Mill P Writes

Read Part One Read Part Two Read Part Three Part Four                                         Aiden stared at the low, uneven ceiling of the chamber, its surface etched with intricate carvings of alien origin. Despite his exhaustion, sleep had eluded him for most of the night. Every time he closed his eyes, the faces of his wife and daughter flashed before him, pixelated and distant, distorted by his mind’s relentless churn. It felt surreal. Just a few days ago, he had been working a drill in the mines, the rhythmic thud of machinery as constant as his own heartbeat. He had glanced at the calendar in his quarters daily, counting down the Earth-days until he’d be home, savoring mundane fantasies of home-cooked meals and his daughter’s laughter. Now, the simple notion of survival felt out of reach. The chamber door creaked open, and Kael entered first, her movements ...

  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 ...

In the grand theater of mental health care, where the stage is crowded with well-meaning therapists, AI chatbots, and self-help apps, one might assume that accessing support is as simple as finding a seat in an empty auditorium. Yet, as the recent article from STAT News illuminates, the reality is more akin to navigating a labyrinthine funhouse—replete with mirrors that distort, doors that lead nowhere, and the occasional trapdoor for good measure. The article introduces us to the concept of "quantity drift," a phenomenon where the proliferation of mental health services paradoxically leads to decreased accessibility. It's as if the more lifeboats we add to the ship, the more elusive safety becomes. The piece notes, "Despite the surge in available mental health resources, many individuals find themselves adrift, unable to effectively utilize the support ostensibly within reach." As someone who has personally waded through this sea of support, I can attest to t...

Birthday Reflections: Turning 39 and the Neuroscience of “Getting Older and Wiser” Today’s the day—39 years of life, love, loss, and liver damage (thanks, alcohol, for the memories I can’t remember). If my life were a novel, this chapter would be called “Almost 40: A Comedy of Errors and Triumphs.” Birthdays are funny little things, aren’t they? A celebration of survival, of being one year closer to yelling at kids to get off your lawn while googling “are compression socks stylish?” Turning 39 feels like standing on the precipice of middle age and shouting, “Bring it on!” (but maybe not too hard; I have lower back issues). It’s a mix of gratitude and trepidation, looking back on the trials that shaped me and forward to a future that, let’s be honest, is still being written—much like my novels. But before we get to the poignant stuff, let’s nerd out about brains because, apparently, that’s what I do now. According to Medical News Today , our brains actually get better as we age—we...