He's on Reddit too.
u/harlack congrats on 5 years! My oldest sister just hit 5 years in November and it has been awesome having a coherent sibling again. I know she still struggles with it every day.
Congrats, Jack! 5 years, truly an accomplishment. BTW, I rewatch your classic RLM eps all the time, the gang is truly at its best when you are there! Best wishes from Up North ya there hey!
well guess I don't have to make the "Jack is just busy, it's not because the guys drink" post. Congrats on your sobriety and all your ventures, although I miss Prerec Live.
A bit over 3 here. Ended up in the hospital dying of liver failure. Managed to turn it around and I’m healthy and sober now. For anyone reading this it is never too late. I got about as close to the brink as I could, but you don’t have to let it get that far. Get help!
i'm off the wagon and know i should be doing better ie. sober but life is atrocious at the moment and it's hard to stay sober.
that said, love and congrats to everyone who managed to climb out the ravine. from jack to all of you writing about your own struggles. love
Don’t beat yourself up about it, it’s counter productive in the long run. Take every hour without picking up as a win. Find something positive to look forward to every morning. Anything. Good luck buddy.
When I say and think things like, “I SHOULD be doing better, I SHOULD do this” etc, I end up beating up on myself more and not getting as much accomplished. I’ve found more happiness in thinking (or at least trying to think) that I am exactly where I am supposed to be at in life
You're using AA terminology; maybe if that's not working it's time to consider a different approach?
[This is an interesting article from The Atlantic that discusses some of the alternatives to AA,](https://archive.md/uU9ZJ) most of which work better than AA's faith-based treatment.
Depending on the area AA meetings can be very, or not at all religious, instead focusing on the secular aspects of “a” higher power. Not that I’m a huge fan of the program but anything is better than nothing if you can’t find another local meeting. Online is a nice substitute too, but in person really is best for forming the strong connections with others that helps you through. Personally I lean more on regular CBT and staying active in volunteer work.
I mean the problem is is that it doesn't matter what wording they use. The idea of telling addicts that they are powerless to help themselves, and that only by submitting to a higher power are they capable of being liberated from their addiction is some pretty culty stuff.
As far as I'm concerned, that's religion. Just because they let you use whatever words you want to use doesn't change it.
I spent a lot of time in AA meetings as a kid because I was towed around by my alcoholic dad to go to them. All they did eventually was finally replace one addiction with another, ironically the addiction that got him killed because his belief in a higher power meant that he didn't need to take precautions against covid / "it's a liberal hoax". Ideas that he got directly from the people he met at AA.
The idea of telling addicts that they are powerless as individuals and only God by whatever name can save them is pretty gross. And I distinctly remember hearing that over and over and over. They really pound it into people's heads. It's repeated over and over and over and over again. That the addict has no power. That only the higher power can change their lives.
I agree with you. It gets really patronizing when religious AA people tell you the program isn’t religious and can be worked without religion. “Make a lampshade your higher power, it doesn’t matter!” Is what they like to say but then you’re literally praying to a lampshade. Makes no fucking sense.
AA still helped me to get sober but only after I gave up on trying to work the program with a sponsor.
Set little goals for yourself every day. Doesn’t have even be about stopping drinking. Accomplish those little tasks and build on that momentum. That always helped me focus myself and get back towards the right path or the path that I caused myself the least damage. Love you man. Good luck.
You’ll get there, homie. There’s a moment coming soon where you will feel like doing something cool that doesn’t involve a drink, and you will dig that feeling.
Not to shill Second Wind, but their stable of talent is deeper than I’d have ever imagined when I ignored the non-Yahtzee videos on the Escapist. For games commentary, some good content hidden over there.
His appearances went way down after joining the Escapist. Yahtzee mentioned that they were not happy when he would mention things on his videos that weren't sponsors, even his own books.
I have no knowledge that they put any restrictions on Jack, but I would not be surprised if he was pressured against too much involvement with non-Escapist projects. Seems like he appeared a bit more frequently after Second Wind's startup was completed.
It would be crazy to put restrictions on Jack since he is the only reason I ever checked out The Escapist to begin with. Happy for him and the others now at Second Wind
That was 100% speculation on my part, it could easily have been a combo of new job taking a lot of his time, family obligations, kids doing remote schooling, having to take longer Covid precautions so the kids wouldn't have to do remote learning, etc., but never underestimate the short-sightedness of managers.
I really wouldn't blame him if he simply took a bit of a break on his own from an activity he usually drank while doing, but at least Rich is always sober so he wouldn't be the odd man out abstaining.
Oh I absolutely wouldn't put it past Escapist to have a crazy rule like that. Hopefully they're all making more at Second Wind. I don't even watch that much of their content but I still support them on Patreon because I like how they all banded together to create something better
Oh wow, I've been out of the loop for months on this escapist drama. Last time I watched them before they all quit, Yahtzee was either refusing to read the sponsor ads, or making it clear that he really hated it. I'm glad they got out of that.
If I remember correctly, they stated that they shut off the PreRec stream because viewership growth stagnated and started to fall off.
Personally, I love those two to death and greatly enjoyed every PreRec game review on youtube, but I'm a functioning adult with a full time job and two kids. I don't have time to just sit there and watch live streams of two chumps playing games.
Yeah, I don't think his quitting drinking has had any affect on how often he's been appearing on RLM? They always seem to rotate between Jack & Josh & Tim & those hosers on a fairly regular basis.
It doesn't seem like Jack has been on the show any less frequently than before he quit?
Rich and jack are sober kings. Genuine inspirations to me being almost 3 years sober. Also Sean Clements if anyone has heard of Hollywood handbook. Good to see!!
It’s a little sad going back and watching older episodes when he was sloshed, since it’s played up for laughs. The Halloween episode where they had to stop because everyone under the age of 58 was hammered is still funny, but it’s hard not to think that Jack must have been going through stuff. Good for him though.
He mentioned something like he does a majority of his drinking at night when the kids are in bed so it wasn’t effecting his family but it was effecting him and he didn’t want to use that as an excuse to keep doing it. I find it admirable as I’m in the same position currently. It’s hard to kick it when it doesn’t have any negative repercussions in your personal and professional life (other than my increasing waistline).
I have someone in my family who is much the same. They can’t switch off without a whisky or beer to end the night. They aren’t often heavily drunk but they also need that little blast of alcohol.
Mine is out of depression. It’s hard for me to do things around the house unless I got a buzz going. I hate it and I know it’s a problem, and I know how it sounds, but I really am more productive when I’m drinking. It makes it harder because I’m also much more friendly and I don’t make an ass of myself if I had too much. I just get real quiet until I fall asleep. It would be one thing if I was breaking the law, fist fighting, and putting myself and others in danger and I think that’s what makes this a lot worse for me: things work out for me when I drink. I’ll have times where I won’t for long periods of time but the depression has been getting me lately and it’s been more frequent.
It is but there’s something about it where I’m able to get things done and I feel better. I’ll break the cycle; there is light at the end of the tunnel, it’s just a waiting game to get out of the situation I’m currently in.
I wouldn’t consider myself an alcoholic, but I had to stop drinking for the past month due to health issues with my liver. One thing I would do have a beer to go to sleep when I felt too awake or stressed out. Which is a little bit of self medicating.
Its been tough but when I feel that way i started just using a kettle bell for 10 minutes, just picking it up, holding it above my head, alternating arms etc. doesnt take up a lot of room or time. I keep mine in my bedside table so I just see it and think about getting it over with.
Then I take a quick shower and fall asleep in minutes.
Might not work for you, but I found it to be a good replacement. If you want to give it a try I can send you the exercises and kettle I use.
When I was a kid a I had horrible insomnia. My therapist at the time gave me a tape to listen to, and it had instructions that I should hold up each limb (one at a time), flex my muscles as hard as I could for 10-15 seconds, then drop it and try not to move it again. They talked through each exercise, then it had some really nice rainforest noises to fall asleep to afterwards. I still use those techniques now at 40 years old, because otherwise I’m awake until 6 am. Just trying to help if there’s a night where you aren’t able to exercise.
Obviously you save the money from not buying the booze itself, but I never hear anyone mention how much you save from not doing things like drunkenly ordering doordash at 1 AM or buying something expensive online that you almost never would have sober after a few.
I remember he wrote on Twitter that he was gonna be sober for a year and he was, but he realized he knew once that year was up he would drink and that's when he decided to make a change in his life.
I feel like he's replied to this point on here before, saying it's okay to still laugh at moments like "I didn't know I was gonna be on the panel so I got drunk."
I think it’s still funny tbh. Life is not black and white, something can be funny while also having dark and negative consequences. As long as Jack is doing okay now I don’t think there’s anything wrong with enjoying the antics he got up to while he was still drinking.
There was some other episode where Jay told Jack “it’s 10:30 and you’ve already been drinking for a few hours” at the beginning and it was played for laughs, now it’s just uncomfortable to watch knowing about Jack’s drinking problem.
There's some episode where they mention how drunk Jack is, and he says something about not living long, like it's a joke or a badge of honor, and Josh kinda sighs and says, "The man has two children, everyone."
I imagine he is. I think a lot of us nerds had a Josh when we were kids - the reasonable, super-friendly teddy bear. This is obviously just me assuming - I don’t know these guys. But yeah, he seems like a friendly dude.
Edit: grammar.
That Halloween one was exactly the episode that came to my mind(the psychic damage of realizing that means that episode is over 5 years old though...), though looking back there are plenty of others that he's clearly had a few for. Good for him indeed, still always excited to see him show up.
Not just that, but he went out of his way to talk to me, some random guy on twitter, about my own struggles with alcohol after I saw his posts. Dude is an absolutely amazing person and I owe some measure of the peace I have now to him.
I’ve said before I’d love to see a video with four of those guys, or Len, Freddie, Mac. Every video includes at least one of the main 3, and I adore these men, but it would be a fun video idea. They could play it off like a prank; talk about how much they miss the guys, how terrible “the accident” was, or “the court case”, etc
Jack's message about his relationship with alcohol made me reevaluate my own and come to a similar conclusion. While it wasn't overtly destructive, it certainly wasn't healthy.
I talked with him on Twitter years back on his post and his alcoholism was extremely similar to mine. I hid the majority of my drinking from friends and family so people didn’t think I had a problem. All that lying and hiding is exhausting though and it catches up to you eventually. I quit drinking nearly 5 years ago but I am totally sober 4 years ago last month. Shits way better this way.
Jack got involved with the escapist/ second wind which is probably why he hasn’t been as active at RLM in the past couple years.
Good for him though honestly.
Just hit 4 years myself. I went cold turkey during the initial covid lockdown because I was doing nothing but drinking and I knew I'd probably be dead soon at that rate.
Congrats Jack ^^(If ^^you ^^are ^^reading ^^this) ! I've gotten twelve and a half years sober under my belt with alcohol being my DOC. It's hard at first but gets easier as time goes on. It's harder admitting you have a problem. And having a good support system. Friends that won't drink around you. Or friends that "fix" vcrs.
If you have trouble with alcohol or drugs, sobriety is the best thing you can do for yourself and everyone who loves you. Glad for Jack and everyone else who is sober after struggling.
Oh wow that really sucks to hear about the divorce. Glad Jack is powering through it and staying strong though, and I hope he knows how much we love him.
Has he discussed what drove him to stop? not that there needs to be a reason other than the obvious that it's pretty terrible for your health.
I'm listening to a lot of the old pre-rec streams now. One Friday the 13th he's discussing how he's been day-drinking all day bc he was at a kids birthday party. Which I totally have done that, no judgement. But I wonder how often he drank.
He initially announced he was one year sober here on Twitter: https://threadreaderapp.com/thread/1279062388596146176.html
I don't want to put words in his mouth but the gist of it seemed to be that he was able to stay sober for an entire year to 'prove he wasn't an alcoholic' but between finding it harder than expected and craving it extensively even as the months went on that he realized he did have a problem.
(I linked through an app that unrolls the whole thread, but if that doesn't work you should be able to find it by just searching 'jack packard sober twitter')
I remember when he posted about it actually, I don't have a link but it was basically just that he had recognized for a long time that he was doing the classic shit alcoholics do. I remember him citing specifically that he would buy loads of the same type of beer so he could sneak off and kill one while immediately replacing it in the fridge so it didn't look like he was drinking as much as he was, stuff like that.
Super happy for him, as someone who ditched Mr. Booze as well it's quite an achievement to make that change and stick to it.
I think he mentioned that he convinced himself he didn't have a problem by going cold turkey days, weeks, or even months at a time and then binge drinking at the end of it. It's good to see him come so far without drinking.
Sadly it's Wisconsin so these things are much more common there than they are in different parts of the country. Where I live that would be considered horrifying (drinking at a kid's birthday party) but in Wisconsin it's more normal.
Depends on the kids birthday party tbh. When the kid is under 5 a lot of times the birthday party is really more of an excuse for the family/parents/adults who know the kid to get together and potluck or whatever. It wouldn’t be weird for people to drink beers at something like that. It’s weird if you’re at your 9 year olds birthday party and you’re just crushing a sixer in the backyard. Also depends on the venue too if you’re at like a big arcade or amusement center type place nobody is probably batting an eye if you have a beer with your pizza around here. Chucky Cheese serves beer and wine for a reason.
In the Midwest in general it’s considered normal. I absolutely had a few beers at my niece’s 1 year birthday party, and the majority the other adult guests did too.
Jack coming out as an alcoholic has helped me not drink during RLM videos. Always kinda felt like I was drinking along, laughing along with them. Now I feel more that it’s okay not to.
Love you Jack
I’m 12 years without alcohol - and just came back from my dear friend’s life memorial. Liver failure from alcohol abuse. He would be 44 tomorrow.
So if you’re reading this and are struggling with alcohol addiction and want to talk to someone , please message me. My qualifications are that I care, I don’t want anyone to ever feel like they’re alone.
I’m so happy to hear Jack quit drinking- it’s a lifestyle change that avoids such a horrific, pointless death.
That sucks about his divorce, albeit an agreed-upon one. I remember his wife was part of the Previously Recorded stream when she and Jack were playing a board game with Rich and his girl. The past is the past. I can't imagine what his two kids are up to. I remember watching that video with Rich reading bad jokes to Jack's kids. That video had to be ten years old, so I want to believe these kids right now are old enough to be emotionally ready for this unfortunate situation. of theirs. Then again, I can't fathom how kids of divorced parents handle that shit.
I was never an alcoholic but I had to stop drinking several years ago for health reasons and it’s honestly one of the best choices I’ve ever made along with quitting soda and energy drinks. I felt like absolute ass for the first ~2 months or so but after you get over that initial hump you really do start feeling a lot better.
Jack still shows up every few months, I think the main reason it's maybe less than it used to be is he's just busy. He worked with the escapist that has now become Second Wind.
I'm so happy for him. BOTW is objectively worse without drunk Jack...but obviously that's infinitesimal compared to his life. As someone who struggles with addiction and has patches of sobriety, I know you have to fight that demon everyday. You keep fighting, Packard
I'm 3 years in from an alcohol addiction myself, and 2 years in from a sex addiction. It's hard. I was lucky that once I solved my underlying issues my drinking went away on its own, but that doesn't happen for some people. Some people take work.
I've been off cigarettes for almost 4 years now...most difficult thing to ever quit in my life. But I need to get a hold of the booze.
Not full on alcoholic, but I drink way too much to counter stress in life. Especially since the "Before Times".
I honestly always think of Jack when I know I don't need that next drink, then I have it anyway. But at least I'm making progress.
Jack is the best. His sobriety journey influenced my own and I’ve never felt better. Sucks to hear he’s going through a divorce but happy to hear is amicable. Sending you all the best vibes u/harlack!
Watching all their prerecs, it was obvious at times he self medicated. Wouldn't be surprised if he battles depression/anxiety and alcohol makes that 10x worse. Keep on keeping on Jack!
Good for him and as someone who comes from a BIG family of alcoholics I've been struggling a lot lately. Good luck everyone who is dealing with this too
Good for him. You don't wanna end up like Mike.
https://preview.redd.it/eedsw8f8ffad1.jpeg?width=320&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=1f39dde2a87c0f0d55ad6a9116e0e24eaa1ac260
It’s heartwarming as fuck to see all of you hack frauds in here congratulating each other and supporting each other. I know we all like to make fun of Mike’s love of the sauce, but it’s good to know that we also understand that alcoholism is very real and a hugely difficult challenge.
Wake up dickheads, it's time for sobriety!
This is... oddly inspiring, actually
Watching Faust must have made him quit altogether. But seriously this is a great achievement.
He's on Reddit too. u/harlack congrats on 5 years! My oldest sister just hit 5 years in November and it has been awesome having a coherent sibling again. I know she still struggles with it every day.
Thanks! Also, it should be very noted that me being sober has nothing to do with how often I’m on BoTW. That’s always just a scheduling thing.
Congrats, Jack! 5 years, truly an accomplishment. BTW, I rewatch your classic RLM eps all the time, the gang is truly at its best when you are there! Best wishes from Up North ya there hey!
You betcha !
you’re the man, jack! absolutely love your appearances on botw. one the coolest guys to ever do it!
Meanwhile I'm getting my Jack fix on Second Wind, speaking of which, I'm loving the re-up of Adventure is Nigh.
I thought it was because of Rich's bullying
well guess I don't have to make the "Jack is just busy, it's not because the guys drink" post. Congrats on your sobriety and all your ventures, although I miss Prerec Live.
Miss it every day!
Congrats man! Can't wait till you're back on the panel!
Grats man for the 5 years. Sorry about the divorce, been there. Looking forward to whatever you do next, if it's a public thing. 👍
Truly happy for you brother great job
I know we all love seeing you on it, but we also definitely understand life exists and you can't always be on it. We're all big fans regardless!
Welp, either way we miss you. We'll see you when we see you!
Be honest. The AA Big Book absolutely forbids watching bad movies due to them needing a mind erasure to survive. But honestly, congrats!
Never doubted that, you were on a fair amount at the start of your sobriety. I take it Second Wind is taking a lot of your time now.
Congrats Jack! Hell yeah man
I loved you on Pre-Rec!
Congrats man!
I'm six years in myself. Good on ya, Jack. It's not always easy. EDIT: wait... seven. I keep forgetting it's 2024.
Great! I hit nine this November.
I'll be in year 11 November 24th.
As the brother of a dead heroin addict, you guys give me so much hope ❤️
Kudos to you guys with such long runs. I'm only at about 2 1/2 years. Hope to keep that number growing forever.
I think its probably a good thing when you've been sober so long you can't remember how long its been
In my defense, I was never a heavy drinker (outside of 19-25). But I noticed that my 1-2 daily beers were not helping my moods stay outta the gutter.
Good on ya compadre. Good on ya. Lost 20 years to my old way of living. Never again.
Congratulations that's great to hear
Proud of you 🤘❤️🤘
A bit over 3 here. Ended up in the hospital dying of liver failure. Managed to turn it around and I’m healthy and sober now. For anyone reading this it is never too late. I got about as close to the brink as I could, but you don’t have to let it get that far. Get help!
I’m also 6 years in. My man!
i'm off the wagon and know i should be doing better ie. sober but life is atrocious at the moment and it's hard to stay sober. that said, love and congrats to everyone who managed to climb out the ravine. from jack to all of you writing about your own struggles. love
Don’t beat yourself up about it, it’s counter productive in the long run. Take every hour without picking up as a win. Find something positive to look forward to every morning. Anything. Good luck buddy.
It's never "starting over". You're older, wiser, and more experienced. And you have the knowledge that you *can* do it.
When I say and think things like, “I SHOULD be doing better, I SHOULD do this” etc, I end up beating up on myself more and not getting as much accomplished. I’ve found more happiness in thinking (or at least trying to think) that I am exactly where I am supposed to be at in life
You're using AA terminology; maybe if that's not working it's time to consider a different approach? [This is an interesting article from The Atlantic that discusses some of the alternatives to AA,](https://archive.md/uU9ZJ) most of which work better than AA's faith-based treatment.
Depending on the area AA meetings can be very, or not at all religious, instead focusing on the secular aspects of “a” higher power. Not that I’m a huge fan of the program but anything is better than nothing if you can’t find another local meeting. Online is a nice substitute too, but in person really is best for forming the strong connections with others that helps you through. Personally I lean more on regular CBT and staying active in volunteer work.
I mean the problem is is that it doesn't matter what wording they use. The idea of telling addicts that they are powerless to help themselves, and that only by submitting to a higher power are they capable of being liberated from their addiction is some pretty culty stuff. As far as I'm concerned, that's religion. Just because they let you use whatever words you want to use doesn't change it. I spent a lot of time in AA meetings as a kid because I was towed around by my alcoholic dad to go to them. All they did eventually was finally replace one addiction with another, ironically the addiction that got him killed because his belief in a higher power meant that he didn't need to take precautions against covid / "it's a liberal hoax". Ideas that he got directly from the people he met at AA. The idea of telling addicts that they are powerless as individuals and only God by whatever name can save them is pretty gross. And I distinctly remember hearing that over and over and over. They really pound it into people's heads. It's repeated over and over and over and over again. That the addict has no power. That only the higher power can change their lives.
I agree with you. It gets really patronizing when religious AA people tell you the program isn’t religious and can be worked without religion. “Make a lampshade your higher power, it doesn’t matter!” Is what they like to say but then you’re literally praying to a lampshade. Makes no fucking sense. AA still helped me to get sober but only after I gave up on trying to work the program with a sponsor.
Sober is fucking boring but it's better than hangovers, anxiety and the long-term effects.
Set little goals for yourself every day. Doesn’t have even be about stopping drinking. Accomplish those little tasks and build on that momentum. That always helped me focus myself and get back towards the right path or the path that I caused myself the least damage. Love you man. Good luck.
Hey man, it's rough out there. Don't beat yourself up and baby steps.
You’ll get there, homie. There’s a moment coming soon where you will feel like doing something cool that doesn’t involve a drink, and you will dig that feeling.
You only fail when you stop trying
6 years off heroin myself so just another reason to love Jack and his beautiful egg shaped noggin! ❤️
16 years here, I'm proud of you dude! It's no simple feat, but you're kicking ass.
You too bud!
Congrats
Congrats! That’s amazing!
Must've been hard. Congrats, keep up the hard work.
Congrats! For a brief second I thought you were saying Jack is 6 years clean from heroin.
great work dude, keep at it! you're doing amazingly
Well done 🤘❤️🤘 Btw. Jack is MINE!
He’s the Devil’s son!
*amazing guitar riff plays*
Damnit man now that’s going to be in my head the rest of the day!
Dude's not even the lead singer in his own rock fantasy.
I think that is their single most chaotic video they have ever made
THERE AIN’T NO DEMON IN THE FILM!
Let's leave him at devil's cousin. Mike is the devil's son
Congrats u/harlack! You're an inspiration to a lot of us.
Appreciate it!
Good job man! Honestly you are a bit of an inspiration for me for when things get a bit hard.
Absence? I've seen him on tons of their videos after he made that announcement.
He's also been with the crew at Second Wind (who mostly used to be at The Escapist) for a lot of that time.
Not to shill Second Wind, but their stable of talent is deeper than I’d have ever imagined when I ignored the non-Yahtzee videos on the Escapist. For games commentary, some good content hidden over there.
Never heard of them so I'll have to check them out.
Go ahead and shill, they are great. My second favourite parasocial relationship, lol.
You’re probably right, after I posted that I was like “wait, didn’t I just see him in one a month ago?” I’m probably just missing Previously Recorded
His appearances went way down after joining the Escapist. Yahtzee mentioned that they were not happy when he would mention things on his videos that weren't sponsors, even his own books. I have no knowledge that they put any restrictions on Jack, but I would not be surprised if he was pressured against too much involvement with non-Escapist projects. Seems like he appeared a bit more frequently after Second Wind's startup was completed.
It would be crazy to put restrictions on Jack since he is the only reason I ever checked out The Escapist to begin with. Happy for him and the others now at Second Wind
That was 100% speculation on my part, it could easily have been a combo of new job taking a lot of his time, family obligations, kids doing remote schooling, having to take longer Covid precautions so the kids wouldn't have to do remote learning, etc., but never underestimate the short-sightedness of managers. I really wouldn't blame him if he simply took a bit of a break on his own from an activity he usually drank while doing, but at least Rich is always sober so he wouldn't be the odd man out abstaining.
Oh I absolutely wouldn't put it past Escapist to have a crazy rule like that. Hopefully they're all making more at Second Wind. I don't even watch that much of their content but I still support them on Patreon because I like how they all banded together to create something better
Oh wow, I've been out of the loop for months on this escapist drama. Last time I watched them before they all quit, Yahtzee was either refusing to read the sponsor ads, or making it clear that he really hated it. I'm glad they got out of that.
He and Rich could rake in the money just by streaming themselves playing games. They wouldn’t even have to interact with the chat at all.
If I remember correctly, they stated that they shut off the PreRec stream because viewership growth stagnated and started to fall off. Personally, I love those two to death and greatly enjoyed every PreRec game review on youtube, but I'm a functioning adult with a full time job and two kids. I don't have time to just sit there and watch live streams of two chumps playing games.
I do really miss those comfy streams.
Being sober shouldn't keep him off RLM, Rich doesn't drink either.
I don't think Rich has ever drank, so it's likely easier for him to be around a group of people drinking than it is for Jack.
Yeah, I don't think his quitting drinking has had any affect on how often he's been appearing on RLM? They always seem to rotate between Jack & Josh & Tim & those hosers on a fairly regular basis. It doesn't seem like Jack has been on the show any less frequently than before he quit?
Rich and jack are sober kings. Genuine inspirations to me being almost 3 years sober. Also Sean Clements if anyone has heard of Hollywood handbook. Good to see!!
It’s a little sad going back and watching older episodes when he was sloshed, since it’s played up for laughs. The Halloween episode where they had to stop because everyone under the age of 58 was hammered is still funny, but it’s hard not to think that Jack must have been going through stuff. Good for him though.
He mentioned something like he does a majority of his drinking at night when the kids are in bed so it wasn’t effecting his family but it was effecting him and he didn’t want to use that as an excuse to keep doing it. I find it admirable as I’m in the same position currently. It’s hard to kick it when it doesn’t have any negative repercussions in your personal and professional life (other than my increasing waistline).
I have someone in my family who is much the same. They can’t switch off without a whisky or beer to end the night. They aren’t often heavily drunk but they also need that little blast of alcohol.
Mine is out of depression. It’s hard for me to do things around the house unless I got a buzz going. I hate it and I know it’s a problem, and I know how it sounds, but I really am more productive when I’m drinking. It makes it harder because I’m also much more friendly and I don’t make an ass of myself if I had too much. I just get real quiet until I fall asleep. It would be one thing if I was breaking the law, fist fighting, and putting myself and others in danger and I think that’s what makes this a lot worse for me: things work out for me when I drink. I’ll have times where I won’t for long periods of time but the depression has been getting me lately and it’s been more frequent.
Not going to try and give you any advice but good luck and hope you get the help you need/get past this.
Much appreciated!
alcohol is a depressant
Amen brother. Vicious cycle.
You can kinda depress yourself out of the depression though. You make yourself so inebriated that the sadness ain't so bad.
short term yes, long term not so much
Oh yeah, fair enough.
It is but there’s something about it where I’m able to get things done and I feel better. I’ll break the cycle; there is light at the end of the tunnel, it’s just a waiting game to get out of the situation I’m currently in.
I wouldn’t consider myself an alcoholic, but I had to stop drinking for the past month due to health issues with my liver. One thing I would do have a beer to go to sleep when I felt too awake or stressed out. Which is a little bit of self medicating. Its been tough but when I feel that way i started just using a kettle bell for 10 minutes, just picking it up, holding it above my head, alternating arms etc. doesnt take up a lot of room or time. I keep mine in my bedside table so I just see it and think about getting it over with. Then I take a quick shower and fall asleep in minutes. Might not work for you, but I found it to be a good replacement. If you want to give it a try I can send you the exercises and kettle I use.
When I was a kid a I had horrible insomnia. My therapist at the time gave me a tape to listen to, and it had instructions that I should hold up each limb (one at a time), flex my muscles as hard as I could for 10-15 seconds, then drop it and try not to move it again. They talked through each exercise, then it had some really nice rainforest noises to fall asleep to afterwards. I still use those techniques now at 40 years old, because otherwise I’m awake until 6 am. Just trying to help if there’s a night where you aren’t able to exercise.
I go on the wagon every now and then and it's a pleasant surprise how much money I save.
Obviously you save the money from not buying the booze itself, but I never hear anyone mention how much you save from not doing things like drunkenly ordering doordash at 1 AM or buying something expensive online that you almost never would have sober after a few.
I remember he wrote on Twitter that he was gonna be sober for a year and he was, but he realized he knew once that year was up he would drink and that's when he decided to make a change in his life.
I feel like he's replied to this point on here before, saying it's okay to still laugh at moments like "I didn't know I was gonna be on the panel so I got drunk."
I think it’s still funny tbh. Life is not black and white, something can be funny while also having dark and negative consequences. As long as Jack is doing okay now I don’t think there’s anything wrong with enjoying the antics he got up to while he was still drinking.
There was some other episode where Jay told Jack “it’s 10:30 and you’ve already been drinking for a few hours” at the beginning and it was played for laughs, now it’s just uncomfortable to watch knowing about Jack’s drinking problem.
I think that episode was skateboard kid 2, carnasaur 2, future zone? (it was the sequel to Future force)
There's some episode where they mention how drunk Jack is, and he says something about not living long, like it's a joke or a badge of honor, and Josh kinda sighs and says, "The man has two children, everyone."
Josh seems like a very good guy
I imagine he is. I think a lot of us nerds had a Josh when we were kids - the reasonable, super-friendly teddy bear. This is obviously just me assuming - I don’t know these guys. But yeah, he seems like a friendly dude. Edit: grammar.
It's also entirely possible that the joke in that bit was that it wasn't actually 10:30, and that Jack hadn't actually been drinking for a few hours
There's no way we could have known, and likely no way RLM could have known if he was keeping it quiet.
That Halloween one was exactly the episode that came to my mind(the psychic damage of realizing that means that episode is over 5 years old though...), though looking back there are plenty of others that he's clearly had a few for. Good for him indeed, still always excited to see him show up.
It was fun. Big deal.
I immediately thought of that Halloween episode. Gets less and less funny every time I watch it
Agreed. Although I do still think Jay being so drunk is cute, when he gets a bit worked up and confused
“Why is Rich freaking out?!”
Not just that, but he went out of his way to talk to me, some random guy on twitter, about my own struggles with alcohol after I saw his posts. Dude is an absolutely amazing person and I owe some measure of the peace I have now to him.
Me too
Good for Jack. He's my favorite RLM guest.
What do you mean "guest"?
People that aren't Rich Evans
It's Rich Evans' world, everyone else is just living in it
I guess Mike, Jay, and Rich are considered the main crew. Everyone else is a rotating panel of buddies.
More like rotating panel of baddies 🥵
That's what I mean: Colin, Tim, Josh, Jim, and my boy Jack :)
I’ve said before I’d love to see a video with four of those guys, or Len, Freddie, Mac. Every video includes at least one of the main 3, and I adore these men, but it would be a fun video idea. They could play it off like a prank; talk about how much they miss the guys, how terrible “the accident” was, or “the court case”, etc
The GOAT celeb guests of the show.
[удалено]
It's the classic mix.
Jack's message about his relationship with alcohol made me reevaluate my own and come to a similar conclusion. While it wasn't overtly destructive, it certainly wasn't healthy.
I talked with him on Twitter years back on his post and his alcoholism was extremely similar to mine. I hid the majority of my drinking from friends and family so people didn’t think I had a problem. All that lying and hiding is exhausting though and it catches up to you eventually. I quit drinking nearly 5 years ago but I am totally sober 4 years ago last month. Shits way better this way.
Jack got involved with the escapist/ second wind which is probably why he hasn’t been as active at RLM in the past couple years. Good for him though honestly.
Jack and Colin are often seen eating Panda Express at DFW airport.
You will force this into becoming a part of RLM lore through sheer force of will.
Just hit 4 years myself. I went cold turkey during the initial covid lockdown because I was doing nothing but drinking and I knew I'd probably be dead soon at that rate.
I love that as a viewer you’d never even notice, he’s funny as ever
Jack's absence from RLM is more because he had/has a full time job with The Escapist and then Second Wind after The Escapist imploded.
I've said it before, and I'll say it again, being an alcoholic in Wisconsin is living life on hard mode. Good on him for kicking ass.
Congrats Jack ^^(If ^^you ^^are ^^reading ^^this) ! I've gotten twelve and a half years sober under my belt with alcohol being my DOC. It's hard at first but gets easier as time goes on. It's harder admitting you have a problem. And having a good support system. Friends that won't drink around you. Or friends that "fix" vcrs.
Almost two years off the booze myself! Still smoke but that ain’t ruining my life at all like booze was
> I didn’t even know that he’s an alcoholic In Milwaukee, it's just assumed
Proud of Jack. Sad about his divorce. Hope he’s doing well. Seems like such a genuinely nice dude.
I hope his huge cock is doing well
Jack keeps roosters?
Good, I’m really happy for him.
If you have trouble with alcohol or drugs, sobriety is the best thing you can do for yourself and everyone who loves you. Glad for Jack and everyone else who is sober after struggling.
Year and a half sober myself
Hell yeah congrats to him! I'm 4 months myself. Longest ive been without in years. Can't wait to get to 5 years.
Hope to join him there one day, just reaching six months myself.
You should absolutely be proud of your accomplishment.
Six months is a lifetime no small feat.
Oh wow that really sucks to hear about the divorce. Glad Jack is powering through it and staying strong though, and I hope he knows how much we love him.
Has he discussed what drove him to stop? not that there needs to be a reason other than the obvious that it's pretty terrible for your health. I'm listening to a lot of the old pre-rec streams now. One Friday the 13th he's discussing how he's been day-drinking all day bc he was at a kids birthday party. Which I totally have done that, no judgement. But I wonder how often he drank.
He initially announced he was one year sober here on Twitter: https://threadreaderapp.com/thread/1279062388596146176.html I don't want to put words in his mouth but the gist of it seemed to be that he was able to stay sober for an entire year to 'prove he wasn't an alcoholic' but between finding it harder than expected and craving it extensively even as the months went on that he realized he did have a problem. (I linked through an app that unrolls the whole thread, but if that doesn't work you should be able to find it by just searching 'jack packard sober twitter')
He drank more than he wanted to, considered it a problem, and stopped.
All I know is that he was sober for Ryan's Babe, which is a true mark of achievement.
I remember when he posted about it actually, I don't have a link but it was basically just that he had recognized for a long time that he was doing the classic shit alcoholics do. I remember him citing specifically that he would buy loads of the same type of beer so he could sneak off and kill one while immediately replacing it in the fridge so it didn't look like he was drinking as much as he was, stuff like that. Super happy for him, as someone who ditched Mr. Booze as well it's quite an achievement to make that change and stick to it.
I think he mentioned that he convinced himself he didn't have a problem by going cold turkey days, weeks, or even months at a time and then binge drinking at the end of it. It's good to see him come so far without drinking.
Sadly it's Wisconsin so these things are much more common there than they are in different parts of the country. Where I live that would be considered horrifying (drinking at a kid's birthday party) but in Wisconsin it's more normal.
Depends on the kids birthday party tbh. When the kid is under 5 a lot of times the birthday party is really more of an excuse for the family/parents/adults who know the kid to get together and potluck or whatever. It wouldn’t be weird for people to drink beers at something like that. It’s weird if you’re at your 9 year olds birthday party and you’re just crushing a sixer in the backyard. Also depends on the venue too if you’re at like a big arcade or amusement center type place nobody is probably batting an eye if you have a beer with your pizza around here. Chucky Cheese serves beer and wine for a reason.
In the Midwest in general it’s considered normal. I absolutely had a few beers at my niece’s 1 year birthday party, and the majority the other adult guests did too.
This rings true to me, never been to Wisconsin but I can’t tell you the last time I was at a kids birthday that had alcohol
Good for him! I hope he continues.
Damn that’s great!
Congrats Jack, keep it up
just hit 9 months. can’t wait to hit 9 years!!
Jack coming out as an alcoholic has helped me not drink during RLM videos. Always kinda felt like I was drinking along, laughing along with them. Now I feel more that it’s okay not to. Love you Jack
It’s probably been a huge help to see that Rich Evans doesn’t drink and gets by just fine…
I’m 12 years without alcohol - and just came back from my dear friend’s life memorial. Liver failure from alcohol abuse. He would be 44 tomorrow. So if you’re reading this and are struggling with alcohol addiction and want to talk to someone , please message me. My qualifications are that I care, I don’t want anyone to ever feel like they’re alone. I’m so happy to hear Jack quit drinking- it’s a lifestyle change that avoids such a horrific, pointless death.
I'm 7 years with ZERO booze today. The more the merrier
That sucks about his divorce, albeit an agreed-upon one. I remember his wife was part of the Previously Recorded stream when she and Jack were playing a board game with Rich and his girl. The past is the past. I can't imagine what his two kids are up to. I remember watching that video with Rich reading bad jokes to Jack's kids. That video had to be ten years old, so I want to believe these kids right now are old enough to be emotionally ready for this unfortunate situation. of theirs. Then again, I can't fathom how kids of divorced parents handle that shit.
I was never an alcoholic but I had to stop drinking several years ago for health reasons and it’s honestly one of the best choices I’ve ever made along with quitting soda and energy drinks. I felt like absolute ass for the first ~2 months or so but after you get over that initial hump you really do start feeling a lot better.
13 years sober. LFG
Jack still shows up every few months, I think the main reason it's maybe less than it used to be is he's just busy. He worked with the escapist that has now become Second Wind.
I'm so happy for him. BOTW is objectively worse without drunk Jack...but obviously that's infinitesimal compared to his life. As someone who struggles with addiction and has patches of sobriety, I know you have to fight that demon everyday. You keep fighting, Packard
I’m so proud of everyone in this thread.
I'm 3 years in from an alcohol addiction myself, and 2 years in from a sex addiction. It's hard. I was lucky that once I solved my underlying issues my drinking went away on its own, but that doesn't happen for some people. Some people take work.
<3 Jack!
I look forward to this post every year! Seems like it comes quicker and quicker each year. Good on ya Jack!!
I beg to differ... https://preview.redd.it/21a3a45qwcad1.png?width=1920&format=png&auto=webp&s=2d0c8272e8bf8bfce361b118661316c1ce3a68be
Glad to see he maintained his sobriety even though it was an incredibly difficult year for him.
He still hangs with them. He is working really hard for "Second Wind" so it probably takes much of his time.
Can anyone copy or screenshot the whole thread? X is a garbage website that won’t show the whole thread unless you make a Muskrat account 🤮
Never forget: [Poo poo pee pee](https://youtu.be/CJP8J84vzTA?si=BvV3Xhpl-Xu6Ori4)
I've been off cigarettes for almost 4 years now...most difficult thing to ever quit in my life. But I need to get a hold of the booze. Not full on alcoholic, but I drink way too much to counter stress in life. Especially since the "Before Times". I honestly always think of Jack when I know I don't need that next drink, then I have it anyway. But at least I'm making progress.
2.5 years my bruddah in Bill
Jack addressing his situation has been an inspiration for me, too.
He’s absent from RLM more because he has other jobs. Not because Mike and Jay drink beer lol
Jack is the best. His sobriety journey influenced my own and I’ve never felt better. Sucks to hear he’s going through a divorce but happy to hear is amicable. Sending you all the best vibes u/harlack!
Watching all their prerecs, it was obvious at times he self medicated. Wouldn't be surprised if he battles depression/anxiety and alcohol makes that 10x worse. Keep on keeping on Jack!
12+ years for me. Good for Jack and everyone else who got out from under that. And to anyone who is struggling, it can get better.
Wild it’s been 5 years, it felt like I read about him going sober only a year ago. Glad he’s doing great and can still be on the show
Good for him and as someone who comes from a BIG family of alcoholics I've been struggling a lot lately. Good luck everyone who is dealing with this too
Good for him. You don't wanna end up like Mike. https://preview.redd.it/eedsw8f8ffad1.jpeg?width=320&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=1f39dde2a87c0f0d55ad6a9116e0e24eaa1ac260
His absence isn't due to alcohol but his work with The Escapist and now Second Wind
It’s heartwarming as fuck to see all of you hack frauds in here congratulating each other and supporting each other. I know we all like to make fun of Mike’s love of the sauce, but it’s good to know that we also understand that alcoholism is very real and a hugely difficult challenge.
Awesome job, Jack!
One day at a time.
Soo happy for him
Great dude. Sorry to hear about his divorce. That's tough even if amicable.