Ali’s Recovery Story
Ali’s recovery runs through a horse named Rebel, a 6 a.m. men’s meeting in Spokane, and a recovery home for mothers in Maine. Nearly seven years in, she describes it as a tangled ball of yarn, loosene…
Topic
Nature and Outdoors
Woods, water, weather — recovery practiced outside. Walking, paddling, and choosing the harder trail when it's good for you.
18 stories
Thriving in Recovery: No Matter the Weather
As winter darkens the days and reshapes routines, people in recovery face unique emotional challenges. This piece offers practical tools for staying connected and emotionally balanced through the seas…
Mr. Drew: Animals and His Sobriety, Too
Discover the heartwarming journey of Mr. Drew and His Animals, Too. From recovery to creating smiles, Andrew’s inspiring story shows the power of second chances and spreading joy. Join the community:…
From Recovery to the Finish Line, Chris Madden’s Story
Chris Madden stands at the summit of his forty-eighth mountain, his father beside him on the New Hampshire peak. Four years sober, Chris has transformed from someone struggling to believe in himself i…
Finding Direction Navigating Recovery Through Nature’s Compass
Peter Wohl stands lost on a remote Vermont mountainside, panic rising as he realizes he cannot find his way back. Years later, beginning recovery, he faces that same disorientation: stripped of the re…
Personal Recovery Story: Matt Senecal
Matt Senecal founded Senecal Construction. In early 2024 he was nearing 11 years of sobriety, and he now enjoys skiing, fishing, and boating without drinking.
Embracing Our Wild Mind: Eco-Spirituality and Recovery
A father and child roast potatoes in November coals, and the potato tastes like wood smoke and crisp air, like something lost long ago. For people in recovery, reconnecting with nature's wildness can…
Eco-Spirituality: Discovering Faith in Nature
Maria sits by the river near her home, watching light dance across the water. She's learned to see this moment as sacred, part of something larger than herself. This excerpt explores how people discov…
Coming Home: Eco-Spirituality & Recovery
A man stands on a wooden footbridge watching ice creep across Hubbard Brook, counting the open patches of water. This moment of attention to the natural world becomes his gateway to recovery. When dis…
Nature’s Healing Touch in Recovery
Peter and Bethany lead groups into forests where people in recovery plant seeds, walk among trees, and sit in silence together. They've built an entire recovery program around a simple belief: healing…
Relationships with Humans, Nature, and Animals
Someone sits alone, wondering why connection feels impossible. The answer might be simpler than it seems: before we can truly relate to others, to nature, to the world around us, we must first underst…
A Walk in the Woods
Greg steps into the Maine forest with no destination in mind, letting the dense trees and green fields quiet the weight he carries from his work in suicide prevention. What started in childhood as esc…
Christopher Poulos
Christopher Poulos is an attorney and the executive director of the Washington Statewide Reentry Council. He works on prison reform and reentry, and he is part of a mountain rescue team.
Stealth Camping with Hundreds of My Closest Friends
Zinnia parks her minivan in an Ohio lot after a sleepless night, shaken and alone. Then she finds a packed AA meeting three minutes away. Over breakfast with people who understand, her shame lifts. Th…
When in Doubt, Choose Challenge
The water was 38 degrees, and everything in her wanted to stay warm and dry. That's exactly why she jumped in. This piece explores how intentionally choosing difficult moments, whether it's an icy oce…
This is my Bill W. plant.
Tania took home a plant from the closing women's halfway house where she'd rebuilt her life. She didn't know it was a Bill W. plant, named for recovery's founder, until later. Seven years on, "Billy"…
People in Recovery and Plants
Manfred hands over a ten-inch plant, full and thriving, grown from a tiny cutting he found in his sink. He talked to it regularly, encouraged its growth. This is what the Bill W. plant represents: how…