LETTER

Life as a Father of an Autistic Child, the Guys Hopelessly Addicted to Soda and the Tale of a Charlie XCX-Signed Douche

Jeff Gross
Nov 5 · 4 min read

I didn’t think it was possible to be cripplingly addicted to soda, but then I was told a story by a friend (who shall remain nameless) about how he used to bring a pair of two-liter bottles of Coca-Cola to class with him in high school — one for his morning classes, and one for after lunch, natch — and now, I don’t question anything.

Sugar is a helluva drug.

Must Read

“What It’s like to Be the Father of a Child with Autism”
While it’s long been easy for mothers of autistic children to find support — and much research has focused on their experience — there’s virtually none for dads. That’s likely because of the expectation that fathers aren’t the primary caregivers for kids with special needs, leaving the dads that are to suffer in silence. C. Brian Smith spoke to a number of fathers of autistic children about the dearth of support, resources and networking for men like them, and why that’s just the tip of the iceberg of the challenges they (and their children) face. READ MORE

What They Wore

Why would a rape survivor hold on to the clothes they were wearing on the worst night of their lives? Joseph Longo spoke with two women and a man who, for their own powerful reasons, can’t, won’t or don’t want to throw out the everyday reminder of the trauma they experienced.

Don’t Cuck Me, Bro

Two months after he found out his wife was cheating on him in 2017, Kevin Howard didn’t file for a divorce — he sued his wife’s boyfriend for turning him into a cuckold. Two years later, Howard prevailed in court, and the wife’s boyfriend owes him $750,000. If that sounds crazy, what’s crazier is that Howard built his case on a law from the 19th century. And you know what’s even crazier? North Carolina, Howard’s home state, has awarded a number of judgements in recent years in excess of six and seven figures for turning their citizens into cucks.

Addicted to Soda

No one would confuse soda with opiates when it comes to addiction. But perhaps they should, considering that even after pre-diabetes, a mouth full of cavities, a swelling gut and a decline in health, some people still can’t stop chugging the sweet stuff. Here’s a number of soda addicts reflecting on why it’s so hard for them to quit.

Put Down the Scissors

Don’t cut up that expired credit card just yet — there are dudes out there that’ll pay top dollar for your “worthless” plastic.

‘His Dark Materials’ Ain’t No ‘Game of Thrones’

Sorry, prestige TV fans — if you were hoping that His Dark Materials was going to fill that GoT-shaped hole in your Sunday nights, Rob Bricken’s got bad news for you: It won’t. The good news, however, is that’s actually a really good thing.

Super Busy, or Super Disorganized?

If you’re not sleeping, you’re probably out there grinding, right? Working so hard, day in and day out, that you couldn’t possibly work any harder? Yeah, well, you’re likely working that hard because you have to make up for the fact that you’re such a disorganized mess.

Five Stories You Might’ve Missed This Weekend

And Now, A Tale About Charlie XCX Signing a Douche


Jeff Gross is MEL’s senior editor for social media and content marketing. His daily ICYMI column, which chronicles all things meta on the site, is the quickest way to catch up on MEL.

MEL Magazine

There's no playbook for how to be a guy

    Jeff Gross

    Written by

    MEL Magazine

    There's no playbook for how to be a guy

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