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…
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…
