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Black Bear
At Black Bear, we share informative articles and personal stories about struggling with mental health and substance use disorders.
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Depression
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September Black Bear Prompt: When It’s Hard to Stay Here
September Black Bear Prompt: When It’s Hard to Stay Here
September is National Suicide Prevention Month
Michele Maize
Aug 31
Black Bear Submission Guidelines—Updated 2024
Black Bear Submission Guidelines—Updated 2024
And becoming a writer with our publication
KiKi Walter
Jan 5, 2023
What Does the Name “Black Bear” Mean?
What Does the Name “Black Bear” Mean?
(And what does it have to do with mental health and addiction?)
KiKi Walter
Dec 23, 2022
Black Bear Is Now Part of the Boost Nomination Program
Black Bear Is Now Part of the Boost Nomination Program
Looking for high-quality personal stories about mental health, addiction, and sobriety
Michele Maize
Feb 1
I’m Getting Older and Still Working On The Wiser Part
I’m Getting Older and Still Working On The Wiser Part
Navigating life's seasons and transitions
Blake Shields
Sep 22
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Everything For Me Is All-Or-Nothing
Everything For Me Is All-Or-Nothing
The addict in me makes moderation seem impossible
Patrick Meowler
Sep 21
What I Saw at the Top of the Luxury Condo Tower
What I Saw at the Top of the Luxury Condo Tower
A solution that would only cause more pain
Andy Spears
Sep 20
I Don’t Know Who I’ll Become Without Psychiatric Meds
I Don’t Know Who I’ll Become Without Psychiatric Meds
And I’m afraid of that person
Francesca Dallaglio
Sep 20
Ever Dreamt Of Taking a Suicide Pill?
Ever Dreamt Of Taking a Suicide Pill?
How a dream gave me the courage to change my reality
Fchaudhry
Sep 19
This Mental Obsession With Money Is Driving Me Crazy
This Mental Obsession With Money Is Driving Me Crazy
Even though I don’t make or have much
Patrick Meowler
Sep 19
My Poor Food Choices Are Crushing Me
My Poor Food Choices Are Crushing Me
But I’ve begun to shift the weight from my mind and body
sea-at-sunrise
Sep 19
Psychosis
Psychosis
My experience and recovery
El Cook
Sep 19
Irish Fest Vs The Sober Mom
Irish Fest Vs The Sober Mom
How a night out made me realize I was the “sober mom”
AND ALSO…
Sep 19
The Victim Game: A Rant on Fake Suffering
The Victim Game: A Rant on Fake Suffering
“We suffer more in imagination than in reality.” — Seneca
Sahil Fruitwala
Sep 19
Reclaiming My Garden — and Myself
Reclaiming My Garden — and Myself
Turning an overgrown space into a year-round cottage oasis, and finding peace along the way.
Starting Afresh 65
Sep 19
How Breaking the Cycle of Violence Breaks People
How Breaking the Cycle of Violence Breaks People
There are repercussions to speaking out
Patrick O'Connor
Sep 18
Soberly Suicidal
Soberly Suicidal
Sobriety doesn’t fix everything
David Wayne
Sep 18
How to Pick Yourself up After a Relapse
How to Pick Yourself up After a Relapse
Don’t stay in the gutter too long
Patrick Meowler
Sep 18
September Is the Hardest Month for My Mental Health
September Is the Hardest Month for My Mental Health
The challenge of combined seasonal affective disorder and ADHD
Grace Delphia
Sep 16
My Personal Dance with Death
My Personal Dance with Death
I now know it’s called passive suicide, and I will share how I got through to the other side
KL Simmons
Sep 16
Parenting Through the Lens of Sobriety
Parenting Through the Lens of Sobriety
What I’ve learned about patience, love, and second chances
Victor Yocco, PhD
Sep 16
I’m The Finder Of Suicide Notes
I’m The Finder Of Suicide Notes
Oh how I wish I wasn’t
Dawn D
Sep 16
My Desire For Real Love Brought Me Out of the Closet (Actually Many Closets)
My Desire For Real Love Brought Me Out of the Closet (Actually Many...
And then I met my beloved
Gary Niemen
Sep 15
The Mental Health Field Doesn’t Need A Special Person
The Mental Health Field Doesn’t Need A Special Person
We need to work on healing our wounds before we help others
Michelle Marie Warner
Sep 15
From the Brink of Ending it All to Triumph: Winnie the Pooh, Piglet and I are Mental Health…
From the Brink of Ending it All to Triumph: Winnie the Pooh, Piglet...
“You have the power to change your Life!”
Bruce Schutter | Mental Health Warrior Program
Sep 15
I’m Still Counting the Days Until 365
I’m Still Counting the Days Until 365
How sobriety is going
Becca CO 🌵
Sep 14
Life Will Never Be The Same Again
Life Will Never Be The Same Again
But it’s still worth living
Blake Shields
Sep 14
Overcoming Addiction
Overcoming Addiction
There is hope for the old destructive patterns to be replaced by something vibrant and new!
Deb Kalmbach
Sep 14
A Newsletter Showed Me Why Writing Is Healing Me From All Of My Trauma
A Newsletter Showed Me Why Writing Is Healing Me From All Of My Trauma
It’s because of the explanation effect
Patrick Meowler
Sep 14
I Drove to a Famous Suicide Spot to End My Life
I Drove to a Famous Suicide Spot to End My Life
But my dead brother’s voice stopped me
Marcia Abboud
Sep 13
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