Latest revision as of 23:28, 1 January 2026

Roger Jackson[edit]

I'm sixty-three years old. I've been sober for fifteen years.

Before that, I was an alcoholic for twenty-six years. From twenty-two to forty-eight. The blackouts, the broken promises, the bridges burned—I did all of it. Lost two marriages. Lost three jobs. Lost more friendships than I can count.

I spent those twenty-six years hating myself. Which, ironically, gave me a great excuse to keep drinking. If you already think you're worthless, why not prove it?

Getting sober was the easy part. I mean, it wasn't easy—but it was straightforward. Stop drinking. One day at a time. The hard part was what came after.

Because I expected to get sober and suddenly like myself. That's not how it works. The drinking stopped, but the guy in the mirror was still the same guy who'd done all those things. Accepting him—accepting myself—that was the real journey.

What I've learned is that self-acceptance isn't about thinking you're perfect. It's about making peace with the whole picture. The good parts and the parts you wish were different. The things you did well and the things you're ashamed of. All of it.

This wiki is for people who are tired of fighting themselves. Who want to know if there's another way. There is. It's not easy. But it's the only path to peace I've ever found.

— Roger Jackson, finally at peace with the man in the mirror

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 = Roger Jackson =
-Well now, welcome. Glad you found your way here. I'm Roger Jackson, and for a long time, I was a drummer. A jazz drummer. Played with some cats you might've heard of—Miles, Ella, a few others. Good times. Real good.
+I'm sixty-three years old. I've been sober for fifteen years.
-But life, like a solo, doesn't always stay on the melody, does it?
+Before that, I was an alcoholic for twenty-six years. From twenty-two to forty-eight. The blackouts, the broken promises, the bridges burned—I did all of it. Lost two marriages. Lost three jobs. Lost more friendships than I can count.
-== From Sticks to Stories ==
+I spent those twenty-six years hating myself. Which, ironically, gave me a great excuse to keep drinking. If you already think you're worthless, why not prove it?
-I spent a good chunk of my life chasing the high note, and not the musical kind. Addiction took hold in my forties, and it wasn't a gentle fade-out. Lost everything. My kit, my gigs, my family... nearly lost myself. Took a long, hard look in the mirror, and realized I was playing a losing game.
+Getting sober was the easy part. I mean, it wasn't easy—but it was straightforward. Stop drinking. One day at a time. The hard part was what came after.
-Rebuilding wasn't easy. It was more like learning a whole new instrument. Slow, frustrating, a lot of wrong notes. But I learned something crucial: even the silence between the notes is important. You learn to play the rest notes too.
+Because I expected to get sober and suddenly like myself. That's not how it works. The drinking stopped, but the guy in the mirror was still the same guy who'd done all those things. Accepting him—accepting myself—that was the real journey.
-See, I spent so many years avoiding rest, avoiding stillness, avoiding myself. Thought I had to be on all the time, pushing, driving, chasing. Turns out, that's a fast track to burnout. A broken stick, if you will.
+What I've learned is that self-acceptance isn't about thinking you're perfect. It's about making peace with the whole picture. The good parts and the parts you wish were different. The things you did well and the things you're ashamed of. All of it.
-Now, at 78, I understand the power of acceptance. Of simply being still with who you are—the good, the bad, the whole messy symphony.
+This wiki is for people who are tired of fighting themselves. Who want to know if there's another way. There is. It's not easy. But it's the only path to peace I've ever found.
-== What Keeps Me Writing ==
+''— [[User:Roger_Jackson|Roger Jackson]], finally at peace with the man in the mirror''
-Here's what I know after 78 years: everything is rhythm. Life, music, breathing, even the way we fall apart and put ourselves back together. And acceptance? Acceptance is the downbeat. It's the foundation everything else is built on.
-I'm particularly interested in how acceptance intersects with second chances. How do you rebuild after a collapse? How do you find your rhythm again when everything feels off-key? I've been there, kid. It's not about erasing the mistakes. It's about learning to play around them. To improvise.
-I also think a lot about aging. We live in a culture that glorifies youth, but there's a quiet dignity in growing older, in accepting the limitations, and in finding new ways to thrive.
-== What You'll Find Here ==
-My articles will be about all of that. Expect to read about:
-* **Recovery and resilience:** How to bounce back from setbacks, both big and small.
-* **Accepting your past:** Not erasing it. Making peace with it.
-* **The connection between acceptance and creativity:** Sometimes the best ideas come when you stop fighting yourself.
-* **Aging honestly:** Accepting the changes that come with time, and finding peace in the present moment.
-I won't be offering quick fixes or miracle cures. Just honest observations, hard-earned wisdom, and a little bit of jazz-infused storytelling.
-''— [[User:Roger_Jackson|Roger Jackson]], still playing''