Recovery Rocks
by 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 Ro
Episodes
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Almost Stealing 500 Librium, Surviving Relapse and Redefining Rock Bottom with Oliver Mason
Actor, recovery coach and School of Rock Bottom podcast host Oliver Mason has been through it. He’s survived blackouts, seizures, terrifying withdrawals, an addiction to prescription medication and a hospital stay where he nearly walked out with a box of approximately 500 Librium tablets he'd…
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From Rehab Client to CEO: Sabyn Mayfield on Recovery, Creativity and Stopping the Pursuit of Fame
There are people who have dramatic stories of recovery and then there’s Sabyn Mayfield. Do you know anyone else who showed up at a rehab and, a few years later, ended up as that rehab’s CEO? Well, now you do because Mayfield is the CEO of The Bridge to Recovery—a rehab where he was a client in...
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(REBROADCAST) Open Instagram, Ruin Your Night?
Open Instagram, Ruin Your Night?We love to hate social media. But it’s also a singular tool for staying in touch, getting the word out on things we care about, and even learning a thing or two. We talk about our early days on the socials and how we use it now. Sober tools can help – just like…
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(REBROADCAST) Celebrating Sober Anniversaries
Some people love sober anniversaries, some people dread them, and some people don’t keep up with them at all. There’s no right or wrong way to do it. We talk about what counting days and keeping time looks like for us. Anna never misses an opportunity to celebrate herself, from her first...
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(REBROADCAST) Stefanie Wilder Taylor Stops By
Our friend Stefanie Wilder Taylor, author of SIPPY CUPS ARE NOT FOR CHARDONNAY and DRUNKISH, and host of the Drunkish podcast, joins us to talk about being publicly outed as a sober person and what the backlash was like. Stefanie was barely sober when she was thrust into the spotlight as a…
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(REBROADCAST) Sober Firsts: Anxiety and Panic Attacks
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...
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When Your Higher Power Is a Mini-Dachshund with Natasha Ruby
Plenty of people struggle with the Higher Power part of AA. Natasha Ruby had a particularly good reason: she’d already dismantled the entire religious framework she was raised in and wasn’t especially eager to replace it with another male authority figure. So she chose a mini-dachshund. Before…
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Why Sober People Are Still Hiding at Work with Laura Nelson
If a quarter of the people at your conference don’t drink, greeting everyone with champagne is less “festive” than it is “we have made absolutely no effort to know our audience.” Laura Nelson discovered this when she asked a room of 125 professional women how many were sober or sober-curious.…
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Talking Ayahuasca with Dr. Jeff McNairy
Have you ever been ayahuasca-curious? Dr. Jeff McNairy, Chief Medical Officer at Rythmia, the world’s first medically licensed ayahuasca retreat, joins us for a candid conversation about what plant-based medicine can and can’t do. We get into the science, what actually happens at the retreat, who...
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Recovering from Being Erased on Instagram with Jessica Jeboult
What do you do when the Instagram account you built to more than 200,000 followers suddenly disappears? If you’re Jessica Jeboult, you freak out—and then keep building. Jessica is the founder of A Sober Girl’s Guide and author of Save Your Own Damn Life. She joins us to talk about losing her...
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From MTV and an Orthodox Yeshiva to TV Writing and Sober Comedy with Laura House
Comedian and TV writer Laura House has a gift for making you laugh while casually dismantling your entire worldview. Laura joins Anna to talk about the winding road from stand-up comedy, MTV and teaching at an Orthodox yeshiva to finding sobriety after finally realizing she wasn't going to "grow...
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Turns Out It’s Not Ideal to Write a Novel From a Bar Stool (Sober Firsts)
For years, Anna was convinced she couldn't write without cocaine. Lisa was convinced she'd eventually write the Great American Novel from a bar stool. Neither plan worked out particularly well. This week, they talk about what it's like to create without drugs or alcohol, the myths artists tell...
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The Step Everybody's Afraid Of (Sober Firsts)
If you've ever heard someone in recovery whisper ominously about "the Fourth Step," this episode is for you. Anna and Lisa talk about why taking a fearless moral inventory has such a terrifying reputation—and why it turned out to be one of the most freeing experiences of their recovery. They get...
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Wait...Am I Still Sober? (Sober Firsts)
Nobody tells you this when you get sober, but eventually a doctor is going to hand you a prescription for the very kind of drug you spent years trying to avoid. So...now what? Anna and Lisa compare notes on anesthesia, Valium and pain medication, and discover they couldn't have more different...
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Throwback Thursday: Jemima Kirke on Rehab, Shame and Being “Too Much”
Before Recovery Rocks, Anna’s Recover Girl podcast featured conversations about addiction and recovery that were messy, funny and deeply honest. In this Thursday Throwback, Girls star Jemima Kirke talks openly about getting sober young, bouncing between rehabs and feeling constantly pushed into…
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How Do You Say, "I'm Just Not That Into You"?
Getting rejected is awful. But as Anna and Lisa discovered, rejecting someone isn't exactly a joy, either. Lisa talks about the first time she had to fire an employee, why she called her sponsor before and after the conversation and the Disney version of "you're fired." Anna shares the story of...
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Throwback Thursday: The Night Ally Weinhold Brought a Homeless Man Home
Before Recovery Rocks, Anna hosted Recover Girl, a podcast built around people sharing their darkest stories in the funniest and most human ways possible. This Thursday Throwback features comedian Ally Weinhold, whose story somehow manages to be hilarious, uncomfortable and heartbreaking all at...
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Road Recovery with Gene Bowen
Lisa talks with Gene Bowen, co-founder of Road Recovery, the music industry-driven non-profit that helps young people as they battle addiction and other adversities. Come for Gene’s inspiring story and the life-saving work Road Recovery does, stay for the coffee collaboration with Fred Schneider…
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Throwback Thursday: Greg Behrendt on Why Sobriety Is So Damn Loud
Long before Recovery Rocks, Anna’s Recover Girl podcast featured raw live storytelling from comedians and recovering addicts. This Thursday Throwback brings back Greg Behrendt — comedian, bestselling author of He’s Just Not That Into You and one of Anna’s favorite guests ever. Greg talks about…
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Dad, Have You Been in Prison? (An Interview with Gregg Champion)
Most parents don't expect their kid to ask them that question. Gregg Champion is not most parents but someone who’s spent years helping people rebuild their lives through recovery—until the 2025 Pacific Palisades fires destroyed both his home and business and he found himself needing literal help...
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Throwback Thursday: Eddie Pepitone Thinks We’re All Doomed
Before Recovery Rocks existed, Anna hosted Recover Girl, where comedians, writers and addicts told stories that were dark, hilarious and weirdly healing. This throwback features legendary comedian Eddie Pepitone in peak form. Known as “The Bitter Buddha,” Eddie riffs on sobriety, panic disorder,...
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We Talked to the Guy Who Was Talking Recovery Before It Was Trendy (Shane Ramer)
Long before celebrities were launching sobriety brands and influencers were posting mocktails on Instagram, Shane Ramer was talking publicly about recovery into a microphone with no guarantee anyone would listen. As the founder and host of That Sober Guy Podcast, Shane has spent more than a…
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Throwback Thursday: Laura House and the Naked Houseboat Disaster
Before she became a successful TV writer and meditation teacher, Laura House was getting drunk on a barely floating houseboat filled with naked Texans, animal-print speedos and enough beer to sink the thing entirely. In this Thursday Throwback from Anna’s original Recover Girl podcast, Laura…
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(REBROADCAST) Sober Firsts: Sex
We'll be back to our regularly scheduled programming next week, but here's a rebroadcast of one of the first episodes since Anna joined the show. Let’s get straight to it. Sober sex for the first time is a big deal! Some of us had never even done it before. We talk about our experiences – from…
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Throwback Thursday: John Taylor on Fame, Cocaine and the 14-Year-Old Boy Still Running the Show
Before Recovery Rocks, Anna hosted Recover Girl, where conversations about addiction often turned into surprisingly deep discussions about ego, identity, fear and why nobody actually feels like a real adult. This Thursday Throwback features John Taylor of Duran Duran—yes, that John Taylor in the...
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Sobriety, Sunsets and System Regulation with Kristin Horstman
Lisa chats with Kristin Horstman, whose new podcast, Sunsets Are the New Happy Hour, is a neuroscience-informed discussion of sobriety and behavioral changes that can make a positive impact. Come for the chat on rewiring your nervous system. Stay for the sunsets and glimmers.
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Throwback Thursday: Moby on Why AA Makes Smart People Uncomfortable
Before Recovery Rocks, Anna hosted Recover Girl, where conversations about addiction and recovery were less “before-and-after success story” and more “let’s unpack the human condition for 45 minutes.” This Thursday Throwback features musician Moby in one of the most thoughtful recovery...
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What if I Pass Out on This Stage? (Sober Firsts)
Fear of public speaking commonly ranks among the world’s top phobias. And why shouldn’t it? Standing in front of room full of eager eyes waiting to hear something brilliant can be terrifying. We both learned how to speak in front of others in 12-step meetings. Today, Lisa worries about being hit...
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Sober Women, Jealous and Petty Thoughts
Despite being so grateful for our sober lives, we still experience jealousy over big things (friends with great adult kids) and little ones (another author going viral). The difference is that we now have the tools to handle it gracefully…most of the time. Also, welcome to our new segment, Petty...
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He Shared a Cell with a Murderer. Now He Helps People Recover.
Before Brad McLeod became one of recovery’s most inspiring voices, he survived an almost unbelievable series of hardships—including childhood instability, extreme isolation as a teen, addiction, incarceration and briefly sharing a jail cell with a murderer. Now he’s the founder of Sober…
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Alysse Bryson on Building a Sober Pop Culture Empire
The Sober Curator (thesobercurator.com) is the place to find all things sober pop culture and more. It has you covered on book, movie, music, and TV reviews, sober travel and events, gift guides, and other tips for living your best sober life. We talked all about it with our friend Alysse Bryson,...
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Sober Firsts: Milestone Birthdays and Why Aging in Recovery is Just…Weird
You know the birthdays, the ones with a zero at the end? Hitting our first ones in sobriety added a new dimension to the milestones. Lisa couldn’t believe she made it her 40th birthday and wishes she’d kept contributing to her 401(K) before that. Anna turned 30 a month after going to rehab and 50...
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Sober Firsts: Making Amends (When “I’m Sorry” Gets Complicated)
It’s the dreaded 8th Step in 12-Step recovery - making amends to those we have harmed. Anna and Lisa talk about their first experiences with it, as well as what “living amends” look like. And when an amends turns into a bitch session for the other person, we take it in stride, and maybe even have…
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Sober Firsts: Learning to Love a Boring Saturday Night
What does the first Saturday night you stay home sober look and feel like? Just the prospect of it can send shivers down a newly sober spine. Lisa remembers a sense of relief, tinged with some envy knowing that her friends were out partying. Anna learned that boring wasn’t always bad and that…
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Ann Dowsett Johnston Wrote the Book on Women and Alcohol—Then Started Over
We catch up with Ann Dowsett Johnston (anndowsettjohnston.com), the author of the groundbreaking bestseller, DRINK: THE INTIMATE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN WOMEN AND ALCOHOL. Published in 2013, it will be mass-market re-released in the fall. In her 60s, Ann got brave again, followed her heart and…
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How a Little Becomes a Lot with Eric Zimmer of The One You Feed
Eric Zimmer went from homelessness, heroin addiction, and facing prison at 24 to inspiring global audiences with his podcast, The One You Feed, and his new book, How a Little Becomes a Lot: The Art of Small Changes for a More Meaningful Life. Eric and Anna discuss how Eric’s podcast grew, why he...
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Sober Firsts: Networking Without the Wine
Business dinners often come with the expectation of drinking to loosen things up and get everyone feeling chummy. Defying that expectation can feel uncomfortable, but it doesn’t have to. Anna spent her first nine months of sobriety among the open bars of the most fabulous Hollywood events as...
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Sober Firsts: Going Home to a House That Still Drinks
Who says you can’t go home again? You can. Sometimes it’s a choice, and sometimes it’s not. Lisa went home to her family straight out of detox and immediately faced the reality that she might have left the world of drinking, but it hadn’t left her. Anna learned what can happen when a family…
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Sober Superpowers in the Work World with Toni Will
Being a sober woman in a male-dominated corporate world can be challenging, to say the least. Toni Will, General Manager and Governor of a men’s professional hockey team, knows all about it. So do Lisa and Anna. They talk about how their sobriety gives them an advantage in dealing with the…
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Sober Firsts: Running into an Ex
It was bound to happen - an ex from our pasts would pop up out of nowhere. Lisa ended up rekindling an old flame that was more fun sober. And Anna found herself face-to-face with her first love. We talk about crazy run-ins, finding closure, and the universe bringing people back into our lives.
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Hanging with the Former “Meth Queen” of Waikiki
After dropping out of college, Nikki Mammano was an “it girl” kingpin in Waikiki’s drug trade. When it all fell apart, she landed in prison and then on the street, thieving and hooking to survive. Flash forward to today – Nikki is a PTA mom of two daughters living in the burbs. How did this…
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Why Does Rehab Fail So Often? Ask Jimmie Applegate
If rehab worked the way it’s supposed to…why do so many people end up right back where they started? After more than 30 years in the trenches of addiction treatment, Jimmie Applegate has some theories. In his recently released book Addicted to Failure: Why the Rehab System Doesn’t Work and What...
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“Eat, Pray, Love”—But Make it Addiction with Carly Schwartz
What happens when your “journey of self-discovery” includes Burning Man debauchery, spontaneous decisions to move to other countries and the ingestion of substances you probably should’ve Googled first? We asked the best source on the topic—Carly Schwartz, a former top editor at The Huffington…
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Calling All Swifties!
Our resident Swiftie, Anna, is over the moon as we chat with Julianne Griffin, founder of Swift Steps, a recovery community for sober Swifties. We talk about what music, and Taylor’s music in particular, means to us in recovery and the power of a supportive community in staying sober. Find Swift...
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The Exquisite High of Clicking “Buy”
We both love to shop, but come at it from different places. No surprise it reflects our feelings of financial security. Anna has been buying things she loves to decorate her dream home. Lisa loves to pay bills. We save tons of money by not buying drugs and alcohol, and we didn’t get sober to feel...
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I Won’t Pee in a Cup for Vicodin
Being in a human body means experiencing physical pain at some point. Handling it can be challenging for sober people. We talk about attitudes of people who don’t understand recovery, including many doctors, toward pain medication. And we both agree – there is no shame in taking prescribed...
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Kristen Casey Drops By to Talk Dating, Stripping, and Celebrities
Friend and fellow sobriety author Kristin Casey hangs with us to talk about her books, CASEY DANCER: A MEMOIR OF DATING, STRIPPING AND A LITTLE HOT YOGA and ROCK MONSTER: MY LIFE WITH JOE WALSH, and much more. We talk about what our relationships were like before and after getting sober. Spoiler:...
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Is Cold Plunge the Answer When it’s Freezing Outside?
Baby, it’s cold and dark outside. Winter blues and seasonal affective disorders are real and we struggle with them. We talk about how we handle them. Anna does the bold thing, combining cold plunges and infrared saunas. Lisa tries to stick her body in the sunshine, now that she realizes how it...
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Open Instagram, Ruin Your Night?
Open Instagram, Ruin Your Night? We love to hate social media. But it’s also a singular tool for staying in touch, getting the word out on things we care about, and even learning a thing or two. We talk about our early days on the socials and how we use it now. Sober tools can help – just like…
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New Year’s Eve and Resolutions
It’s the question many ask when getting sober: What am I going to do on New Year’s Eve if I’m not drinking? The answer is anything you want! No need to have FOMO – New Year’s Eve is a night for amateurs. And nothing beats waking up on New Year’s Day without a hangover. We take the opportunity to...
About this show
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 Ro
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