The question, "Am I an alcoholic or addict?" often arises in the minds of those grappling with substance abuse.

The continuum of care in addiction recovery is broken. Billions of dollars are spent helping people get sober, yet far too few resources are devoted to helping them stay that way.

If you’ve ever looked in the mirror and thought, “I can’t keep doing this,”  you’re not alone. Maybe you’ve tried cutting back. Maybe you’ve sworn off booze entirely. Maybe you’ve woken up and promised yourself that today will be different – only to find yourself right back where you started. When everything else fails, there’s one option that still works better than almost anything else: Alcoholics Anonymous. Now, we know what you might be thinking: “AA? Isn’t that just a bu

When Demi Lovato told Joe Rogan she was “ Cali Sober ,” it lit up the recovery world. The idea - that someone could live a “sober” life while still using marijuana or drinking occasionally - wasn’t new. But it was the first time a mainstream celebrity had said it that plainly, and to an audience that large. Fast forward to 2025, and “Cali Sober” has become its own kind of movement. Wellness influencers use it. Psychologists debate it. Treatment centers market around it. Depen

This episode of Braving the Journey features Tyler Matheny, cofounder of YANA - a digital platform redefining what long-term recovery looks like through technology, community, and evidence-based support.

We hear this a lot. The more someone is exposed to recovery without recovering, the more they resent the 12 Steps. Most say, “I tried the 12 Steps and they didn’t work.” Almost none say, “I worked the 12 Steps and they didn’t work.” That difference matters. Did you actually work the program? Ask a simple question: “Did you open the Big Book at the title page, read through page 164, and do what it asks in between?”If the answer is honest, it is usually “No.” How people get los

How Do You Help an Addict or Alcoholic? It’s one of the hardest questions anyone can ask: how do you actually help someone struggling with addiction?

Relapse is one of the most painful and confusing parts of addiction. To understand why it happens, we first need to define who we’re talking about — because not everyone who drinks or uses drugs is an addict or alcoholic in the clinical sense.

The New York Times recently ran an article entitled, "Alcoholics Anonymous vs. Other Approaches: The Evidence Is Now In" showing that new...

Preface: This post is filled with opinion. With that being said, if you read something that differs from what the Big Book or your...

Disclaimer: Work all the steps, in order, with a person that has done likewise if you choose a 12 Step Program as your path to recovery....