I want to start by wishing you all the best at this time of year. But, for now, I want to talk to the addicts amongst us. I don’t need to tell you this can be a really hard time of year. I’m coming up to 4 years sober and…

Moulded by rationalism and reason where everything must have an answer. No room for ambiguity at all. Growing up in such a zeitgeist where solutions and certainty are the end. Progress drives relentlessly, towards what rarely matters, but we must be seen to be moving forever forward. The unknown is…

As I look back, I’m trailed by a wake of ghosts. Those who I couldn’t help, those I never called back. People I’d promised, only to let down, from whom it was easier to walk away; block, delete, erase from my life, rather than face tears, guilt and consequence. Then…

“Yes, it’s me.” she said. My eyes had been clearly asking the question as they followed her approach. Deep down I had hoped it was and I felt my cheeks flush. We swapped histories as her two boys hovered around us. It had been 30 years. “You’re the only ex…

First published in ‘The World We Want Is Us’ 2021. In this Developed Nation, a 19 year old woman sleeps in a bag in a door way. In this Developed Nation, a working family of four relies on the local food bank. In this Developed Nation, grandmothers live on a…

Advice from the trenches — May I start by wishing you all the best at this time of year. But, for now, I want to talk to the addicts amongst us. I don’t need to tell you this can be a really hard time of year. I’m coming up to 5 years sober and I…

What are thoughts? They can be pleasant, joyful, scary, destructive, angry… They can be treasured or forgotten, hung on to or masked, numbed. They can be distracting or focusing. I recently discovered the difference between conscious and un/subconscious thought. Now, at 43, I was kinda gobsmacked that I hadn’t fully…

I know how I’ll go, if I get to choose: On a bender for a year or maybe for two, Right from the moment that I get the news: Opiates, benzos and booze. When I’ve had enough of paying my dues A hug from a drug that can chase away blues At the point that I know I’ve got nothing to lose: Opiates, benzos and booze Left all alone and with no more to prove, Slumped on a sofa and too drunk to move Prob’ly piss on my trousers and puke on my shoes:

I came across the notion of ‘optimising the moment’ during a meditation today. The idea of wringing every last possibility out of every moment. A desire for ultimate efficiency in each minute. …