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Black Bear January Prompt: What Did You Learn in 2024?

Black Bear January Prompt: What Did You Learn in 2024?

Tell me a story of something you went through in 2024
Go to the profile of Michele Maize
Michele Maize
Black Bear Submission Guidelines—Updated 2024

Black Bear Submission Guidelines—Updated 2024

And becoming a writer with our publication
Go to the profile of KiKi Walter
KiKi Walter
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?)
Go to the profile of KiKi Walter
KiKi Walter
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
Go to the profile of Michele Maize
Michele Maize
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A Ride in the Rain

A Ride in the Rain

A Stranger, a Candy Bar, and the Kindness That Haunts Me
Go to the profile of Z.A. Roberts
Z.A. Roberts
I Crossed the Atlantic Ocean and It Was Not Enough

I Crossed the Atlantic Ocean and It Was Not Enough

On a mental disorder that collapses millions of people.
Go to the profile of Leidy Sabogal
Leidy Sabogal
Trying: My Mother and I

Trying: My Mother and I

How my mental illness affects our relationship
Go to the profile of Cecilia Fiorucci
Cecilia Fiorucci
It’s Been A Long Time Coming

It’s Been A Long Time Coming

Conducting a Post-Mortem on 2024.
Go to the profile of Ruby Noir 😈
Ruby Noir 😈
What It Feels Like to Live Without Alcohol for 5,789 Days

What It Feels Like to Live Without Alcohol for 5,789 Days

One hundred percent proof people can and do change
Go to the profile of Clifford Jones
Clifford Jones
How To Recognize Privilege When You’re Living With a Disability

How To Recognize Privilege When You’re Living With a Disability

Not quite from riches to rags, but my adulthood has been harder
Go to the profile of Michelle Marie Warner
Michelle Marie Warner
Chase What You Love, Ignore Detractors

Chase What You Love, Ignore Detractors

Anything is possible if you put your mind to it.
Go to the profile of Thomas Morison
Thomas Morison
Learning How to Ride

Learning How to Ride

What I learned about my sobriety in 2024
Go to the profile of David Wayne
David Wayne
It’s Great to Scare the Crap Out Of Ourselves Sometimes

It’s Great to Scare the Crap Out Of Ourselves Sometimes

Insights from my first nerve-wracking open-mic experience
Go to the profile of Alison Gee
Alison Gee
“I’ll Never Drink Again” and Other Lies of Addiction

“I’ll Never Drink Again” and Other Lies of Addiction

Making promises we just can’t keep as an addict
Go to the profile of Not Even Wine With Dinner
Not Even Wine With Dinner
How Music From Siberia Saved Me From a Life of Heroin Addiction

How Music From Siberia Saved Me From a Life of Heroin Addiction

Music can calm the savage beast
Go to the profile of From the Mind of Michael Cline
From the Mind of Michael Cline
How to Interrupt Family Influence of Generational Alcoholism

How to Interrupt Family Influence of Generational Alcoholism

Maybe born an alcoholic, definitely socialized. In some ways, it matters; in others, it does not.
Go to the profile of Rev. Dr. Michelle Pederson
Rev. Dr. Michelle Pederson
The First Time I Saw Death

The First Time I Saw Death

What they don’t tell you about trying to save someone’s life
Go to the profile of Z.A. Roberts
Z.A. Roberts
The Lost Boy I Met at a Coffee Shop In Phoenix, Arizona

The Lost Boy I Met at a Coffee Shop In Phoenix, Arizona

Join me for the first meeting with a young man in foster care
Go to the profile of Clifford Jones
Clifford Jones
2024 Taught Me That I’m Never Alone

2024 Taught Me That I’m Never Alone

Perseverance paid off, resilience was tested, and I was saved
Go to the profile of Julio Angel Rivera
Julio Angel Rivera
My Disability Rejection Made Me Realize Something Important

My Disability Rejection Made Me Realize Something Important

It was never about the money — I just wanted validation
Go to the profile of Mariella M.
Mariella M.
I Gave Up on Perfection

I Gave Up on Perfection

Learning to love the chaos around me
Go to the profile of Madison Clarke
Madison Clarke
Dry January 2025

Dry January 2025

Day 7
Go to the profile of Lisa Yates
Lisa Yates
Finding Salvation: A New Year’s Reflection

Finding Salvation: A New Year’s Reflection

As I stand at the threshold of a new year, I carry the weight of decades within me. My past sits heavy on my shoulders — years of…
Go to the profile of Starting Afresh 65
Starting Afresh 65
Life is a Classroom with Life Lessons in Abundance

Life is a Classroom with Life Lessons in Abundance

The curriculum was robust in 2024
Go to the profile of Sandy Maximus
Sandy Maximus
True Confidence Depends on Pacifying Your Mind

True Confidence Depends on Pacifying Your Mind

Negative self-talk can make anyone feel ugly
Go to the profile of Julio Angel Rivera
Julio Angel Rivera
Sitting With Myself: Psilocybin Use in Perimenopause

Sitting With Myself: Psilocybin Use in Perimenopause

Learnings in turning to the mushroom to facilitate this life transition
Go to the profile of Lisa Loewen, MAIS, RCC
Lisa Loewen, MAIS, RCC
Reflections of Five Years Sober

Reflections of Five Years Sober

It’s still the pillar that keeps me standing 1,827 days later
Go to the profile of Maria Hayes
Maria Hayes
A Surprising Lesson Learned in 4 Years of Sobriety

A Surprising Lesson Learned in 4 Years of Sobriety

Life reflections on my longest stint without alcohol
Go to the profile of Michele Maize
Michele Maize
When the Light in Their Eyes Dims

When the Light in Their Eyes Dims

The uneasy vigil of watching someone you love fight addiction
Go to the profile of Z.A. Roberts
Z.A. Roberts
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