The Digital Diatribe

The Blog

Essays on the noise of existence, being a dad, grief, addiction, and recovery.

New here? Start here.

Most of my writing is about something I’ve lived through or experienced, but some of it is just my opinion. While I write mainly for myself, I always like your feedback so please leave a comment if you would like. If you’re new here, these five essays are a place to begin. ~ Ryan

  • Why I’m Here — Why these stories exist, and who I’m leaving them for.
  • Experience — Grief, finding a voice, and sharing what I’ve lived through.
  • Body & Mind — Getting sober was only part of learning how to live.
  • This is Church — Faith, heavy metal, and finding somewhere to belong.
  • Hail to the King — A father, a son, and the music between them.

The Latest

  • Owning Both

    Owning Both

    From jail cells to boardrooms, poverty to wealth, and failure to success. A personal reflection on identity, belonging, and owning both worlds.


Recent Posts

  • Right Sized

    Right Sized

    I was driving to work today, minding my own business, and this guy almost hit me. I had to slam…

  • The Princess of Peace

    The Princess of Peace

    A father recalls his mother’s quiet strength and a birth that finally let him feel again — a personal essay…

  • The Things Unspoken

    The Things Unspoken

    I write two essays a week, run four book outlets, and lose money doing all of it. But this post…

  • AA: A Cult of Personality Part 4

    AA: A Cult of Personality Part 4

    Two weeks to flatten the curve became 69 days that changed everything. A sober AA member on Zoom meetings, broken…

  • Hail to the King

    Hail to the King

    A dad on raising his son through music, from headbanging at four to moshing to Avenged Sevenfold at sixteen.

  • The Rubber Band

    The Rubber Band

    “The Rubber Band Will Strike Again” — a short poem by Stacy Roberts about a mysterious, silencing force that stuns…

  • AA: A Cult of Personality Part 3

    AA: A Cult of Personality Part 3

    I was not ready to get sober in 2014, and shortly after my divorce was final in 2016, I started…

  • A Map of the Fog

    A Map of the Fog

    I didn’t set out to write a book. I set out to survive. The writing came later. First to carry…

  • Why I’m Here

    Why I’m Here

    My life hasn’t been easy. If you’ve read my blog or my book, that’s probably apparent—but that’s not why I…

Where to go from here

-Ryan

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