The Book of Donovan

Addictive Personalities and AI

Welcome back! I start this episode off discussing Internet issues that I woke up to this morning. With some rambling, I do eventually get to the point of the episode: how using something like AI can be addictive, especially to someone (like me) that already has an addictive personality. If you need to talk or just want to comment on this episode, please do so. The email is podcast@bookofdonovan.com (contrary to me in the episode not being able to actually remember!) This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit donovanadkisson.substack.com [https://donovanadkisson.substack.com?utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=CTA_1]

Not Yet 60, but Tired Already

I’ve decided to rebrand the show to The Book of Donovan. To be honest, I sat on this recording for a week because it felt too dark, even for me. But I had to get it out of my system. I’m 56 years old, and on May 4th, 2026, I’ll hit my 36th wedding anniversary. While I’ve managed to keep this family afloat and we live in a nice neighborhood, I’m struggling. I wake up at 5 a.m. every day to a routine of coffee, news, and checking my IT management dashboard. It’s a grind. I recently lost a major client, so we’re having to tighten the budget, and our old vehicles—one of which is 24 years old—constantly need expensive repairs. Deep down, I haven’t been happy in years. I feel a lot of guilt because, on paper, I have what I need, yet I’m miserable most of the time. I often feel like the effort in my life is one-sided; I handle 98% of what gets done around the house, from the laundry to 60% of the cooking. I find myself looking back at my 20s and 30s with nostalgia—back when I was a network manager for CityNet in Tifton, fighting to get DSL into our neighborhood, and staying up until 3 a.m. playing World of Warcraft with my wife. Now, I wrestle with the “why” of it all. We spend our lives chasing goals only to find ourselves barreling toward 60 with nothing of substance to show for it. I’m tired, I’m scared, and I’m filled with a rage that I only manage to keep in check because I’m no longer masking things with alcohol. I’ve made bad decisions in the past, and I carry a lot of shame for how I’ve treated people emotionally. This isn’t meant to be uplifting—this is my therapy. If you’re feeling the same way, you can reach me at podcast@bookofdonovan.com. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit donovanadkisson.substack.com [https://donovanadkisson.substack.com?utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=CTA_1]

Name Change and New Focus

I’m 1,049 days into what I like to call my “alcohol retirement,” and this episode is really a bit of housekeeping. After a year of podcasting through Spreaker, I finally decided it no longer made sense to keep paying for a platform that wasn’t really giving me much back. So, I’ve moved everything over to Substack, and in the process, I decided it was time to retire the name “Call Me Donovan” and officially rename the show The Book of Donovan. I’m hoping the podcast feed mess is finally sorted out and that the new show will actually update properly everywhere it’s supposed to. The reason for the new name (aside from trying to fix the RSS feed issue) is that this show has grown beyond just talking about my sobriety. As I get closer to three years without alcohol, I find myself wanting to talk more about getting older, spirituality, life, technology, and figuring out what really matters. I may be an atheist, but I still believe there’s value in living by good principles and looking for something bigger than yourself without buying into all the baggage that comes with organized religion. The Book of Donovan feels like the right name because this podcast is really just me, page by page, trying to figure life out as I go. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit donovanadkisson.substack.com [https://donovanadkisson.substack.com?utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=CTA_1]

Why I'm Glad I Don't Drink in 2026

For episode 81, I talk about approaching my three-year anniversary of “alcohol retirement” and how proud I am that this is the longest I’ve ever gone without drinking. I reflect on the many times in my life that I swore off alcohol, only to convince myself I could handle it differently, and I share a couple of embarrassing and dangerous stories from my drinking years—including drunkenly peeing in a closet and once passing out and hitting my head in my office. I discuss how, even though the end of 2025 and beginning of 2026 have been rough professionally as I face losing a major client, I’m grateful I’m facing it sober rather than making things worse by drinking. I talk about missing the taste and romanticized idea of alcohol, but not the chaos and damage that came with it, and how being sober has improved my health, my outlook, and my ability to weather difficult times. I close by encouraging anyone on a similar journey to reach out, because while I may not have used a formal support group, maybe this podcast—and the people listening—have become mine. Get full access to Call Me Donovan at callmedonovan.substack.com/subscribe [https://callmedonovan.substack.com/subscribe?utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=CTA_4] This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit donovanadkisson.substack.com [https://donovanadkisson.substack.com?utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=CTA_1]

The Price of Loyalty

In this episode, recorded on March 11, I’m grappling with a stinging realization about the nature of business and personal loyalty. After a decade of bending over backwards to provide the very best service for a long-term client, I found out yesterday that I’m being “rewarded” by losing them as a client. I dive deep […] Get full access to Call Me Donovan at callmedonovan.substack.com/subscribe [https://callmedonovan.substack.com/subscribe?utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=CTA_4] This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit donovanadkisson.substack.com [https://donovanadkisson.substack.com?utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=CTA_1]