In the pubs in England, everyone talks about the weather. “Bit of rain today,” they’ll say, even when their brollies are turned inside out from the violence of the storm.  It seems we do the same in Michigan in winter.  We minimize our despondence, caused by the seemingly endless gray, as if we’re responsible. But, like England, when you get one of those crisp, sunny days, the contrast is so shocking and gorgeous, you almost appreciate the lead-in. Almost.

SAD

SAD is a real thing. The Mayo Clinic describes Seasonal Affective Disorder as “…SAD is a type of depression that’s related to changes in seasons — SAD begins and ends at about the same times every year. If you’re like most people with SAD, your symptoms start in the fall and continue into the winter months, sapping your energy and making you feel moody.”

Hokay if “moody” is defined as lying in a bed strewn with stale Christmas bonbons,  rereading Sylvia Plath’s greatest hits…

I try to make the best of things. And I am an optimist, even when I have to fake a smile when someone says, “Best kind of weather to curl up with a bottle of brandy, right?” So when Thrillist listed Michigan as the number 2 state for miserable winters (second only to Minnesota), I was loaded for black bear. I wrote this for Sanford House, and it’s getting LOTS of response on social media. In fact, someone commented, “Oh shove it,” on Facebook.

Join the conversation.

The post 50 Shades of Michigan – Sober Winter SAD? first appeared on Waking Up The Ghost - Alcohol Recovery.