A long time ago, in an internet far far away, there was once a place called (yes, I’ll say the name out loud! I’m not scared of you, Voldemort NickAlan! The cash fan-shaped scar between my eyebrows is proof enough of my valor, thank you very much!) Gawker. I used to hang out there all the time, like many of you and unlike many others of you. At one time, it was a Big Fucking Deal that one its past editors left and was subsequently maligned and then became embroiled in an imbroglio revolving around things like “oversharing,” “narcissism,” “betrayal,” and (after the parsing became exhausting), over-performed internet “yawn”-ing by studiously disinterested interested observers.

In other words, it was a typical internet contretemps; indeed, at the time, it struck me as maybe an archetypical one. Why did I care? Why did anyone? To answer these questions, I did what any self-respecting internet citizen does – I wrote an unreadably long, meanderingly idiosyncratic post about it on my completely unread blogspot-powered personal blog!

Hi.  I’m Isaac.  And I am.

The last edition to this series was a little over six months ago, and there’s plenty of reason for that. 

Hi, I’m Isaac, and I’m an alcoholic, and this is Alive In The Public Eye – An Atheist’s Perspective On Alcoholics Anonymous.

Today I celebrate 6 months of continuous sobriety.  When I started this feature, I had the intent of describing the AA experience in the perspective of an Atheist.  For the most part, it was stoic and lip bitten.  In a meeting when I shared, I shared only my experience with sobriety and my indictment of my beer soaked past.  My lack of beliefs never really needed to be in the forefront, especially in a room full of religious people who wholeheartedly believe their sobriety was tied to supernatural intervention.

With this installment, however, I’m going to share a short story I wrote my first day of sobriety.

Hi, I’m Isaac, and I’m an alcoholic, and this is Alive in the Public Eye – An Atheist Perspective On Alcoholics Anonymous

It’s been a few weeks since I’ve taken a meeting.  It doesn’t feel as pressing now, some four and a half months since my last drink, so when work or life or barbecue comes up, I fear not hesitation and I fear not absenteeism, for I no longer fear the demon drink.

One thing I do fear, however, is doubt. 

Hi, I’m Isaac, and I’m an alcoholic, and this is Alive In The Public Eye – An Atheist’s Perspective On Alcoholics Anonymous.

Today, Sunday, the 29th, I celebrate 100 days of sobriety.  This is officially the longest I’ve gone without a drink since my first one six years ago, and each day I wake up it breaks the record.  The best thing about this is how it sneaked up on me.  I have been paying no attention to the days, I’m not counting them, not focusing on it, and I didn’t realize that it was a day worth note until I checked the calender on my phone.

This is definitely a good thing.

Hi, I’m Isaac and I’m an alcoholic, and this is Alive In The Public Eye - An Atheist Perspective of Alcoholics Anonymous.

First, some background on AA.

I’m not going to give you any.