I’m happy to announce my next step in my journey to recovery. I have published my mystery novel that has nothing to do with alcoholism. Well... that may not be exactly true. The inspiration for the book was from one of Riley’s statements.  Before I started this blog and before I became Riley’s caregiver, he met up with some old friends, the Smith’s, from the Navy years. We had spent a lot of time with them and even shared a house with them for a short time. During that time, we were all very good friends. The guys were at sea about 50% of the time so it was comforting to have a fri ..read more

 Plant happiness in your garden A friend of mine can grow literally ANYTHING. I bought an orchid thinking “How hard can it be to keep it alive? Surely I can do this.” Well, after it shriveled up, I sent it over to my friends to see if she could resurrect some life. She did just that. The next time I saw the plant it was healthy and blooming. Imagine that! Some loving time and attention was able to turn this dead-like plant into a living breathing beauty. If only she could do the same thing with real human life. But, it isn’t her responsibility to do that for me or anyone else. It’s my re ..read more

 You Cant Roller Skate in a Buffalo Herd When Riley, the Immortal Alcoholic, became mortal and left me to a world that that was not immersed in drunken madness, I was surprised to find that I missed the chaos. I had grown so accustomed to balancing everything around me on a tray strategically placed on my open palm while roller skating around obstacles and maintaining my own sanity. Looking back, I can see that I often failed at the sanity part. I floundered around for a few years while trying to figure out what my purpose was in life now that caregiving Riley was no longer in my job de ..read more

 It's Alive! It’s a miracle! I resurrected this blog! I stuck a jumper cable to it and I think it’s starting to show signs of life. Actually, a lot of you have been coming back, checking in, e-mailing me, and perhaps, re-reading some of my posts. Thank you for that. Although this blog is STILL the Immortal Alcoholic, there will be some changes to update the style and a few other things. I hope you will like the fresh approach and continue to support me by reading and commenting. I’ll still be accepting guest bloggers while expanding the subject range. Tell me about what you do or what ..read more

 I wanted to revive this blog. I wanted to come back to it and post about life after having spend 30+ years in the insanityt of alcohol. That's not going to happen. For those of you who are just discovering this blog and are finding it worthwhile, I encourage to purchase my books and watch for new ones on the market. I also encourage you to find other blogs who address the needs of the collaterally damaged. They are out there. There are a lot of them. I encourage you to get professional counseling, go to AL-Anon or find support anywhere that you can. As for me... keeping this blog up and ..read more

It has come to my attention that recently someone has been trying to use my identity to turn this blog in a direction that would never be my intent. This person believes that alcoholism can be cured by using some kind of voodoo-ish doctor to solve your problems. Let me tell you, if you have an alcoholic in your life there is no magic fix by any magic doctor anywhere on planet earth. I, however, cannot speak out the outlying planets in our solar system. ALL COMMENTS ON THIS BLOG ARE MONITORED BY ME AND APPROVED BY ME BEFORE BECOMING PUBLIC. I do not allow comments recommending any kind of magic ..read more

by Wren R Waters              I don't really remember how I met Linda.             No, I remember how.             I don't remember why.             Like so many of us, lost in the haze of an alcoholic marriage, I found my way to Linda's blog.             It was refreshing.             It was real.             It was eye opening.             And it was frightening.             Her daily trials and tribulations with an end-stage alcoholic left me wondering,             “Could this really be my husband one day?  Is this my fate too?”             I must have made a comment on her blog or somethi ..read more

Since I announced my departure from the alcoholism world, everyone has been fantastic. I’ve received lots of e-mails congratulating me and encouraging me to move on with my life. There have been a few that have related a sense of loss that I may not be posting as much as I had in the past. I’m very sorry that I will, indeed, be posting less. But… those of you who are long term followers will understand that… I have a plan! I always have a plan. I’d like to announce a new member of Team Linda! Please welcome… Tabitha! I received an e-mail from Tabitha expressing an interest in doing a gue ..read more

It is possible to be addicted to anything. I’m addicted to The Walking Dead, baked potatoes, my morning coffee, and talking on the phone. That’s just where the list starts. There’s so much more. When I was taking care of Riley, I felt trapped. I longed to have my old life back. You know – that life where I earned money, met with my friends, dated men and could just up and go on a vaca whenever I felt the desire? That WAS my life. I thought that when Riley was gone everything would automatically go back to normal – back to the life I had before. When Riley was alive and sick, I knew exact ..read more

GUEST POST by Alan Oakman Alan is an online STEM tutor, teaching K-12 students. His love for learning new things as he traverses the world of caregiving has prompted him to start blogging. Apart from being a science geek, Alan loves jazz music and occasionally plays the guitar.   You can follow his blog and he is on twitter too. He is also the caregiver to his alcoholic father. Being a Caregiver: Reflecting on Supporting an Alcoholic Father in Old Age A loving nuclear family in the beginning. Father drinks socially but loves his family and provides for them. Father drinks a little more an ..read more