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…
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…
Summer Sobriety The associates at My 12 Step Store in West Hollywood on how they’re staying sober these hot summer days. BY PAULO MURILLO HAVE FAITH ″When I was in my addiction, I’d be running around and always looking for the next place where I could get high. I’d be walking in the heat for hours…
Day One We asked a few local sober folks with over 10 years of sobriety to reflect on their first day sober and what life is like for them now. GOOD SAMARITAN “I had passed out in front of the Laurel Pet hospital and a woman picked me up and took me home. I call her my…
Letting GO With Valentine’s Day in mind, we asked a few local sober folks how they maintained their sobriety throughout the heartbreak of a breakup while in recovery. BY PAULO MURILLO TRY NEW THINGS “My divorce was around three years ago—I was like nine years sober at the time. I didn’t really think about using. I…
Celebrating The Holidays CLEAN And SOBER A few local folks with various lengths of recovery time onhow they deal with family life during the holidays. BY PAULO MURILLO SET BOUNDARIES My family is grateful for my recovery and very supportive of it. I have the dubious distinction of being the first sober person in the family and the only…
BY PAULO MURILLO / PHOTO BY GIL CORTES Grateful To LOVE Again Douglas Lantis and Jose Gonzales, two sober men who found each other in the rooms of recovery, on how gratitude impacts their sobriety. Thanksgiving Together Gratitude is key for me in my recovery. I’m one of those people who still does a gratitude…
Recover In The Trans Community Three local trans women, with various lengths of recovery, on their journey being clean and sober. OUR CHALLENGES “I don’t think trans women have a harder time staying sober. I think we have a harder time not sexualizing ourselves for money—because of society and the way we are treated. It’s harder for us…
MR. SISTER LEATHER 2017 The Sisters’ new titleholder, David Sanford, on sobriety, kink and living your life out loud. BY MARK ARIEL PHOTO BY ROBERT GREEN, MOTORBOOT PHOTOGRAPHY The results of The Los Angeles Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence contest are in – David Sanford is the new Mr. Sister Leather 2017. The Sisters’ first…
Andy, 2005 (left), 2016 (right). “The room, lit only by the flickering closed-circuit porn on the TV, begins to darken further. I feel panic, but there’s nothing I can do as I slip headlong into the utter nothingness of the g-hole.” BY ANDY NICASTRO It’s the spring of 2005, three years into my addiction. I’m…
