Essays on recovery, culture, and being human. Explore the ideas, questions, and stories behind the work.
A reflection on intelligence, progress, and whether meaningful change has to begin with suffering. Joe considers another source of motivation: curiosity, connection, and the possibility of a better life.
Explore the articleRecovery involves more than willpower. Joe explores the value of relationships, resources, stability, and opportunities that people can draw on as they build a life in recovery.
Explore the articleAn essay connecting questions about perception and shared reality with substance use and modern culture. Joe begins with the complex range of experiences described as psychosis.
Explore the articleGratitude can feel difficult when it is expected on cue. Drawing on memories of recovery meetings, Joe explores the difference between performing thankfulness and practicing it.
Explore the articleUsing a philosophical starting point, Joe considers why a person’s recovery needs to be understood in the context of their whole life, including relationships and experience.
Explore the articleMemories of a teenage boot camp meet the story of Sisyphus in this personal essay. Joe reflects on punishment, repetition, and the search for meaning in recovery.
Explore the articleJoe describes the ongoing practice of self-examination in Step Ten. The essay explores how noticing thoughts and reactions can become part of daily life.
Explore the articleAn essay about the familiar rituals around early recovery meetings and the connection people found in them. Joe reflects on belonging through the ordinary details of shared experience.
Explore the articleAn exploration of recovery for people who do not identify with religious belief. Joe considers how spiritual language can create barriers and how people find connection and meaning.
Explore the articleTelevision can let viewers see a family from several perspectives at once. Joe uses The Sopranos to explore emotional complexity, culture, and the stories people tell about themselves.
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