In this episode, I talk to my guest, Cisco, about how being sober isn’t just about not drinking booze. Cisco’s exploration of sobriety is no less than a spiritual quest, and it’s a daily examination of how he can be of better service not just to himself, but to the people in his life. We get into the weeds of his story by way of work pressures, sex clubs, racism, trauma, queer bar culture, and yeah, I figure out a way to squeeze in a reference to late stage capitalism in this episode too, if you’re keeping track.

Cisco is a designer, a writer, a musician, and a human.

Content warning for this episode – we talk about family sexual abuse. We also talk about youth sexuality, public sex, drugs, alcohol, and recovery.

A correction: the “parable” I refer to about walking down a road and falling into a hole turns out to be a 1994 poem by Portia Nelson, titled “Autobiography in Five Short Chapters.” My apologies for not crediting her in the episode. You can find the poem by googling it, and here’s a cute, short video illustrating it:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jSCA0EWR2RE

Major themes: self-care, psychology, spirituality, sobriety, harm reduction, sexuality, othering and being othered, LGBTQQI culture, alcohol and drug use.

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The banana peel is by Max Ronnersjö. Music is by Jon Schwartz.