Tag Archives: alcohol

More than Nine Lives

Posted on March 17, 2020 by Callen Harty

In my life, I feel like I have lived more than the nine lives of a cat. When I was two years old, I almost died when I contracted scarlet fever, meningitis, and mumps in a two week span. My … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged accidents, AIDS, alcohol, alcoholism, black ice, cat, childhood sex abuse, coronary, coronavirus, crises, death, drugs, fear, fight, gay, heart attack, heart history, high-risk category, illness, injury, ischemic cariomyopathy, Madison, meningitis, mortality, mumps, nine lives, office, opening night, scarlet fever, self-isolation, self-medicate, social distancing, soul, Spanish flu, stents, suicidal ideation, survival, survivor guilt, ventricular techycardia, workplace | Leave a comment

On the Child Victims Act

Posted on August 7, 2019 by Callen Harty

This morning, Wisconsin State Representatives Chris Taylor and Melissa Sargent and State Senator Lena Taylor introduced two bills at a press conference at the State Capitol. The first was the Child Victims Act, which eliminates the statute of limitations … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged abuse, adult survivor, alcohol, bipartisan support, child sex abuse, child sexual assault, Child Victims Act, Chris Taylor, civil suits, clergy, compassion, drugs, emotions, exemptions, flashbacks, helping professions, innocence, Legislature, male survivors, mandatory reporters, Melissa Sargent, recovery, secret, State Capitol, State Senator Lena Taylor, statute of limitations, suicide, survivors, trust, victims, Wisconsin State Representatives | Leave a comment

#SurvivorLoveLetter

Posted on February 14, 2019 by Callen Harty

To the boy that is me, You and me, we are not so different, even with so many intervening years separating us. We are fighters, stubborn, curious, seekers of justice, too trusting sometimes, lovers of nature, smart, naïve, innocent. We … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged alcohol, boy, content, drugs, fault, fighter, girl, gratitude, happy, healing, hurt, innocent, justice, love, lovers, naive, nature, protect, smart, sorry, strength, trusting, words | Leave a comment

#WhyIDidntReport

Posted on September 26, 2018 by Callen Harty

Why I didn’t report? Blame. I did report. As a little boy I told my mother and her response was, “You shouldn’t let him do that to you.” She didn’t know any better and neither did I. So when it … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged #WhyIDidntReport, alcohol, blame, burden, burden of proof, childhood sex abuse, corroboration, courage, drugs, fear, horror, justice system, love, memoires, naming, pain, physical evidence, reality, shame, statute of limitations, survivors, threatened, time, truth | 2 Comments

On Suicide

Posted on June 9, 2018 by Callen Harty

Trigger warning for suicide/suicidal ideation. When I was living in my dorm in college one of the men at the other end of the long hall on our floor killed himself. In retrospect it was not a sudden thing. … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged abused, acquaintance, alcohol, alone, angels, best friend, child, choice, crisis line volunteer, depressed, depression, despair, drugs, emotions, family member, feeling, friend, gift, healing, hope, human being, human connection, Invisible Boy, light, love, minister, molested, pain, prostitution, protection, self-abuse, sex addiction, silence, suicidal ideation, suicide, survivor, teacher, touch, trust, turning point, whole person, worthless, wounded child | Leave a comment

The Gift

Posted on April 18, 2018 by Callen Harty

April 18, 1989. A gay bar in Denver, the Triangle. A can of beer in hand, cigarette in the other. I was there alone, so I wasn’t there to be with friends, I wasn’t there looking for someone for the … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged alcohol, alcoholic, bar, beer, blackouts, childhood, cigarette, Colfax Avenue, Denver, depressed, downward spiral, drink, drugs, drunk, emotions, faith, gay bar, gift, good will, hair of the dog, hangovers, human, human rights, insecure, Irishman, jobs, joy, just laws, life, love, mistakes, mixed drinks, numbness, pain, pleasure, public speaking, rock bottom, sobriety, social drinking, sorrow, stubbornness, suicide, theater, trauma, Triangle, understanding, Wisconsin, worthless, writing | Leave a comment

Full Circle

Posted on April 16, 2017 by Callen Harty

Trigger Warning: This post is about child sex abuse and also suicide. Please take care of yourself first and foremost. Since coming out publicly as a survivor of child sex abuse about seven years ago I have written articles, blog … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged abuse, alcohol, child sex abuse, come out, Doyle Center, Family Advocates, gay, MaleSurvivor, memories, New Jersey, Platteville, sexual assault, Sexual Assault Awareness Month, suicide, survivor, UW-Platteville, UW-Platteville Counseling Services, UW-Platteville Dean of Students | Leave a comment

Silver Sobriety

Posted on April 18, 2014 by Callen Harty

25 years. Today marks 25 years since my last drink. There was a time when 25 hours without a drink was pretty much impossible for me. Now it has been 25 years. On past anniversaries I have recounted the bad … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged 25 years, alcohol, celebration, drink, drugs, job, life partner, love, silver anniversary, sobriety, writing | Leave a comment

Through the Darkness Lightly

Posted on April 18, 2013 by Callen Harty

After 24 years of sobriety my days of heavy drinking seem like a distant blur and somewhat unreal in certain ways. I spent about eleven years of my life in a pretty much constant drunken haze, self-medicating, hiding, creating masks. … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged addictive personality, alcohol, alcoholism, child sex abuse, Child Victims Act, depression, drugs, drunk, empathy, faith, forgiveness, innocence, Jesus, lessons, male survivors, masks, molestation, paranoia, rape, self-medication, self-revelation, sexual abuse, sobriety, suicide, survival, thankfulness | Leave a comment

Not Rock Bottom

Posted on April 17, 2012 by Callen Harty

The first time I ever got drunk was, appropriately enough, on St. Patrick’s Day, 1978. It was also the day I turned in the paperwork to quit college. Prior to that time I was a teetotaler. I knew family history and … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged alcohol, alcoholism, AODA, drug abuse, survival | 3 Comments