Smashing Stigma

As you can see in the title, this is the second entry and Day 3971 of my recovery from substance use disorder. It has indeed been a trying day. I had to spend $434.02 of my $489.68 check on four tires and an alignment for my car this morning. This will effectively leave me broke for who knows how long. I am indeed one of those Americans who will be severely impacted by an unexpected $400 expense. I will be scrambling to feed my kid for the foreseeable future. Food pantries here I come.  It's an absolutely gorgeous day in the Berkshires. It's about 83 degrees, very low humidity, and not a cloud in the sky. Only problem is, I am on doxycycline and the sun has fucked me up. I feel nauseated and my skin is red and blotchy. I called into work for the second day in a row. I feel fatigued and a general malaise. This is to be expected when dealing with Lyme Disease. I just hope this passes quickly. I have tomorrow and the weekend off, so I will have time to recuperate. I am gratefu

Hey there, Interwebians, My name is Gary, and I am a person in long-term recovery. I have been in recovery for almost 11 years now. If I make it till August 12th, I will claim 11 years. I would like to say that my life is all rainbows and unicorns now, but that wouldn't be the truth. My life is my life, and I live it to the best of my ability, on its own terms. I honestly do not know why I am starting this blog. My guess is that I may find it cathartic, but, my real hope is that it will help one person (if anyone ever actually reads it).  I started using substances when I was about 12 years old and I finally stopped when I was 32. I am now 43 and a single dad to a soon-to-be 14 year old daughter? I mean, I think she's my daughter. She went through a non-gender-conforming period a year ago, but I think she's my daughter again. We live in a decent, two bedroom apartment in a rent-subsidized complex in Berkshire County, Massachusetts.  My addiction started and my recovery