Van Ness Recovery House We asked three individuals what their experience was like getting sober at the Van Ness Recovery House, the oldest drug and alcohol treatment center in the country, serving the LGBTQ community for over 46 years. ROLLER COASTER “The Van Ness House was like a roller coaster ride. I got the opportunity…
STAYING SOBER We asked these sober individuals about the worst thing that happened to them in their recovery and how they stayed sober through it no matter what. GETTING INTO ACTION “The worst thing that happened in my sobriety is that I lost both parents and a brother in a period of six months in…
SOBER HOT SUMMER We asked these three clean and sober individuals with various lengths of sobriety how they’re staying sober during these hot summer days. ENERGY OF LOVE “My sobriety is about my connection to God. God is love and the energy of love that flows through each and everyone of us. That energy shows…
Recovery doesn’t just mean living substance-free, it means living more integrated and expressive lives. BY VICTOR MELAMED Founded in 1986, Pride Institute is the nation’s first and leading provider of residential and outpatient treatment programs devoted to treating addiction and the mental health needs of the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender community. At Pride Institute,…
In The Spirit Of Fellowship We asked these clean and sober individuals who participated in this year’s Gay & Sober Men conference in New York, why they think fellowship is an important part of recovery GET ENERGIZED “I love fellowship in recovery. I love the beautiful sense of community that we have. I love that we…
Long Term SOBRIETY We asked these three individuals who recently celebrated clean and sober milestones, what their lives are like as members of long term sobriety. Mind Boggling “Turning 19 years sober is mind boggling. I don’t know quite how I’ve done it, other than to have realized that I had no idea how to live…
Overcoming Triggers With summer fast approaching, we asked these clean and sober folks with various lengths of recovery time how they deal with triggers ortemptations during the warm weather party season. SUPPORT GROUP “The summer was always a little triggering for me. The smell of chemicals trigger me (laughs). Anything that smells like a chemical,…
Sobriety Checkpoint We asked these sober individuals with different lengths of sobriety time to check in and share where they currently are in their recovery. HELP YOUTH “Before I got sober my life revolved around not getting sick. I was physically dependent on alcohol and on benzos and those give you a physical withdrawal. I…
LIFE IN RECOVERY We asked these three clean and sober individuals with different lengths of recovery time, how their life has improved since they decided to get sober. MORE MINDFUL “Before I used to say sobriety has given me the car, the material things and the cash and prizes, but the more I’m sober, I…
DATING SOBER We asked a few local clean and sober folks, with various lengths of recovery time, how they navigate through dating in sobriety. DISCOVER YOURSELF “I find it way easier to date in sobriety. Before I was sober, I didn’t know how to love myself. Recovery is all about self-discovery, so until you discover…
Gifts Of Sobriety We asked these clean and sober folks with various lengths of recovery time what they consider the greatest gifts of sobriety in the past year. INTELLECTUAL EXPANSION “This past year was the year of intellectual expansion for me. I learned to lean more into the nuances instead of the noise. I didn’t…
Living In Gratitude With the holiday season upon us—we asked these three clean and sober individuals how they factor gratitude into their recovery. ENJOY FRIENDSHIPS “Gratitude smashes my ego. It’s keeps me out of self. I can swim in self-pity. I can swim in ‘I want more’. For me, sobriety has to be enough.…
Another Year Sober We asked these three clean and sober individuals what it is like for them to recently be celebrating another year of sobriety. Navigate My Life “Drugs and alcohol gave me wings, but took away the sky. Celebrating three years is a miracle. I’m still in the process of cleaning up the wreckage…
Sober LIFE We asked a few local clean and sober individuals, in their first year of sobriety, what they hope to get out of living a life free from addiction. Rebuild My Relationship “Right now I have 76 days sober and I want to work on my sobriety. I call my sponsor daily. I only hang…
7 reasons why choosing an LGBTQ-affirmative program matters. BY MANNY RODRIGUEZ | PHOTO BY AARON JAY YOUNG There is much to consider when choosing a treatment program for substance abuse and addiction, but one of the most important aspects of this process is to make sure the facility of your choice takes all your needs, even those…
MATTHEW BIANCHI Pride Recovery LA delivers evidence-based addiction treatment to serve the whole queer person. BY MATTHEW BIANCHI | PHOTO BY DUSTI CUNNINGHAM LGBTQ people are outsiders everywhere they go. Sure, “things get better,” but “better” is in comparison to centuries of “other.” Under the best of circumstances, Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer (LGBTQ) people are…
Keep Coming Back We asked a few local clean and sober individuals why they stay sober and what they do to maintain their continuous recovery. HAVE CONTROL “I’m sober because I choose to be alive and I choose to have control over my life. When I’m sober, I am able to be loved and…
