Recovery Talk

Recovery Talk

How do people find strength in their journey to sobriety? This Recovery Talk session brings together David Lewry and Steve from Stonewall Recovery for a wide‑ranging chat that blends humour, hard truths, and queer experience in recovery. The conversation starts with Steve’s frank admission of emotional and physical burnout. Years of pouring himself into other people’s healing left him wondering where his own joy went.

He talks about life becoming "production"—producing outcomes, love, activism—and how that mindset can quietly recreate addiction patterns even in long‑term sobriety. David and Steve dig into workaholism, the pressure to constantly "fill the void" in early recovery, and the importance of learning what real rest and personal space look like. They joke about record players and coffee dates, while pointing out that even social time can start to feel like work when your career is built around helping others.

A big thread running through the chat is queer shame and pride. Both share experiences of growing up queer, internalising homophobia, and sometimes even turning that hate against their own community. Pride, for them, isn’t just a party; it’s grief, protest, joy, and a refusal to be ashamed. As Steve puts it, people are often "ashamed to celebrate" while the community is under attack, yet that’s exactly why celebration and connection matter.

They also touch on politics, capitalism, and the high cost of therapy, explaining why they work from donation‑based models so money isn’t a barrier to support. For David and Steve, recovery isn’t defined by one "right" way or by total abstinence alone; it’s defined by building a life that feels more liveable, with room for community, boundaries, and self‑respect.

If you’re tired, queer, curious, or just wondering what recovery can look like beyond the standard scripts, this conversation might offer a bit of company. What would a life that actually feels like yours look like?