Helping Others We asked a few local clean and sober folks how helping others through service helps them stay sober. SIMPLE COMMITMENTS “Service for me is based on action. Service also keeps me accountable. During my addiction I used to think about being of service and think about helping other people. It was a fantasy. It…
Summer Fun We asked a few local sober folks with various lengths of recovery time, how they make sobriety fun during the summer months. EVERYDAY LIFE “Here’s the thing, I enjoy all the things that I thought would be boring in sobriety. I thought nightlife was the most fun thing that I could do.…
Past And Present We asked these clean and sober individuals to share what their life is like now in recovery, in contrast to the life they had before sobriety. New Desire “My life today is hopeful and full of possibilities. Not that there weren’t possibilities before, but there was a disconnect from my own personal…
Letting Go Of Resentments We asked these local sober folks, with various lengths of continuous sobriety time, how they let go of resentments in recovery. STEP WORK “I had a breakup this past year where my boyfriend cheated on me. I still have the resentment that I’m working on right now. As far as…
First Year Sober Happy New Year! These men recently celebrated one year of continuous clean and sober time. We asked what that first year of recovery was like for them. The Reality “My first year sober has been about self-discovery and self-study. I learned to look at things that I was not willing to look at before,…
Recreational Cannabis Local professionals in the recovering field on the legalization of recreational cannabis use in California, effective January 2018. IT’S HEALTHIER “I think legalizing it will eliminate some of the sneakiness. Anytime you can take away the sneakiness around drugs or alcohol use—drug use in this case—it’s better. When you take guilt and shame from…
A Better Future Transgender Day of Remembrance in West Hollywood honors trans lives lost. TEXT & PHOTOS BY PAULO MURILLO The City of West Hollywood joined its Transgender Advisory Board to host the city’s annual Transgender Day of Remembrance on November 20. The day serves to honor and memorialize people who have lost their lives…
Grief And Recovery Three clean and sober men who recently lost friends from their sober circles on how their loss effects them. CURVE BALL The recent death of my friend Eric Danko hit me hard and it shifted my program. I realize that I need to be spiritually fit. I’m now doing 30 meetings in 30 days.…
Recovery Royalty We asked Tatiana, Lotta Slots and Chanelta, well known in the recovering community, on how being of service at sober events affect their recovery as they prepared for Best in Drag Show, a fundraiser for Aid for AIDS. Sense Of Purpose “The name Tatianna came from a Diane Von Furstenberg fragrance in the 80s…
The Last 48 Hours We asked a few local folks with various lengths of recovery what their last 48 hours of drinking and using was like and what their life is like now that they are clean and sober. Recovery First “In my last 48 hours before I got sober, I could not stop. I…
Sober Gay L.A. We asked a few local folks with different lengths of sobriety what their experience has been like within the sober gay community in Los Angeles. COMMON THEMES “… It can be to be a little cliquey, which is a lot of what you would get at a gay club. That can happen within…
Galvanizing The Community Robert Gamboa, one of the producers of the sober #SIZZLE at the LA Pride Festival, on staying on track, the #ResistMarch and “Take a Sober Stand.” The way I stay sober during Pride season is I am of service. I get to be of service at a multitude of capacities. Being of service…
ORANGE IS THE NEW BLACK STARS TIE THE KNOT Actress Samira Wiley, known for her role as gay prisoner Poussey in Orange Is The New Black, married her long term girlfriend Lauren Morelli, the writer and producer of the show. The wedding took place in Palm Springs at the same location as the engagement. They…
Returnees In Recovery We asked a few local clean and sober guys what it was like to get sober again and stand up as returnees in recovery after their last relapse. WALK THROUGH SHAME I had eleven months before I relapsed. Coming back wasn’t hard for me because I knew I wanted to get sober and…
By Paulo Murillo – Recovery gift boutique My 12 Step Store partnered with the West Hollywood Chamber of Commerce (WHCC), WeHo’s Institute for Public Strategies and WeHo Safe Project to host the alcohol-free networking event Mix ‘N’ Mingle on the Blvd. The mixer is scheduled for April 26, from 6-8 p.m. on the front lot…
Construction begins on LA LGBT Center’s multi-generational Anita May Rosenstein Campus. BY PAULO MURILLO The Los Angeles LGBT Center hosted a groundbreaking ceremony last month to start construction of The Center’s Anita May Rosenstein Campus—a comprehensive multi-generational services and affordable housing project. The ceremony was attended by LA Center officials, Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti,…
– Photos & Text by Paulo Murillo – The Los Angeles LGBT Center hosted a groundbreaking ceremony to start construction of The Center’s Anita May Rosenstein Campus this past Saturday, March 18. The ceremony was attended by Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti and Councilmember David Ryu, who were both speakers at the event. Lead donor…
