FROM THE DESK OF THE FOUNDER
Fifty years. Anthony Hopkins has been sober for fifty years, which means his sobriety is old enough to have its own midlife crisis. This week, Senior Contributor Lane Kennedy revisits the night she heard him speak at an LA meeting nearly 30 years ago, and what his memoir We Did OK, Kid says about the part nobody engraves on a chip: staying.
Also on deck: Julianne Griffin runs Taylor Swift's "The Smallest Man Who Ever Lived" through the recovery lens, Greg Downs answers a reader who thinks 51 is too late to get her money together (the word "behind" is the real problem), and new contributor Paulina Pinsky asks the weed question everyone kept telling her didn't matter. It mattered.
Pour something cold and alcohol-free. Let's get into it.
— Alysse Bryson (*AB That’s Me 💋) / Seattle, WA 🌃 05.01.2006
#QUITLIT
Anthony Hopkins at 50 Years Sober—and What It Really Takes to Stay
Nearly 30 years after hearing Anthony Hopkins speak at a Los Angeles recovery meeting, Senior Contributor Lane Kennedy revisits that experience through his memoir, We Did OK, Kid. As Hopkins celebrates 50 years sober, Lane reflects on why getting sober is only the beginning—and what it really means to stay.
PLAY IT AGAIN! MUSIC
A Message to the Smallest Man Who Ever Lived
In her latest piece, Contributor & Swift Steps Founder Julianne Griffin shares a poignant reflection on betrayal and addiction, inspired by Taylor Swift's "The Smallest Man Who Ever Lived." Through a personal lens, she explores the loud silence that follows someone who disappears from your life. Julianne's story reminds us of the unexpected ways sobriety can manifest in pop culture, and how music often narrates our deepest struggles. How has music helped you through tough times?
FINANCIAL SOBRIETY
Financial Sobriety: Is 51 Too Old to Take Control of My Finances?
At 51, one reader worries that she is too financially behind to ever catch up. Contributor Greg Downs explains why “behind” may be the most damaging word in the question—and offers one small, shame-free habit for beginning a new relationship with money.
SPEAK OUT! SPEAK LOUD!
Weed Dependence vs. Addiction: What’s the Difference—and Does It Matter?
New Contributor Paulina Pinsky was repeatedly told that weed wasn’t addictive—even as she experienced cravings, withdrawal, vomiting, and an inability to stop. In this personal essay, she examines the complicated line between cannabis dependence and addiction and asks whether recognizing the difference sooner might have changed her story.
ALSO THIS WEEK ON TSC 📰
👉 We Built Teetotal Initiative Because Sobriety Deserved More Places to Go Read more here→
🥂 Sober Nights: Golden Hour to Midnight Plans Without FOMO or Pressure Read more here→
🎨 A Bigger Life, Not a Better Self | Unpolished Art Journal Prompts with Krysty Krywko Read more here→
💡 SOBER SPOTLIGHT: One White Heart and the Rest Is History: Danielle Nepus of Found Recovery Read more here→
📕 A Searching Inventory: A Review of The Acts of Kenny Lambert Read more here→
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See you Wednesday, friends
