I read your first entry, one that came through in my "Medium Digest" today ("These 5 Subtle...") - and congrats for making the digest - and this one. First, assuming you haven't relapsed, congrats on your continued sobriety. Second, kudos for continuing your education. And third, some observations.

I can relate to not only your experience in sobriety (I just celebrated 20 years last August), but I also recognize the exuberance and eagerness to share all we are learning with the world. I did it through a Blogger blog that I started way back in 2005 while I was back in college, returning after a very long absence. You are not unique in that respect - Medium is flush with the newly sober sharing new (to them) revelations. I was not, either, way back when.

Today, I am a soon to be retired university professor. The sky is indeed the limit. So, these are my thoughts on your writing, since it appears your aim is, in part, to earn some money here. This is advice I give to my students in their writing every semester: Stay away from second person pronouns. I know, the common refrain from professors is that, in academic writing, first person pronouns are bad, and there is some truth to that, but they are more acceptable, especially in terms of style and aesthetics, than are second person pronouns.

One reason that students use the second person so much, I believe, is that textbooks are often written that way. While there is a reason for that (not exactly a good one, but somewhat valid), they are written to and, to an extent, between the author and the student. Personal reflection essays, revelations, discoveries, and even "shares" the likes of which can be found in 12-step meetings are about the author and his or her observations, interpretations and experiences. When written with second person pronouns, certain assumptions are implied every time you write "you," and often it is written when we mean "I" or "we."

When a student writes "you" on a paper he or she turns in, I always circle it and write, "who, me?" In this particular piece, the use of the second person isn't overbearing, but it made my "who, me?" antenna go up. Almost everything that uses first and second person pronouns can be written without them.

Just my two cents - good luck with your journey.