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Is Your Heart Broken?
Addiction isn't about the substance you chase; it is about the feelings you run away from.
I spent over 30 years running away from the searing pain of exclusion.
What could be worse than feeling:
Left out.
Ignored.
Discarded.
Neglected.
Rejected.
These feelings ache inside the heart.
I remember ...
Dec 28, 2024
5 Practices for Expressing Emotion (and regulating behavior)
Emotions.
The body's communication system.
As addicts, oftentimes, we aren't listening.
Or the messages are lost in translation.
In time, the body begins screaming to get our attention.
The raised voice of our body manifests as anxiety, depression, low-grade stress, and even physical disease.
As ...
by Dr. Dallas Bragg —
Dec 28, 2024
addiction
addiction recovery
recovery
Are You Ready to Break Free from Chemsex?
When it comes to chemsex recovery, I honestly don't prefer the word "cycle".
But, similar to "God", using a broadly accepted term maximizes message clarity.
I prefer Spiral (not downward, but upward).
When I think about my recovery journey, the repeated patterns I experienced (including relapse)...
by Dr. Dallas Bragg —
Dec 28, 2024
addiction
addiction recovery
chemsex
recovery
Aren't You Tired of Being Upset?
Meth might be your drug of choice, but it isn't your addiction.
You are addicted to drama.
You've accepted the role of Damsel in Distress.
If you're not triggered, you feel bored.
If you're not craving, you feel stagnant.
If you're not in danger, you feel uncomfortable.
You've lived life in hyp...
Dec 28, 2024
addiction
addiction recovery
emotions
recovery
All the Butt Stuff...
If you haven't heard yet, I was dumped.
I was told that I didn't do it for him sexually.
Right there in bed after a failed attempt to do it for him sexually.
After the smoke of heartbreak, embarrassment, shame, anger, and confusion cleared, I received the learning.
This experience was my first a...
by Dr. Dallas Bragg —
Dec 28, 2024
addiction
addiction recovery
anal sex
recovery
That Time I Stole a Yorkie
3 am.
That's like noon in tweaker time.
I stood in the deafening darkness of the cold winter night locating the brick house with red trim. I opened the passenger door and slid into the cold car.Â
The abruptness of my movement startled the guy in the driver’s seat (let’s call him Dax). His body ...
by Dr. Dallas Bragg —
Dec 28, 2024
addiction
addiction recovery
meth devestation
meth ruination
recovery
Have You Been Intimate Post-Meth
Whenever I had a man over to ParTy and Play, I hoped it would be intimate.
I longed for love in a community void of it.
When I found intimacy, it was from young guys who turned out to be escorts. Knowing exactly what to say and how to say it to an old man who needed companionship.
Worked every t...
by Dr. Dallas Bragg —
Dec 28, 2024
addiction
addiction recovery
intimacy
intimacy after meth
recovery
Don't Tell Me How Many Sober Days You Are...
If I've learned anything over the past seven weeks of dating a man half my age, it's that age really is just a number.
I've been fed this line by younger guys for years and rolled my eyes every time.
However, my partner is lightyears ahead of me emotionally in many ways. He's experienced certain...
Dec 28, 2024
Loneliness Is Your Best (Recovery) Friend
Being alone on a Friday night used to scare the sh*t out of me.
Look, by the time I came out, I had missed out on three decades of the gay scene. It was my time to party while I could.
Classic case of FOMO.
Little did I know that the inability to be alone was a precursor to meth addiction.
If I ...
Dec 28, 2024
Are You Addicted to Being Addicted?
Growing up, I didn't fake sickness to skip school.
I wanted the drama.
I wanted the attention.
I wanted to feel special.
Once I was attached to the story of 'sick boy,' I could enjoy popsicles, snuggles, and all-day cartoons.
However, the core need this role fulfilled for me was much deeper and ...
Dec 28, 2024
I'm Here, I'm Queer, I'm Sober!
Penning a seven-page letter to my wife took less than five minutes.
Twelve years of pent-up emotions effortlessly spilled onto the page. With the last period, my body deflated. It was out. I was “out”.
I played the “straight” part and married a woman and got her pregnant as soon as possible. The...
Dec 28, 2024
4 Ways to Find (True) Belonging in Recovery
You may not be old enough to remember the Sesame Street jingle:
"One of these things is not like the other...One of these things doesn't belong!"
For reference, here's an example:
Using the video example, I was the blue balloon in my family.
The sinner.
The outlier.
The black sheep.
The queer...
Dec 28, 2024