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Black Bear December Prompt

Black Bear December Prompt

Do you get the holiday blues?
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
These Things Are Better Sober

These Things Are Better Sober

I can actually do something with #6 now that I’m sober
Go to the profile of Jordan Katherine
Jordan Katherine
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My Affair Numbed the Hurts Inflicted by a Pain-Soaked Marriage

My Affair Numbed the Hurts Inflicted by a Pain-Soaked Marriage

When it ended I had to find a better way to cope
Go to the profile of kasey sparks
kasey sparks
We Fear the One Thing That Makes Us Feel the Most Alive

We Fear the One Thing That Makes Us Feel the Most Alive

How to befriend fear and embrace the unknown
Go to the profile of Joseph Dalton
Joseph Dalton
Reframing My Life

Reframing My Life

Building on good habits despite feeling bad
Go to the profile of Julio Angel Rivera
Julio Angel Rivera
Hangover Horrors: Where Am I and Who Are You?

Hangover Horrors: Where Am I and Who Are You?

Day-after revelations come to light
Go to the profile of Not Even Wine With Dinner
Not Even Wine With Dinner
Dinner Tables and Trauma Served Fresh

Dinner Tables and Trauma Served Fresh

How I developed an eating disorder because of my abusive stepfather
Go to the profile of Wesley van Peer
Wesley van Peer
How a Night Out Leads to a Lost Week

How a Night Out Leads to a Lost Week

On drinking and time travel
Go to the profile of Andy Spears
Andy Spears
Gran’s Silent Story

Gran’s Silent Story

Finding love and meaning in my grandmother’s fading memories
Go to the profile of Michael Goedeke
Michael Goedeke
Some People Should Not Drink

Some People Should Not Drink

I am one of them
Go to the profile of Starting Afresh 65
Starting Afresh 65
Christmases Past: Missing The Good Old Days

Christmases Past: Missing The Good Old Days

When the holidays bring up tough feelings
Go to the profile of Julio Angel Rivera
Julio Angel Rivera
Grown Men Living With a Wounded Child

Grown Men Living With a Wounded Child

See if you can relate to the story of Chewy Jones
Go to the profile of Clifford Jones
Clifford Jones
Trauma: What It Is and How to Overcome It

Trauma: What It Is and How to Overcome It

Process the event and overcome the experience
Go to the profile of Thomas Morison
Thomas Morison
The Room, the Drugs, and the Colors: A Memoir of Madness

The Room, the Drugs, and the Colors: A Memoir of Madness

One insane week in my past.
Go to the profile of Wesley van Peer
Wesley van Peer
Why Dogs Don’t Become Alcoholics or Addicts

Why Dogs Don’t Become Alcoholics or Addicts

And the reason millions of us love dogs unconditionally
Go to the profile of Clifford Jones
Clifford Jones
Your Addiction Is Not a Chronic Disease

Your Addiction Is Not a Chronic Disease

Hope, power, and where to go to burn your addictions
Go to the profile of Dave Batcheller
Dave Batcheller
A Morning Without Distractions

A Morning Without Distractions

The beauty of uninterrupted time
Go to the profile of Michael Goedeke
Michael Goedeke
A Case Study: How I Used Exposure Therapy to Overcome My Anxiety Disorder

A Case Study: How I Used Exposure Therapy to Overcome My Anxiety Di...

I was amazed by what happened when I faced my fears
Go to the profile of Iryne Vanessa Somera
Iryne Vanessa Somera
The Most Difficult Part of My Miscarriage Wasn’t Losing the Baby

The Most Difficult Part of My Miscarriage Wasn’t Losing the Baby

The memory I carry now is the hurt about what was said
Go to the profile of Frances Hickmott
Frances Hickmott
Past Pain And Irreverent Gingerbread Houses

Past Pain And Irreverent Gingerbread Houses

Holiday survival mode slowly losing the war against winter.
Go to the profile of Ruby Noir 😈
Ruby Noir 😈
Seeing Productivity Everywhere Is Not Easy When You’re Depressed

Seeing Productivity Everywhere Is Not Easy When You’re Depressed

People are doing incredible things while you can barely function
Go to the profile of Francesca Dallaglio
Francesca Dallaglio
Three Decades Sober: Shields Up

Three Decades Sober: Shields Up

After 29 years of continuous sobriety through AA, I find myself facing a somewhat irritating challenge — coming to the defense of a…
Go to the profile of Tom Murdoch
Tom Murdoch
He Told Me He Wanted to Die As I Faced My Addiction

He Told Me He Wanted to Die As I Faced My Addiction

I was trying to save him while losing myself
Go to the profile of Kelsey Schaefer
Kelsey Schaefer
In Building Your Body and Soul, No Pain Means No Gain

In Building Your Body and Soul, No Pain Means No Gain

You’ve gotta be torn down before you’re built back up
Go to the profile of Julio Angel Rivera
Julio Angel Rivera
Living With Emotional Dysregulation

Living With Emotional Dysregulation

How to cultivate more calm
Go to the profile of Fchaudhry
Fchaudhry
The Worst Christmas Ever

The Worst Christmas Ever

And how I made sure it never happened again
Go to the profile of Barbara Carter
Barbara Carter
I Was Amazed Before I Was Halfway Through, so I Quit

I Was Amazed Before I Was Halfway Through, so I Quit

When AA worked for me, I stopped working it.
Go to the profile of Lorien Sullivan
Lorien Sullivan
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