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

  • My Scale and I Are Seeing Other People

    My Scale and I Are Seeing Other People

    I have not broken up with my scale. I’ve just realized we may not be right for each other at…

  • Legacy

    Legacy

    I don’t know if history will see me as a success, a failure, or if I’ll be remembered at all.…

  • AA: A Cult of Personality Part 2

    AA: A Cult of Personality Part 2

    You did not have to speculate about Bobby or wait to hear his voice to know he was a smoker.…

  • AA: A Cult of Personality Part 1

    AA: A Cult of Personality Part 1

    This is a new approach for me. I’ve felt the need to cover this topic for a long time now…

  • The Gift of Silence

    The Gift of Silence

    I spend a lot of time writing and even more thinking about writing. This is not a new phase in…

  • Body & Mind

    Body & Mind

    When I first got sober in February 2018, I was 120 lbs overweight. I dropped most of that weight in…

  • Has the internet made the world a better place?

    Has the internet made the world a better place?

    The short answer – I don’t know. So, let’s look at what I think I know. I’m a network engineer.…

  • Lifeless and Boring

    Lifeless and Boring

    Vapid… now there’s a word with teeth. And that’s what I like—something that bites, something that cuts you in all…

  • The Inmate

    The Inmate

    31 years, 10 months, 16 days. 11,643 days total, but who’s counting? My jailers have been good to me in…

Where to go from here

-Ryan

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