A Big False Alarm

As someone with anxiety, I wish people took Marten's advice here more often. Having a romantic partner, parent, sibling, or even just friend say they want to talk is enough to send my nerves through the roof. Please, for the sake of your friends with anxiety, let them know how serious the thing you want to talk about is at the outset so they don't spend the day stewing in their own panic and fear.

Slateblu1

Now I want some bonus art what a Sludge Hermit looks like...

Robert Heinig

People with education and experience in the realms of psychiatry and psychology have co-opted it. AA is patently useless (except as a replacement addiction combined with gaslighting run by people with no background in the the finer points of true addiction). And don't get me started on the fact that there's an actual *medication* which has been proven to be hugely successful in ameliorating the drive toward alcoholism. It's been around for years, is pretty damn safe, and is widely available. I fucking hate AA and its offshoots.

Ruth Merriam

A major drift from the way the schmuck who founded AA defined it. Interesting

Todd Ellner

Sad Marten is just. I want to wrap him in a blanket...

Solomon Garland

The wall didn't change color in panel 2. It was just some friendly neighborhood darkness that happened to be passing by right then.

Some Ed

codependence is not about drugs (including alcohol). It's about the kind of need for the other person that causes you to excuse and even enable their bad behavior. It's not obviously a bad thing if the partner doesn't have bad behavior. Except, well, every human has bad behavior of some kind.

Some Ed

I really like the wall's color change in panel 2. It's like the darkness just set in, y'know?

At least now I know becoming a sludge hermit is an option.

Populuxe

I imagine the sewers are sparkling clean due to sludgebot and its team of friendly ratbots.

You can be codependent on relationships.

Gave me worried Hanners vibes there.

Steve H

That is a weird use of the term "codependent". There's no indication either of them is addicted to alcohol or other drugs.

Todd Ellner

The love insecurity is real. This made me both sad and happy in the most healthily codependent way possible.

Ruth Merriam

omg marten’s face in panel 2 🥺

There's a hole community down there. That's a pun, not an oxymoron.

Keith Rohrer

Please post link if you find one.

William Cole

Those sewer diseases are no joke.

Yelling Bird

(checks to see if there's a sludge hermit discord server)

Steve DeGroof

i don't know how to deal with this strip; sobbing 😭 i guess

Tamara Temple