There was a interview I read with Brett probably 15 yrs ago. He talked about getting pulled over by the cops (or getting into some sort of trouble.) Anyway, they found his needles and they assumed they were just his rigs for drugs. He tried to tell them he had diabetes, but they yahoo deputy just said "Oh sure, that's what they are for Mr. Rock Star." So the guy was thrown in jail and deprived of his insulin! I can't remember how it ended, either he got bailed out, or somebody verified his medical condition. But that's some scary shit, being locked up and having your lifeline essentially thrown away.

I talked to my physician last year about my experience and she said it more than likely was a stroke. Strokes can be very compartmentalized, where just one limb becomes paralyzed etc. Sometimes they stay that way, sometimes not. Some people end up like Adler with a speech impediment. It all depends. I am thankful it wasn't worse, and am concerned that my odds are higher of having another one day. Although it's nothing I can change at this point.

Anyway....Sadly Brett sounds like he has an uphill battle here. He already has serious health problems (albeit manageable) and now this. One thing about life, more times than not we have to live it on life's terms and not our own. Stuff like this happens, and it turns everything upside down. The older you get more you come to terms with that.

no

It's something I think is very likely. I've always felt that we exist at a level that we are only capable of understanding right now. That everything we see around us, more than likely isn't as it appears, but only is what we're able to comprehend at this phase of our development. "Life is but a dream" is very fitting indeed.

Good job. Just remember to stay in the moment. When I first got sober, especially the first few weeks, I had to sometimes set 15 minute goals. A day was simply too long to fathom. Don't feel weak if you have to break the day itself into segments initially. Also remember that any bad feeling you have will eventually end. Pain will eventually go away. Sometimes quickly, sometimes slowly, but it will go away. Anxiety may come out of nowhere and make you think all kinds of weird stuff. That is when you have to really take control of that moment with your brain and focus on your breathing, a walk, or call somebody. It will get much easier with time.

Obvious things are not hanging out in a bar to "Just drink juice" or drinking NA beers. Or hanging out with old pals who promise "They won't let you drink" etc. They will all say this, and they probably mean well. But if you fall off the wagon they'll just drink along side you anyway. Sit in a barber shop long enough and you're going to get a hair cut.

One of the hardest things is for your friends to understand where you are coming from. Don't expect them to get it. Some will, some won't. I had people I knew for years that I had to cut out of my life once I got clean. The chance of me getting drunk with them was much higher than them staying sober with me. It can be lonely, but that is what meetings are for. You HAVE TO surround yourself with sobriety. Statistically speaking the cards are stacked against you, and that is why you need every advantage you can here.