Some Dave's you Know pt. 2

Some Dave's you Know pt. 2

How do people find strength in their journey to sobriety? This chat between host David Lewry and guest Dave E. picks up after a blackout cut their first recording short, and jumps straight back into the messy, honest reality of recovery. Dave, a therapist and person in long-term recovery, talks about throwing himself into AA, building "tremendous friendships" and learning that the coffees, baseball games and sober hangouts sometimes helped more than what was said in the meetings.

He reflects on how AA’s dogma shaped his early years, including learning to "not trust myself, even though myself had brought me there", and the grief of stepping away from a community that once felt like home. You’ll hear a frank and funny discussion about harm reduction, abstinence, and why AA itself often acts as harm reduction even while preaching abstinence.

Dave brings in research comparing SMART Recovery, LifeRing, Women for Sobriety and 12-step groups, and the CHIME framework: connection, hope, identity, meaning and empowerment. Much of the conversation circles around helping people find those five elements in whatever way works for them, rather than forcing one path. Things get particularly engaging when Dave speaks openly about psychedelics, ketamine treatment, microdosing and why he refuses to shame people for using substances in ways that genuinely help them heal.

He shares how an earlier episode on being authentic in recovery pushed him to stop hiding parts of his own life, and how his sponsor and sponsees supported that honesty. The two Daves then tackle mandatory treatment, prisons, and the dangers of criminalising addiction, arguing that people need options and compassion, not cages and punishment.

If you’re curious about flexible, person-centred recovery and how professionals in the field wrestle with old dogma and new possibilities, this conversation might give you a lot to think about. What could your recovery look like if it really was built around you?