Sobriety

Depending on the context, social awkwardness can be described as a personality trait, behavioral condition, or an uncomfortable situation. It’s generally viewed negatively from various perspectives, particularly when it causes concern from a self-awareness standpoint. For instance, you may feel uncomfortable around others because you think they’re uncomfortable around you. When recovering from substance abuse and addiction, feeling socially awkward can be a heavy cross

During the prestige era of American cable television, which spanned from the late 1990s to the late 2010s, a few crime dramas explored intriguing plotlines about addiction. Series like The Sopranos and The Wire on HBO and Brotherhood on Showtime portrayed substance abuse and dependence realistically. They didn’t hesitate to show the emotionally raw dynamics of attending Alcoholics Anonymous meetings after lapsing, relapsing, or trying

In July 2025, singer AJ McLean of the Backstreet Boys gave a candid interview to Fox News about celebrating four years of living in “straight sobriety.” The founding member of the most successful boy band of all time was in and out of rehab for two decades. He calls himself a “chronic relapser” whose journey to recovery hasn’t followed a straight path. Although McLean went

In the 2024 comedic film Sweet Dreams, misfits from a sober living home in Los Angeles come together as a softball team to win a cash prize and save their beloved facility. The movie features an ensemble cast of American comedians popular on the podcast circuit, and one of the quirkiest characters is Cruise, played by Bobby Lee. Cruise has somehow stayed in the sober

The process of recovering from alcohol use disorder (AUD) or other types of substance abuse isn’t monolithic. There are many approaches, strategies, and treatment plans. For example, individuals who are referred to sober living homes benefit from transitional treatment, but not everyone would be a candidate. Many patients who transition to outpatient counseling from a sober living environment such as Encinitas sober living housing get

In March 2020, a team of researchers from the Stanford School of Medicine conducted a longitudinal review of 35 studies on Alcoholics Anonymous. The review featured 10,080 individuals who followed the 12-step program and achieved various outcomes. As the researchers expected and their analysis confirmed, AA is a highly effective method to recover from alcohol use disorder (AUD), mostly through abstinence. Although this research finding

In the 2024 Hollywood comedy Sweet Dreams, actor Johnny Knoxville stars as Morris, a video director whose addiction recovery plan includes staying in a sober living home and coaching its misfit residents to compete in a softball tournament. While Sweet Dreams relies on slapstick and absurdity for comedic effect, many of the scenes are permeated by the realism delivered by actors such as Jay Mohr,

In October 2024, pop music star Liam Payne fell to his death from the balcony of a hotel in Argentina. The former member of the globally popular British boy band One Direction had gone on a three-day drug and liquor binge inside his Buenos Aires hotel room. Preliminary information from the forensic examination showed Payne had taken high doses of “pink cocaine,” a dangerous mix

The word “phobia” denotes irrational fears. For instance, Arachnophobia, a Hollywood horror film from the early 1990s, is named after the fear of spiders, which is irrational when we consider that 99 percent of arachnids pose no significant threat to human health.  Nifaliophobia is the irrational fear of being sober. However, discussion of this mindset shouldn’t be limited to its literal meaning. Although we can think

There was a time in the life of Michael McDonald, one of the founding fathers of the 1970s California rock style that evolved into soft rock and yacht rock, when he finally surrendered to reality and decided to recover from a lifetime addiction to liquor and drugs. In 1997, three years after hip-hop stars Warren G. and Nate Dogg famously sampled McDonald’s hit “I Keep