Black Bear

At Black Bear, we share informative articles and personal stories about struggling with mental health and substance use disorders.

Member-only story

It’s Easy To Get Out Of A Funk When You’re Sober

5 min readMar 10, 2025

--

Long-haired orange and gray tabby cat sitting comically with hind legs splayed out on a blue denim couch, holding a Nintendo controller in its lap with its paw.
Photo by nathan-osman on Pixabay

Mold grows in our apartment every winter. For at least four months out of the year, I fight to keep us free of it and I lose. This time around, it began to creep into my bedroom ceiling. I can feel the effects when I wake up.

I haven’t slept well for months, and I’m not happy about it. No one should have to face the wrath of a sleep-deprived middle-aged woman. I’d rather be that cat playing Nintendo than face one more day when I have to drag myself out of bed.

I live in Eugene, Oregon, with my two kids and three cats. Now that the mold is here to stay, we get sicker for longer. Mold grows everywhere, but it’s preventable inside. If only the property management company maintained our structure with remediation. But they don’t care.

That’s what happens when you’re a single mom without a degree working only freelance jobs. I searched for a suitable alternative in our current price range and saw I’d just be swapping one moldy apartment for another. I cried harder than I had in a long time that day. I want a better life for us, but how? I don’t want to live in Oregon anymore, but I can’t yet move back to Southern California.

I’m tired of being poor.

--

--

Black Bear
Black Bear

Published in Black Bear

At Black Bear, we share informative articles and personal stories about struggling with mental health and substance use disorders.

Michelle Marie Warner
Michelle Marie Warner

Written by Michelle Marie Warner

Grateful, sassy, sober GenX mom with plenty to say and enough energy to listen. Learning to laugh a little more as I age gracefully. Bring it on.

Responses (3)