Tiny White Box | Manchester Ink Link

An Unorthodox Man’s Unorthodox Search for a New Home

Tuesday, December 17, 2019 Keith Howard 0

I’ve decided it’s time to buy a home, preferably one with running hot and cold water, a flush toilet and more than the box’s 72 square feet, of which fewer than 27 square feet is floor space. I don’t think that’s too much to ask. READ MORE

A Drunkard’s Dream

Thursday, August 1, 2019 Keith Howard 0

He ordered two quarts of vodka along with a stand-alone pint, a six-pack of beer and two packs of cigarettes. At the end of my drinking, when mouthwash had become my drink of necessity, John’s order would have been answered prayer. READ MORE

When the ER nurse says, “Good Luck” it’s medical jargon for “Next Step: The Morgue”

Friday, March 22, 2019 Keith Howard 4

That ambulance ride was the last positive part of the medical response our family experienced. Really. The Hub-and-Spoke Model touted by the state at a cost of $45-million dollars, offered nothing — in fact is banned from the emergency room of the hospital she was taken to. Three or four hours after Meri arrived, our family was escorted by security off hospital property. Apparently my manner, calm as I may appear in writing, made them very nervous indeed. READ MORE

Shipbuilders of Sunken Vessels: Quick dispatches from the belly of the Treatment Industrial System

Monday, January 28, 2019 Keith Howard 0

Like Rodgers and Hammerstein’s Farmer and Cowman, treatment and recovery folks should be friends, although that’s not often the case, with treatment folks relying on a clinical model and recovery people favoring peer-based supports. In short, and perhaps unfairly to both, treatment partisans believe letters after one’s name are important while recovery supporters see lived experience as key. READ MORE

A radical moderate take on recreational marijuana use

Sunday, January 27, 2019 Keith Howard 2

Getting stoned is not a big deal for non-addicts. Getting stoned is nothing more than a form of relaxation for the vast majority of Americans. Getting stoned, for people like me, can be the first step backward into the abyss, the beginning of an end that can come soon enough. READ MORE

Where there is life, there is hope: Rethinking my notions on recovery

Thursday, August 30, 2018 Keith Howard 0

Today, the addict faces not just opiates — chemicals derived from poppies — but opioids —synthetic and much more powerful versions of the drugs of days gone by. READ MORE

Mea Culpa, Brad Ladner—And Let Those Panties Drop

Sunday, July 15, 2018 Keith Howard 0

You see, as an intro to the piece, I talked about how every man wants to be remembered for his uniqueness, and included comments about three genuine Guinness world-record holders. Among them was—you guessed it—Brad Ladner, who owns the world’s largest collection of Batman collectibles. READ MORE

Grateful for Your Recovery? Open Your Wallet!

Saturday, July 7, 2018 Keith Howard 0

In other words, I’m calling for all of us in recovery to look unflinchingly at our earning power today versus when we got sober and to give 10% of our income to charity. READ MORE

The thirst that cannot be quenched must be removed

Sunday, June 17, 2018 Keith Howard 0

oday, as in 1840, 1900, 1920 or 1980, getting sober is hard for an alcoholic; staying sober is nearly impossible without some kind of active program of recovery. READ MORE

By the Light of Burning Tires I Watched My Life Go By

Sunday, June 3, 2018 Keith Howard 0

As I write this, it was a week ago that I spent my last night in Pittsburg, five miles from the Canadian border, alone outside the Tiny White Box. Wanting to mark the occasion, I built a small campfire in a fire pit as the sun was going down. There, I meditated on what I’ve lived in the last nine months, reviewed the writing I’ve done (and left undone) and thought about the next stage of my journey. READ MORE