The Next Step. A Blog.
Weekly Wisdom on Addiction, Recovery, Families, and Everything In-Between.
Why Getting Sober at 30 Changed My Life
My last drunk happened about as far from home as you can get. It was a wild two-day blackout bender in Sri Lanka. Yes, Sri Lanka. When I finally emerged from it, I had that familiar feeling many people with a drinking problem know well — the sense that things had gone...
Sponsorship in Alcoholics Anonymous: Building Lasting Recovery Connections
Introduction: Why Sponsorship Matters in A.A. Recovery from alcoholism isn’t a solo journey, it’s a path best traveled with guidance, support, and the wisdom of people who have walked it before. In Alcoholics Anonymous (A.A.), sponsorship stands out as one of the most...
Rebuild Your Finances and Life After Addiction Ends Your Business
For local business owners in recovery, and the family members holding things together, the end of a business after substance use can feel like grief with a price tag. There’s the public sting of closing doors, and there’s the private panic of bills, debt, and income...
Challenges and Solutions in Long-Term Recovery
Cautionary Tales from Four Decades of Recovery The following accounts are drawn from four plus decades of experience in recovery. To maintain the privacy of those involved, names and locations have been altered. These narratives serve as cautionary examples that...
Learning Differently, Living Differently: How My Learning Disability and Alcoholism Intertwined
Growing up in the 1990s with a learning disability wasn’t something people talked about openly. Back then, kids like me were often pulled out of class for special help or given something called an Individualized Education Plan — an IEP. I didn’t understand what that...
Embracing Seasons of Change in the Rooms: The Second Tradition and the Spirit of Rotation
The Second Tradition of Alcoholics Anonymous says, “For our group purpose there is but one ultimate authority—a loving God as He may express Himself in our group conscience. Our leaders are but trusted servants; they do not govern.” For a long time, that tradition...
The 4H’s of Recovery
A popular adolescent development program is called 4-H. It stands for: Head, Heart, Hands, and Health. The 4-H program helps develop leadership, public speaking, and problem-solving skills, in adolescents and teens. It also focuses on improved academic performance and...
What’s in a Name?
When my little sister shot and killed her husband, my older sister thought it was because she drank too much whiskey. She sent her a case of wine, thinking that it was the whiskey that caused the trouble, and wine would be much safer. We alcoholics frequently have the...
Make Friends With That Curb, Because It Will Teach You What You Need To Know
Every Wednesday, I teach classes on addiction and mental health at a residential program in downtown San Antonio for men and women who have been recently homeless. I have the men for an hour, and then the women. A new woman came early for class. She had picked up a...
The Process of Healing
The Process of Healing
- Why Getting Sober at 30 Changed My Life
- Sponsorship in Alcoholics Anonymous: Building Lasting Recovery Connections
- Rebuild Your Finances and Life After Addiction Ends Your Business
- Challenges and Solutions in Long-Term Recovery
- Learning Differently, Living Differently: How My Learning Disability and Alcoholism Intertwined
