Recovery Rocks

Tawny and Lisa talk with Deni Carise, Ph. D., a founder and the Chief Science Officer of Recovery Centers of America (RCA). Tawny recently met Deni at RCA’s Break Free sober fashion event (yes, a sober fashion event!). At 18, Deni left home to pursue modeling and fell into cocaine addiction. Once she got sober, Deni went back to community college and chased her studies the way she had chased her a...

Katie Mack is a groundbreaking sober creative and the Creator/Producer of F*cking Sober: the first 90 days podcast, which won the 2021 Webby Award for Best Writing and was nominated for Best Limited Series. Tawny and Lisa talked with her about Season 2 of F*cking Sober as well as future seasons. Mack’s mission is to spotlight sober voices that break stereotypes and defy our expectations of “sober...

Tawny and Lisa tackle a question from a listener: “How do you get a sponsor if you’re not in AA?” For those in recovery outside AA, and for sober-curious people doing dry months and otherwise cutting back or quitting alcohol, having an accountability partner and/or sober community is essential. Lisa talks through what an AA sponsor is and isn’t, as well as what a recovery coach does. Tawny notes t...

Robin McIntosh is the Co-CEO and Co-Founder of Workit Health, which offers clinically-proven virtual care for substance use, mental health, and co-occurring disorders. Tawny and Lisa talked all about it with her. WorkIt is simply premised on one person helping another person. They have worked hard to make their services as accessible as possible, including rolling out programs covered by private i...

Tawny and Lisa talk about the recent op-ed piece in The New York Times , “We Can’t Work It Out: Why I Finally Broke Up with The Beatles,” by Josh Max. In the column, Josh compares his attachment to The Beatles to the attachments many of us have with the substances we abused. In fact, Tawny analogized it to her past obsession with Jim Morrison. We can lose part of our identities when we become addi...

Simone Finch is the creator and executive producer of the Freeform/Hulu semi-autobiographical dramedy SINGLE DRUNK FEMALE. The show happens to be Tawny’s and Lisa’s current obsession. They were thrilled to chat with Simone about how the show came about and how its stories and characters hit home. With honesty and humor, the show lays bare the challenges and triumphs of sobriety, including friendsh...

David Odyssey is a writer, editor, performer, diviner, and cosmic being, who also happens to be sober. And he’s an incredible new friend of the podcast! Tawny and Lisa are taking a Tarot class with him and he has read their birth and sober birth (yes, “sober birth!”) charts. Coming from a non-prescriptive place, David explains how astrology and Tarot can be used as more information or another tool...

Tawny hosted her first in-person event since the pandemic started in collaboration with the folks at Minus Moonshine, Her Highness, Crisp & Crude! Both she and Lisa have missed being in rooms with people and the energy and good feeling that comes with them. Tawny’s event was an honest, interactive discussion about sober sex, including how to go on a date without drinking, ask for what you want...

Tawny and Lisa both deal with anxiety disorder and, like so many of us, sometimes experience panic attacks. In this episode, they talk about how they handle them in the moment, including through mindfulness, breathwork, and, where appropriate, medication. To proactively lessen their day-to-day anxiety they incorporate yoga, intentionality, and scaling back on news and social media. Especially in t...

The “Sex and the City” reboot, “And Just Like That…,” examines Miranda’s struggle with drinking. Tawny and Lisa have thoughts on a portrayal that hits home in many ways. They were both excited to see their friend Holly Whitaker’s empowering book, “Quit Like a Woman,” featured for those considering putting down the booze. In a show about women’s friendships, depicting what they do to support Mirand...

Tawny and Lisa discuss Tawny’s article in Tempest, “Do I Need to Hit ‘Rock Bottom’ Before Quitting Alcohol?” The answer is no! You don’t have lose everything – or anything – to decide that alcohol isn’t working. For Tawny, it was getting in the way of being the version of herself she wanted to be. It was more like an “AHA” moment. For Lisa, it took actually thinking she was going die in the moment...

What happens when you take a sip of your club soda with lime and realize it’s got vodka in it? Or you bite into a chocolate and realize your mouth is full of the liquor it’s filled with? Tawny and Lisa talk about these accidents, which are distinctly different from a slip or a relapse. It’s all about intent. An accidental sip or bite isn’t a relapse but they pay attention to whether it triggers th...

Tawny and Lisa talk about #skincare, the giant online conversation about skincare routines. Tawny’s article for Mic, “The Best Skincare Routine is Sobriety,” lays out the truth about the damage alcohol does to our skin (not to mention the rest of our bodies). Having better skin is just one of the unanticipated benefits of sobriety. And having a skincare routine that doesn’t include waking up in la...

Swan Huntley is the author of the new book GETTING CLEAN WITH STEVIE GREEN, a novel about one woman’s messy (and very funny) journey from self-delusion to self-acceptance. Lisa couldn’t put the book down and talked to Swan, who’s been sober for 11 years, all about it. They covered the humor we find in our stories, letting go of trying to control all we encounter, and learning to be kind to ourselv...

New Year, same pandemic. Tawny and Lisa talk about the keeping sane in a continuing crazy time. One key is not putting pressure on themselves with New Year’s resolutions or other vows to “fix” things. Even something like meditating can become a stressor if the pressure to do it is amped up.  It’s all about progress, not perfection, and staying in the day. They also talk about the fun they’re havin...

Shahjehan Khan is the creator and host of KING OF THE WORLD, a riveting, bingeable podcast about his experience as a Pakistani American Muslim teenager who comes of age post 9/11. He also happens to be 11 years sober and a member of an internationally renowned punk rock band! Shahjehan talks with Lisa about all of this and more, including stigma, relationships with family and friends, and all the...

Amanda’s book, Not Drinking Tonight launched this week, and Tawny and Lisa were thrilled to talk all about it with her. Amanda is a therapist behind the insanely popular Instagram account, @therapyforwomen. The book goes far beyond how to stop drinking. It addresses the history of stress, addiction switching, recovery strategies, drinking culture, how our biology fits in, and much more. Not just f...

Tawny and Lisa celebrate 100 episodes of Recovery Rocks! They talk about how the show started, how it’s evolved, and how much joy it brings them. What began on a big, red couch in New York City has gone bi-coastal and virtual. They extend a special thanks and appreciation to all the listeners who have made continuing this podcast possible. Music Minute features that that time Tawny and Lisa went t...

In sobriety, life can get big. Tawny and Lisa talk about using their newfound time to do things both fun and cathartic. Hobbies can be tools in working out energy, anger, and difficult emotions in recovery. But they should also be activities you enjoy without necessarily having a goal. Whether it’s crafty, cerebral, outdoorsy, or experimental, hobbies are a great way to enjoy new ideas and adventu...

Destination addiction is the addiction to the idea that if a certain future event or circumstance occurs, life’s problems will be solved. Tawny and Lisa talk about these thoughts (for example, “if I just lose 10 pounds, all will be right in the world”) and addiction to self-improvement. At times, they have both aspired to some idealized, unrealistic version of themselves. But they now try to live...

Money is often a taboo topic but it’s a significant issue in recovery. The good news is that the money we used to spend on alcohol and all that goes with it (hello, late night tacos) can be spent productively and in fun ways. Tawny and Lisa discuss Tawny’s article in The Temper (linked below) outlining how we can invest in ourselves in recovery. Whether it’s for paying down debt, paying for luxuri...

Tawny and Lisa talk about why and how to stop focusing so much on other people’s opinions, real and imagined. An article in The Atlantic entitle, “No One Cares” (linked below), provides a great framework for this. People aren’t thinking about us nearly as much as we think they are. Internalizing this fact can be liberating in all kinds of way, including breaking imposter syndrome and handling pani...

With Sober October over and Dry January around the corner, Tawny and Lisa talk about these annual challenges. Perfect for the sober curious (and the sober-curious curious!), Tawny reads from her article about “sober tourism,” a phrase she contributed to the vernacular!  A month off can provide the opportunity someone needs to look at why they drink and why they decided to take the challenge. Tawny...

Are they really here already? Tawny and Lisa talk about gearing up emotionally for the holiday season. With everyone coming from a different pandemic experience, it’s going to be challenge. Tawny and Lisa plan to manage their energy budgets and not say “yes” to everything.  Lisa is gifting people Zero Proof beverages this year. Also please consider supporting some of Recovery Rock’s favorite sober...

Lisa and Tawny talk about their experiences trying to help and support others who don’t want help. Groups like Ala-non, ACOA, and CODA, support people impacted by someone in their life who is struggling with any kind of disorder. No one can want recovery for someone more than that person wants it. Humility, boundaries, self-care, and meeting the person where they are all required. Helpful links: A...