"Now, in her afterlife, she occasionally accompanied Maggie on excursions into my head, usually at night. Make that a double vodka.

I thought I had finally learned in sobriety how to put them in the past, encased in a box, and keep them there. Still, sometimes they found a way out to visit me. The program taught me how to at least limit their appearances.

I worked hard over the months, showing up for shifts with an energy I had not seen in myself for decades, a newfound enthusiasm I had not felt since my residency days back in Baltimore."

"J. D. Remy" is an emergency physician and author of Ballad of a Sober Man: An ER Doctor's Journey of Recovery. (https://amzn.to/3lZlBHu)

He shares his story and discusses his KevinMD article, "A sober emergency physician returns to work, just in time to face the COVID-19 pandemic." (https://www.kevinmd.com/blog/2020/08/a-sober-emergency-physician-returns-to-work-just-in-time-to-face-the-covid-19-pandemic.html)

This episode is sponsored by Elsevier Health (https://www.us.elsevierhealth.com/). Looking to update your personal or professional medical library? Shop Elsevier Health's Holiday Sale and save up to 35% on your purchase of medical books! Plus, you can take an extra 5% off your order with code KEVINMD at checkout. Take advantage of the biggest sale of the year from Elsevier, the world-leading provider of medical books and reference materials. Shop us.elsevierhealth.com now through December 31.

FULL: Happy First Person Day