Academics Anonymous

By Red Queen (Originally published December 1, 2021) So I’m doing a month of sobriety. I’m a substance abuser, which to me means I have a relationship with substances that often harms me, but I still use them. I practice harm reduction, which usually looks like...

By Jo Rico (Originally published November 25, 2021) I celebrated 7 years of sobriety last week. Woah. What!? To say I never thought I’d live to see the day would be a colossal understatement. I’m happy to be here. It hasn’t been easy, but it has been worth it. ...

By Kandi (Originally published November 19, 2021) Moving back to my hometown was just like taking an animal from the zoo and temporarily letting them into the wild to be happy. They become so happy in the wild, only to be dragged back to their cage. I have this theory...

By Sylvie Foster (Originally published November 3, 2021) Open up the bottle, pour me one last drink  Tell me this ain’t gonna be as bad as you think The beauty of art is that you can interpret it in any way you wish. I went through a phase early in my recovery where I...

By Shrimp (Originally published October 29, 2021) I always had a problem with the dichotomous way recovery from drug addiction was represented to me. The narrative was this: If you stayed off drugs you were clean (implying that users are dirty?) and success is...

By Esme LaCroix (Originally published October 21, 2021) For years, before I was able to maintain my sobriety, I would write lists to myself about the benefits of it. They’d always be something like this: Health (no injuries, bad teeth, liver disease, hangovers etc.)...

By Matt (Originally published October 13, 2021) “I feel it’s my anger that has helped keep me alive”   – Audre Lorde, Sister Love: The Letters of Audre Lorde & Pat Parker  The first step to recovery is admitting you have a problem. Every movie, book, and TV show...

By Matt (Originally published September 6, 2021) I screwed up again. Monday is my umpteenth ‘first day sober’ (it would’ve been Sunday, but mom put a shot of vodka in my orange juice to “help with my hangover.”) We’re going to visit her hometown for a week. From...

By Esme LaCroix (Originally published September 6, 2021) Coming Out the First Time Before I came out as bisexual, I kept finding myself in queer spaces. The same people who I found questioning their destinies as workers and voters and taxpayers —the same people who I...

By Sylvie Foster (Originally published September 6, 2021) Any half-decent professor and every mildly-aware student will tell you to never begin an essay with a definition. So I’ve begun with these two sentences instead. Dedicated space: A room, building, or area...

By Kandi (Originally published September 6, 2021) Life is precious, addiction is a disease that makes us forget that. In educational institutions it has been studied things such as a healthy diet, regular exercise, positive social relationships, and stability leads to...

By Shrimp (Originally published September 6, 2021) When I was a wee lad, like many others of my generation, I attended public school. There I was inundated with anti-smoking and anti-drug propaganda. Propaganda; I use  this word advisedly because the information I was...

By Jo Rico (Originally published September 1, 2021) There is not a human being on the planet who makes the choice to become an alcoholic. Not me. Not you. Not anyone. Not ever. For years, I tried with all my might to be the type of drinker society told me I had the...