Mill P Writes

  There are two types of drunks: the kind who get soft and glassy-eyed, and the kind who snarl like cornered dogs. I was both. A coin flip. Heads: I’m sobbing into the neck of a stranger, talking about childhood dreams. Tails: I’m spitting venom at people who love me, daring them to stay. I drank like I was trying to erase myself—fast and with no mercy. And for a long time, I chalked it up to being “young and wild and free.” You know, that bullshit Bukowski-lite swagger people wear like a leather jacket they’re too broke to dry clean. But the truth is, I always drank alcoholically. Even when I kept it to weekends, even when I showed up for work Monday morning with my shirt tucked in and my guilt folded neatly inside my chest pocket. I was the poster child for the Jekyll-and-Hyde drinker. You could count on me to show up, but you could never count on who would get out of the car. In 2020, the mirror finally cracked. I caught my own eyes staring back and didn’t like what they had t...

 I’ve always thought of my fitness tracker as the digital equivalent of a nagging gym buddy—chronically passive-aggressive, subtly passive when I need motivation most, and scoldingly judgmental when I bemoan my third donut of the day. But NPR’s recent deep dive has convinced me that beneath the passive-aggressive nudges and red rings lies a surprisingly compassionate therapist on my wrist. The article opens with the kind of revelation that knocks the earbuds out of your ears: “The more steps we take, the less likely we are to feel depressed,” based on a mammoth meta‑analysis in JAMA Network Open covering 33 studies and nearly 100,000 adults from ages 18 to 91 across 13 countries. That’s right—your trusty tracker isn’t just tallying your trips to the fridge; it might be squashing those low-key blues hiding in the creases of your mood. It’s like discovering your Fitbit moonlights as Freud. Here’s where the plot thickens like an overcooked stew: the magic number isn’t 10,000 steps—b...

  In the grand tapestry of cinema, alcohol flows as freely as the dialogue, painting a picture of glamour and revelry. Think James Bond with his martini—shaken, not stirred—or the clinking champagne flutes at a Gatsby-esque soiree. The media loves to show us the sparkly, seductive side of booze, as though every drink is a ticket to a better life. But behind this shimmering façade lies a different narrative—one of struggle, destruction, and the often painful road to redemption. These stories rarely make the marquee, but when they do, they’re unforgettable. As the Curzon article "25 Powerful Films About Alcoholism & Heavy Drinking" aptly puts it, “Films about alcoholism have run the gamut when it comes to their representation on the screen, from glamorous excess to the gritty, unvarnished realities of addiction.” Rare are the films that dig into the darker truths about alcohol without sensationalizing or trivializing the experience. And yet, when done right, they become a ...

Ozempic: The Instant Gratification Miracle or Moderation’s Latest Mirage? Ah, Ozempic , the injectable elixir of the moment. It’s a name that’s been whispered at brunch tables and shouted in gym locker rooms, an alleged magic wand for weight loss and, as this Politico article suggests, perhaps even addiction itself. Yes, according to new research, Ozempic and similar drugs like Mounjaro might just curb alcohol cravings in the same way they curb appetites. But before we roll out the red carpet for this so-called “miracle,” let’s inject a little skepticism (pun intended). First, let me lay my cards on the table. I’ve been through the body image wringer. I’ve had washboard abs so sharp they could julienne a carrot, and I’ve carried a gut so big it looked like I was smuggling a beer keg under my shirt. Alcoholism didn’t just change my brain chemistry; it sculpted my physique, too, and not in a good way. Sobriety, on the other hand, reshaped me in more ways than one—physically, mentally,...

  I’ll be blunt: some days I feel like a deflated balloon—flat, sighing, and so ready to burst back into tears. That cocktail of mental health hell and alcohol addiction? It was my daily hangover, even before I’d taken a swig. But then there was writing. Writing has been my life raft, my defiant middle finger to chaos. When I found the article from West Coast Recovery Centers titled *“Creative Writing Reduces Stress and Improves Mental Health”*, I didn’t just read it—I felt seen. Like someone had crawled inside my skull and taken notes. The article explains, “Creative writing can reduce mood swings and other side effects of substance use disorder by supporting healthy self-reflection and mindfulness.” And they’re not fluffing it up with vague affirmations or woo-woo nonsense. They back it up with real studies, like one from the *Substance Use and Addiction Journal*, which reports that expressive writing “resulted in significant reductions in distress, and improved psychological and...

Primary Care and Suicide Prevention: Captain Obvious Strikes Again, But It’s About Time If ever an article belonged in the Captain Obvious drawer, it’s this one: “Primary care can play key role in suicide prevention,” courtesy of the National Institute of Mental Health. I mean, isn’t that like saying umbrellas can play a key role in staying dry during a rainstorm? Still, sometimes the obvious things need to be shouted from the rooftops, because too often they’re whispered and then forgotten. Let’s unpack this groundbreaking (but not-so-groundbreaking) revelation. According to the article, “Primary care providers are uniquely positioned to identify and address suicide risk.” Why? Because these are the people we see for everything from suspicious moles to suspiciously stubborn colds. The average primary care doctor sees patients from all walks of life, making them the first line of defense in spotting the warning signs of suicide. Here’s the kicker: “About 80% of people who died by s...

Mental health advice articles usually leave me with the same feeling I get after watching a yoga tutorial: deeply aware that I’m not nearly as flexible as I thought—physically or emotionally. So when I stumbled across Nine Ways to Support and Strengthen Your Mental Health on Psychology Today , I braced myself for vague platitudes wrapped in therapeutic beige. But reader, I was pleasantly surprised. This article, by the refreshingly grounded John-Manuel Andriote, is a shot of espresso to the soul—equal parts wisdom and real-talk, no self-help snake oil in sight. “Like tending a garden, maintaining good mental health requires attention and effort.” Damn right. My mental garden has been more haunted corn maze than serene Zen oasis lately, so the metaphor hits hard. I’ve been watering the weeds with wine and calling it ‘coping.’ Time to reassess. Let’s dig into these nine nuggets of psychological fertilizer, shall we? 1. “Make your physical health a priority.” Ah yes, the mind-b...