Aug/075
Private: Black Dog
So if I'm going to do the Samuel Pepys thing, I might as well go the whole hog. There have been subjects I've avoided writing about on this blog. Sex is top of that list, and that won't change, but I've never really broached the subject of depression. It's not even a word I particularly want to use, so hereafter I'll use Winston Churchill's euphemism 'Black Dog'. 
The black dog has always been a part of my life. Sometimes I suffer from it, but mostly I just live with it. It's chronic, a part of me. It's why I ski, why I climb, why I work and why I go very quiet sometimes. The black dog is that lover, father, mother... that thing that's bad for you. So bad for you and yet so seductive. It's a part of all of us and because of that I'm going to start writing about it. In fact I'm going to start a new category. If you read these words and want to read more, click 'black dog' on the category list to read everything on the subject. It's all about taxonomy :)
Here's one thought - what do you think? True or false....
"The externally noticeable symptoms of depression are indistinguishable from the externally noticeable symptoms of being a complete dick."
Aug/070
Echo Malibu – Adolescents Treatment Program
Sometimes I wish I were American. When I started smoking pot, drinking and generally displaying self-destructive behaviour when I was in my teens it seemed fairly normal to me. Part of growing up. Part of growing up in the states appears to be rehab. We don’t really go in for that as much over here in Europe. It’s a shame because I think it would have really helped me avoid the problems I still have in my 30’s.
So if I were a teenager, I’d want to be in rehab here ‘<a href="http://www.echomalibu.com">Teen Rehab ECHO MALIBU</a>’. It’s just beautiful, and it sounds like heaven. The list of activities – surfing lessons, sports, hiking, theatre outings, horse riding – all that sounds amazing, but also the Malibu teen drug treatment facility has expert staff on hand and classroom and certified teachers to make sure you don’t fall behind at school.
<img src="http://tinyurl.com/2xtffh" />