You'd think getting great news in sobriety would be all celebration and happiness. But sometimes getting exactly what you want is when the panic sets in.
Lisa remembers landing a major job at a law firm just 10 months into sobriety, after surviving an intimidating interview process that would have been impossible during her drinking days. She was thrilled, proud and suddenly faced with the realization that now she actually had to do the job.
Anna remembers selling Party Girl to her dream publisher and deciding that the deal meant she'd be happy for the rest of her life. That lasted approximately two weeks.
But something has shifted. When Anna recently got the unexpected invitation to speak at Genius Network's annual event, she experienced something she hadn't always been capable of: enjoying the good news without needing it to guarantee some spectacular future outcome. She was so stunned by the invitation that she left her phone on the hood of her car for several hours. Miraculously, it was still there when she returned.
We talk about why external accomplishments can't fix internal unhappiness, how sobriety has made us more appreciative of the little things (including the apparently miraculous experience of drinking coffee in the morning) and the unexpected pleasure of being genuinely happy for other people's success.
And then, naturally, we get petty.
This week's petty resentments involve the person who hijacks an entire group dinner to talk about themselves, the well-meaning friend who keeps encouraging them and the particular torture of listening to someone describe a wildly unrealistic dream when you're expected to nod enthusiastically rather than tell the truth.
Because apparently it's possible to be deeply grateful and incredibly petty at the same time.
What is Recovery Rocks?
Ever wonder what it's like to go on your first sober date? Or survive a wedding without liquid courage? How about dancing stone-cold sober or dealing with your first breakup without wine?
If so, you're in luck because you can join bestselling authors and longtime sober friends Lisa Smith and Anna David as they talk to guests—and each other—about addiction and recovery, including all the “firsts” that come with sober living. From awkward to amazing, cringe-worthy to surprisingly poignant, they’re discussing what it’s like to experience life without substances.
Lisa is the author of the award-winning memoir Girl Walks Out of a Bar, while Anna wrote Party Girl, a comic novel about addiction and recovery in the vein of Rachel's Holiday and Postcards From the Edge. Together, they explore the real-life moments behind the kinds of stories that shape how people understand recovery.
Whether you're newly sober, sober-curious or just want to hear some honest stories about recovery, Recovery Rocks is here for all of it.
Because as it turns out, when you can remember everything that happened, life gets a lot more interesting.
New episodes weekly. Real stories, real recovery, real talk.