Society only condemns self-medication selectively. Some addictions are labeled destructive, while others are praised as ambition, discipline, or devotion. A sardonic reflection on coping mechanisms, trauma, and the addictions that “photograph well.”
Self-Medication in the Wasteland
Long-term stress changes more than your emotions. It changes your body, your brain, and eventually your survival instincts. A reflection on narcissistic relationships, chronic cortisol exposure, PTSD, grief, and the dangerous comfort of self-medication.
You Can’t Go Home Again
A visit to a newly opened emergency department forces reflections on grief, regret, lost careers, unhealthy coping, and the painful realization that some versions of home can never truly be returned to.
The Grace Well Runs Dry
A raw letter to my mother three years after her death, reflecting on grief, sobriety, domestic violence, regret, family, military service, faith, and the complicated process of learning to forgive yourself.