One big thing to know about me is that I am a substance freak or what doctors call an addict. Not just Tito’s Handmade Vodka. My history includes incidents like so many Pumpkin Spice Lattes with Whole Milk until my husband said I looked gray and made me get a physical.
I quit drinking Tito in August 2022. My big trick to sobriety was that I spent the first six months smoking government-issued medical marijuana until ol’ trusty created its own myriad of mental health issues. I wrote in April 2023 that I recognized the Devil’s Lettuce had to go, too.
Truthfully, I missed weed way more than drinking alcohol. And within the last couple of months, I thought I had discovered a cheat code in Hemp cigarettes laced with so-called THCA.
What I have since accepted is that THCA is a marketing gimmick to sell actual weed under the guise of legality. It’s not fake weed; it is weed. Texas Monthly broke down how scams work in Texas. I
In typical addict fashion, I told lies to myself about how it was technically not marijuana so it was fine.
Regardless of semantics, continuing down that path leads to an unacceptable destination.
I’m setting that clock back to zero.
There’s also the little matter of cocaine, which you probably won’t be surprised to learn I’ve experienced in life. That seemingly went out the window with alcohol. But the emphasis on seemingly.
Again, you probably won’t be shocked to learn that a holiday celebration turned into usage that caused some problems for the people I love most.
But it’s like I tell people asking for advice on how to make a similar change in their life—I’m no master. And if you fall short of your ultimate goal, it’s obviously nothing to celebrate, but it’s also not worth demonizing yourself and thinking it’s an insurmountable feat. It’s a lifelong struggle whether you’ve done one day or 10,000.
I’m publicly acknowledging the problem in these pages because accountability with readership has helped in the past. It’s nothing that can’t be beaten as long as alcohol stays off the menu, which it has for the past 703 days.
If anyone would like clarification for any reason, feel free to leave a comment or respond directly to this email. I’m always open to discussing personal failures with others.
Anyway, enough of my trials and tribulations. Here is a picture of baby geese I saw today along the Alum Creek Trail, the best recreational trail in Central Ohio.
The Rooster in Review is always free for all. I’d be honored if any of the free-loading hogs took this opportunity to join The Patriots Caucus and never miss a dispatch.
It’s a good time to join with the presidential and Ohio House elects with an Anti-Gerrymandering Constitutional Amendment expected on the ballot.
Ohio Legislature drops the hammer on hooning.
It wouldn’t be unfair to say that I have Unabomber-like views against the automobile. But it’s hilarious that the Ohio Legislature only recognizes the menace when it involves rowdy teenagers and young people.
From Morgan Trau of ohiocapitaljournal.com:
Ohio lawmakers want to slam the breaks on “hooning,” or reckless driving, putting forward a new bill to curb speed racing, performing dangerous donuts and allowing passengers to ride out windows.
Nighttime street takeovers have become a common site for downtown Clevelanders who say the drivers leave before the police get there.
Mike Rogalski got stuck at one of the busiest intersections in downtown Cleveland, West 25th Street and Detroit Avenue, all because a group of joyriders wanted to do stunts on his route home.
“I felt trapped. I couldn’t go in reverse. I couldn’t go forward,” Rogalski said.
Here’s my thing… isn’t all that stuff already illegal? It’s like any other time they “crack down” on any other offense. They have no other
The Columbus-based Ohio Takeovers account has over 22,000 followers on Instagram. You can watch their content and judge for yourself, but they don’t strike me as the types of guys that would suddenly get spooked by a tough-on-crime bill passed by some village idiot they’ve never heard of.
This week in Ohio Man…
Immediate solidarity with the 83-year-old Ohio Man who dusted the police on a riding lawnmower.
From whio.com:
STARK COUNTY — A man was arrested this week after leading police on a chase on a riding lawnmower.
William Wackerly, 83, was allegedly operating a lawnmower at an intersection in Perry Twp., near Canton, Wednesday morning when officers attempted to conduct a traffic stop with him, WOIO in Cleveland reported.
Wackerly allegedly took off from police, leading to a chase. Officers later terminated the chase in the interest of public safety.
The man was arrested sometime later, and booked into the Stark County Jail, WKYC reported.
Jokes aside, it’s good to see the police recognized that Mr. Wackerly wasn’t a mass murderer and that they could arrest him in a way that wouldn’t endanger innocent members of the public.
You would think that would be a normal reaction! But you’d probably be surprised.
This week in The Rooster…
Betsy DeVos should get some hobbies like the rest of us. Betsy DeVos traveled to Columbus to peddle anti-transgender nonsense and other headlines from across Ohio.
What happened to shame? A majority of the House Republican Caucus finally got control of the legislative campaign fund and turned the keys over to consultant gremlins aligned with State President Matt Huffman—months before he plans to make them irrelevant and instill martial law.
When the Big Show comes to town. Recapping a marathon legislative session that ended with the Ohio House attempting to regulate bathrooms at schools and universities.
May God have mercy upon us all. The presidential debate appeared to be two sundowning grandparents arguing over a television remote at a nursing home. Plus, other headlines that include a Boardman MAGA freak pissing on $500 worth of deli meat at a Walmart.
Just a heads up to any patriot brave enough to have read this far—I’ll be taking a vacation next week at some point for reasons to be explained later.
Thank you for your readership! Bright things are ahead of us.
THOSE WMDs. How Balkan gangsters became Europe’s top cocaine dealers… The secrets revealed by ocean garbage patches… Columbus has taken steps to address the housing crisis and it’s not enough… The secret digital behaviors of Gen Z… What you should do if space junk lands on your house.
I quit drinking alcohol in January 2023 (7/3 will be 18 months. It’s easily one of the best decisions I’ve made in my life. I had many reasons to do it…a long list of motivations and inspirations. You were on that list of inspirations.
If I had three wishes I would use one to zap that little addiction trigger in your brain. Striving everyday to override that has to be exhausting, so of course you get tired. Indulge in the things that give you the energy of a baby duck! Summer fruit, good music, clean sheets...whatever does it for you.