https://www.iamtonybailey.com/read Weekly newsletter from Tony Bailey. Honest reflections from recovery, rebuilding, and the work of becoming someone new. en-AU Sat, 27 Jun 2026 15:23:21 GMT https://www.iamtonybailey.com/read/a-barrier-wearing-a-lanyard https://www.iamtonybailey.com/read/a-barrier-wearing-a-lanyard Tue, 26 May 2026 00:00:00 GMT Thirteen psychiatrists refused my referral before one said yes. What years of being treated as unreliable taught me about ADHD, addiction, and the practitioners whose caution becomes someone's death sentence. https://www.iamtonybailey.com/read/life-after-asic-ban https://www.iamtonybailey.com/read/life-after-asic-ban Mon, 18 May 2026 00:00:00 GMT I have an ASIC ban and a bankruptcy on my record. Nearly a decade on, here's what shame got wrong — and what rebuilding identity actually looks like. https://www.iamtonybailey.com/read/stability-feels-boring-thats-the-point https://www.iamtonybailey.com/read/stability-feels-boring-thats-the-point Wed, 06 May 2026 00:00:00 GMT "Just stop using" is a lie. Here's what an ADHD brain actually does when life finally goes quiet — and why boredom is the point, not the problem. https://www.iamtonybailey.com/read/what-not-ready-is-costing-you https://www.iamtonybailey.com/read/what-not-ready-is-costing-you Tue, 28 Apr 2026 00:00:00 GMT The lie of "ready" has a price tag we never tally. Most of us are paying it without knowing. On readiness, procrastination, and the cost of waiting to begin. https://www.iamtonybailey.com/read/rock-bottom-doesnt-feel-like-rock-bottom https://www.iamtonybailey.com/read/rock-bottom-doesnt-feel-like-rock-bottom Tue, 07 Apr 2026 00:00:00 GMT Rock bottom isn't a clear moment — it's a recognition that often arrives years later. Why the cinematic version of hitting bottom is wrong, and dangerous. https://www.iamtonybailey.com/read/when-your-past-lives-online https://www.iamtonybailey.com/read/when-your-past-lives-online Sat, 28 Mar 2026 00:00:00 GMT Your worst chapter is now a permanent search result. Most of the advice about "managing your online reputation" misses what's actually at stake. https://www.iamtonybailey.com/read/how-professional-shame-works https://www.iamtonybailey.com/read/how-professional-shame-works Tue, 10 Mar 2026 00:00:00 GMT A hiring manager, a tax officer, and a window blinds company all taught me the same thing about professional shame — and what it actually demands from you. https://www.iamtonybailey.com/read/what-rehab-actually-taught-me https://www.iamtonybailey.com/read/what-rehab-actually-taught-me Wed, 04 Mar 2026 00:00:00 GMT Rehab doesn't fix you. It teaches you containers — the structures that make the gap between intention and action small enough to walk across. https://www.iamtonybailey.com/read/diagnosis-rewrites-your-story https://www.iamtonybailey.com/read/diagnosis-rewrites-your-story Fri, 20 Feb 2026 00:00:00 GMT The diagnosis didn't fix me. But it rewrote 40 years of self-narrative — and gave me back a version of myself I'd never let exist. https://www.iamtonybailey.com/read/didnt-want-to-get-high-wanted-to-feel-normal https://www.iamtonybailey.com/read/didnt-want-to-get-high-wanted-to-feel-normal Sat, 14 Feb 2026 00:00:00 GMT Most addiction stories get the motive wrong. For me, drug use wasn't about pleasure-seeking. It was about regulation — and untreated ADHD was a big part of why. https://www.iamtonybailey.com/read/empty-promise-ai-therapy https://www.iamtonybailey.com/read/empty-promise-ai-therapy Tue, 10 Feb 2026 00:00:00 GMT AI can simulate empathy but never acceptance — acceptance only counts when rejection was possible. The structural limit of AI mental health support. https://www.iamtonybailey.com/read/qualifications-beyond-traditional-success https://www.iamtonybailey.com/read/qualifications-beyond-traditional-success Mon, 09 Feb 2026 00:00:00 GMT Traditional success teaches you to climb. Falling teaches you something different — and arguably more useful. On the qualifications a CV can't capture. https://www.iamtonybailey.com/read/naming-emotions-brene-brown https://www.iamtonybailey.com/read/naming-emotions-brene-brown Wed, 04 Feb 2026 00:00:00 GMT Most of us have three words for what we feel. Brené Brown found 87 emotions we routinely conflate. Why naming them precisely changes everything. https://www.iamtonybailey.com/read/worst-day-best-qualification https://www.iamtonybailey.com/read/worst-day-best-qualification Sun, 01 Feb 2026 00:00:00 GMT Resilient people are 50% more likely to hit career goals — and resilience is built through adversity. What if your worst chapter is your best credential? https://www.iamtonybailey.com/read/sit-with-the-mess https://www.iamtonybailey.com/read/sit-with-the-mess Tue, 27 Jan 2026 00:00:00 GMT I used to think progress meant feeling better. Now I think it sometimes just means staying. On distress tolerance and what recovery really asks of you. https://www.iamtonybailey.com/read/what-detox-actually-feels-like https://www.iamtonybailey.com/read/what-detox-actually-feels-like Mon, 26 Jan 2026 00:00:00 GMT Detox isn't the dramatic version people imagine. It's quieter, longer, and harder than that. Here's what early recovery actually looks like from the inside. https://www.iamtonybailey.com/read/music-as-a-way-back https://www.iamtonybailey.com/read/music-as-a-way-back Sat, 24 Jan 2026 00:00:00 GMT Sometimes the things you can't say yet, you can sing. How songwriting became part of how I moved through a fall from grace — and back out the other side.