By Burl Barer
“Chasing the News – Stone Cold Sober” deserves some sort of reward – as if saving lives and entertaining the living isn’t reward enough.
In case you’ve been under a rock with a bag over your head and a bottle of 80 proof booze just out of reach, “Chasing the News – Stone Cold Sober,” produced and provided by Writers in Treatment, is the YouTube series that has excellent intentions, amateurish zoom-meeting production, occasional minor audio lapses, and the best real life advice on how to stay sober in this potentially sobriety destroying pandemic.
With alcohol consumption increasing along with the COVID-19 body count, people afflicted with the unpleasant medical conditions of physiological dependence/addiction to alcohol, opiates, and /or opioids find their lives in real danger.
Despite the damage to addiction’s credibility by the “get rich off addiction” craze in which any perceived “overuse,” from social media to crossword puzzles, could be monetized for “treatment,” there are millions of people in actual danger of relapse into life threatening use of their enemy intoxicant. “Chasing the News – Stone Cold Sober” has emerged as an unlikely but much appreciated lifeline for those who’s life needs to be kept in line, even if by online connections.
Famous musicians, authors, filmmakers, and bon vivant trade bon mots and brain engaging insights into not losing your cool behind life on the rocks – staying straight by not taking it “neat” or any other way. How to Stay Sober in this Pandemic is, for those cursed with alcoholism/addiction, equal to “How to Not Get Bit in the Zombie Apocalypse” for the other 95% of our population. Yes, 5% of Americans who drink or use intoxicants for recreation suffer from an inability to moderate or cease consumption of those intoxicants no matter who much they individually desire to do so – hence the power of the emotional and practical support of a fellowship of likeminded and similarly afflicted individuals who, honest to God (or whatever you deem your to be your higher power), keep people from falling off the wagon and run over by its wheels. The upcoming episode is a high-profile guest star event:
