Many Roads to Recovery
An Interview Series Exploring Life Beyond the 12 Steps
Hello!
My name is Maia and I am a — friend, partner, and daughter. I am a human who likes camping, throwing pottery, and reading. And I am someone who used to identify as an Addict/Alcoholic.
Welcome!
Former 12 Step members
Big Book Thumpers or Convention Circuit Speakers
Teenager who has been court-ordered to meetings
Adult who was that teenager and now has long-term sobriety
Partner who loves someone struggling with substance abuse
Person who is on fire for Alcoholics Anonymous
Person who is not sure how they feel about Abstinence-Based 12 Step Recovery
All are welcome here.
I am compiling interviews (do in your own time - written responses to the questionnaire) of people who, like myself, have left a 12 Step Program—and lived to tell the tale. People who have found a new way of life beyond the 12 Steps.
I hope to create a collaborative and supportive space for each of us to share our experience, strength, and hope with one another. Stories of recovery, however you define recovery for yourself.
Have you ever stared into the existential abyss and asked yourself…
What happens to the people who leave 12-Step Programs and remain alive and well?
Are we truly fated to a life of jails, institutions, and death?
Will we ever be Cucumbers again, or are we Pickles forevermore?
When I first considered leaving 12 Step Recovery, I scoured the internet for stories of people who had left and continued to live healthy and fulfilling lives. I found a few articles and one Facebook group. Despite the lack of a roadmap forward, and after months of deliberation and numerous conversations with anyone who would listen, I made the decision to leave my 12-Step Program.
And what a journey it has been! Honestly it was very challenging. But luckily, I met many people along the way who had similar experiences.
It has been 5 years since I left—and only now do I feel confident in my decision and ready to share my experience.
As many of us have felt in the Rooms, there is immense power in sharing our stories and fostering community. Although each of us has walked our own road less traveled after leaving a 12-Step Program, I imagine we all have more in common than we think.
Our stories of strength and resilience, our dark humor, and loving service towards one another need not end once we leave the Rooms. I hope everyone who finds their way to this page knows that there is someone out there who can relate to and benefit from their experience—we are never alone.
