He also celebrated the passage of the American Rescue Plan that made those shots in arms possible, and also put money in Americans’ pockets in order to rebuild following a pandemic that still rages on.
loha is an ancient spirit that lives and breathes within the Hawaiian Islands. It exudes passion, pulsates with energy, and erupts with joy. It is encircled in light and undaunted by darkness. Aloha is love. Aloha is life. Aloha is empathy. And it’s a mindset that helps with my bipolar disorder.
Many doctors and therapists I’ve spoken with in recent days say that teletherapy is a necessity for those with mental health ailments that have only gotten worse as COVID rages on.
In the tempestuous realm of love and romance, to be curt: I’ve got baggage. I have bipolar disorder and I am a recovering alcoholic.As the character of Mimi sings in the musical RENT, “I’m looking for baggage that goes with mine.” Well, I think I may have found it.
As the coronavirus rages on, it is extremely dangerous and enticing for recovering alcoholics like myself to pick up the bottle again. Alcohol has never been more popular. But for a select few, it is falling by the wayside.
My second mixtape all you coronvirus music maniacs. Throw a dance party in your living room! While we’re not as deep as we were in lockdown mode, many of us are indeed still sheltering in place. Cut a rug!
I was drunker than a frat boy at a jungle juice party. Lollapalooza 2011 revisited.
Deaths are piling up exponentially throughout the globe. Most of the country is on lockdown. And many of us are experiencing extreme claustrophobia and high anxiety. But a cohort of mentally ill Americans are doin’ just fine.
Even in ordinary times, I’ve been known to pump up the volume and dance around my apartment with glee. Now — in this time of lockdown — it’s your turn.
