Robert Rickelman

Author
Robert Rickelman

Robert Rickelman was a drunk. For many years, he relied on booze to overcome his intense shyness, but he loathed the coward he’d become. He could not function without booze, and his prospects were bleak.

Following a suicide attempt in 1996, Robert was diagnosed as Seriously Mentally Ill (SMI). He still carries this SMI designation.

Robert has been published in various literary magazines; his story, “Phyllis,” was awarded Inscape Magazine’s 2018 Nonfiction Editors’ Award. He lives in Tucson with his wife, Pat, who has never given up on him. 

 

Jumping to the End

A Lifetime Struggle with Mental Illness and Alcoholism

Robert Rickelman has suffered from crippling anxiety his entire life. Then, he found his perfect life coach—alcohol. When he drank, he was fearless and unflappable, and comfortable in his own skin. He entered law school and drank his way through three semesters. By then, alcohol had insinuated itself into every aspect of his life, and he...