I think it's so bright it overloaded the sensor, that fuckin rules

Thanks. I like the sound of that too

Thank you for your service and this lovely answer. Intent is for an adult to learn concurrently so I really dig what you wrote about judo. Think that'll be Plan A, thanks again.

I'm going through a similar thing with alcohol and nic vapes. I finally convinced myself that continued personal growth was impossible (for me) if I couldn't get a handle on them. I realized these things were a crutch and inhibiting me from living the life I wanted. And I finally refused to allow that any longer. I know it's not the same as nicotine but alcohol was a huge part of my identity. But ... so many aspects of my identity have already been discarded from my life... some withered away and some I had to intentionally destroy. Getting rid of one more is no big deal.

Perhaps you could search inside for a neglected part of your identity to tend to. That's what I'm doing. Long-forgotten shoots are sprouting and it feels good to cultivate them instead of spending my precious time reinforcing the self-destructive parts of me. I know it's easier said (and thought) than done. Best of luck.

PS - this is day 4 of no alcohol for me and while I've gone longer without it in the past, I've always kinda known I'd eventually drink again. This is the first time I've really felt like: if I never drink again that would suit me just fine.

hell yes, love you too and I long for the day when this evil system is just a terrible memory

in the US, you can approach a pharmacist and ask for OTC medical advice. whether you get a decent answer depends on a lot of factors... if you're wanting to ask a corporate retail pharmacist it depends on how overworked and shortstaffed they are. if you have an independent community pharmacy nearby your odds are a lot better.

some pharmacists are offering oral contraception now, and I think anything increasing access to that is a good thing in principle. don't @ me about "access" to health care, btw, I understand it's not the end goal.

whether this will be a trend among other drug classes, idk. until we have a functioning healthcare system and people can get what they need when they need it, I think it's at least better than the status quo.

all in a day's work as another part of the safety net. providers are human too, like nurses and everyone else. glad your loved one was OK.

Talk to a hospital pharmacist some time, they've seen some scary shit.

can confirm. thanks for the kind words btw

this system is so uniquely cruel. I'm glad things eventually worked out.

you know, it's wrong to use the term healthcare system in the US. this thing we have is incompatible with health indeed. I hope you're doing ok.

thanks, life is busy but sometimes I think about getting into creative writing again. if it ever goes down I'll share. Tales from Not a True Pharmacy, where they definitely don't handle large volumes of pharmaceuticals with zero oversight

I'm not a nurse but I've worked in healthcare in the US a long time and it's infuriating to me how nurses are treated. They get to take all the abuse from patients and their families who are themselves victims of this inhumane money machine dressed up like a first world healthcare system. They get to do that with a continually shrinking pool of resources whether through admin's incompetence or malice. It's fucking criminal what they have to deal with. Like people should go to jail for what they've done to make it this way. Exactly like the way they've done teachers, my friend.

Anyway, I'm not a nurse but I would still be down for a healthcare-related comm. As you say, nurses are primed to be radicalized. Corporate retail pharmacy workers (CVS, Walgreens, Walmart, and other assorted scumbag entities) are also ready IMO. They got rocked pretty hard on all sides by the pandemic, I mean imagine being a public face of healthcare in the middle of all that when literally any can waltz in to where the big scary vaccine is being given and act like a literal child berating people in line to get it, but saving their best verbal (and sometimes physical) abuse for the technician (who doesn't even make a fucking living wage) because their copays went up because they're also a victim of this horrible evil system. It's victims all the way down but there are potential comrades there too.