Recovery Rocks

Just because we’re sober doesn’t mean we don’t still want to have fun wherever we hang out. But being comfortable in bars and clubs isn’t automatic. Lisa took a pass for a long time and only goes on rare occasions. Anna spent her first year sober as Premiere magazine’s “Party Girl,” which involved going out every night among the shiniest of people and the most open of bars. Amazingly, the experience only enhanced her commi...

Legend has it that drugs and alcohol have spawned some great works of art, including books. But evidence shows that numbing ourselves out actually stifles creativity. Anna and Lisa talk about what it was like to first feel that spark and flow of an idea without the booze. Anna was terrified that just sitting in front of the computer was going to trigger cravings and was shocked to discover that writing was actually a milli...

It’s bound to happen. At some point in our early or not-so-early sobriety, something is likely to trigger that overwhelming feeling of anxiety or even panic. Maybe it’s in a situation we’d drink our through or maybe it’s out of nowhere. For Lisa, it was the latter. For Anna, smoking cigarettes eased her newcomer sobriety—until she realized it was only exacerbating the issue.

Check out all things Lisa and all things Anna. 

Picking up where the original Recovery Rocks left off, this next era of the podcast is all about how we make the most of our lives in sobriety. Co-hosts Lisa Smith and Anna David dig into all the beauty, mess, creativity, laughs, tears, and joy of leaving the booze behind. 

We’ll kick it all off with some of our own stories, how we bonded ten years ago, and a series on our “sober firsts.”

Check out all things Lisa and all ...

What would the last Recovery Rocks episode be without a focus on music? Tawny and Lisa talk all about the role music plays in their recovery and their lives in general. Tawny talks about seeing some of her favorite bands over the summer as research for her next (music-themed!) book project. The ladies extend all their gratitude and love to the listeners over the last seven years. Stick around on this feed for Sober Living,...

Tawny and Lisa talk with their friend Chris Marshall, the creator of Sans Bar, the first non-alcoholic bar in North America. Sans Bar broke new ground in creating IRL sober spaces and providing support for soberpreneurs. They talk about how getting sober is an act of liberation, and Chris shares how his sobriety has led to all kinds of personal revelations and creativity. They also talk about his memoir, Faster Than Light....

Laura Silverman, cartographer and creator of Zero Proof Nation, a global map of non-alcoholic bars and bottle shops, joins Tawny and Lisa for a stroll down memory lane. They talk about the non-alcoholic drink movement and how far it has come in the last seven years. 

Music Minute features outlaw country music, Emily Nenni and Joshua Hedley

Sign up for Laura’s Substack 

Find Laura on Instagram and LinkedIn 

Check out Clean ...

After seven years and nearly 300 episodes, Tawny and Lisa are saying goodbye to Recovery Rocks. But they’re not going anywhere! Lisa will still be in this podcast feed with a new show, Sober Living, along with OG recovery queen Anna David. And Tawny will be everywhere with her non-al spirit, (parentheses), writing classes and coaching, and a new book in the works! They look back on the show and look forward into the future...

Tawny and Lisa interview Jill Sirianni, co-host of the podcast Frugal Friends, which aims to change how we think about frugality. It does not mean being cheap. Frugal living intersects with minimalism, simple living and sustainability. Many of us have financial stress, often left over from when we abused substances. They talk about how practicing curiosity around finances can help identify priorities in developing a plan.

...

Tawny and Lisa talk to Art Alexakis, frontman for Everclear, one of the defining bands of the 1990s, still going strong. Art has almost 35 years of recovery, living very much one day at a time. They talk about recovery and Art’s writing process, including the iconic song, “Father of Mine.” They also discuss what it takes to know when you’re done with drugs and alcohol, to ask for help, and to live in humility and gratitude...

Tawny and Lisa talk about Tawny’s recent Beyond Liquid Courage newsletter, "People Pleasing is Over."  She learned through years of recovery and therapy that her people-pleasing is tied to her codependency. Lisa learned in early recovery that if she didn’t stop always trying to please others, she wasn’t going to be able to stay sober. People pleasing is more nuanced than just doing something for a loved one because you wan...

Tawny and Lisa talk about addiction as a family disease. Whether it’s with your birth family or your chosen family (or both!), healing individually and as unit can break cycles of addiction and unhealthy behaviors. They both talk about their experiences with their families and how it’s an imperfect journey that never really ends.

Music Minute features Sister Sledge, Everclear, The Killers and Billie Eilish.

Find support at...

Tawny and Lisa talk with Ted Mandell, Associate Teaching Professor at the University of Notre Dame’s Department of Film, Television, and Theatre. Tawny has been a guest speaker for Ted’s class, “Drunk on Film: The Psychology of Storytelling with Alcohol and its Effects on Alcohol Consumption.” They talk about the reasons kids drink more when they get to college, the persistence of the excessive drinking culture, and ways t...

Tawny and Lisa talk with Hilary Sheinbaum about her new workbook, GOING DRY: A Practical Guide to Drinking Less and Living More. The workbook takes readers through all phases of a sober or sober-curious journey, ranging from assessing your relationship with drinking to setting realistic expectations to discovering new experiences that bring you joy without booze. 

Music Minute features Sabrina Carpenter, Taylor Swift, a...

Tawny and Lisa talk with Lindsay Sutherland Boal, a coach, advocate, and the founder of both The Uncovery App and She Walks Canada, which support women overcoming problematic relationships with alcohol. They chat about gray-area drinking and the concept of “rock enough,” the acknowledgement that you don’t need a “rock bottom” crisis to quit drinking. The Uncovery App is dedicated to the pursuit of alcohol-free living throu...

Tawny and Lisa are taking a summer break from the podcast, but encore episodes will air until they’re back in September. They talk about how it feels to pause and what they’ll be doing. It’s an opportunity for play and a chance to reset and reflect. But giving themselves time off brings up different emotions for both of them. They go deep on their feelings about routines, financial insecurity, and perfection.

Music ...

City girls love nature, too! Tawny and Lisa talk about the role it plays in their recoveries. Spending time in nature is linked to both cognitive benefits and improvements in mood, mental health and emotional well-being. But you can also bring nature into the home with herbs, plants, flowers or anything that connects with you. And nature is not just the mountains or the ocean – it can be anywhere you feel connected, like a...