What happens when your identity doesn’t fit neatly into one box? Kristen Crisp shares a powerful lived-experience story about navigating faith, addiction, and stigma—and the emotional toll of hiding who you really are. This article explores how labels can both define and confine us, and what it takes to reclaim authenticity in recovery.

John Makohen, CASAC Advanced, RCP, tells a powerful story about stigma and traditional recovery systems. What happens when the system meant to help you rejects you?

Peer Support Specialist Michael Cornell writes that forgiving others is hard—but forgiving yourself can be even harder.

Trauma and addiction can erode self-belief and resilience. But perseverance can be learned.

Michael Cline shares his journey from heroin addiction to long-term abstinence — and the realization that sobriety alone did not heal his trauma.

At five years old, Jason Shiers answered the door to devastating news that would shape his life. What followed was a decades-long journey through grief, addiction, therapy, and relentless seeking. But true healing did not come from another program — it came from realizing he was never broken. Addiction was a survival response to trauma. The Infinite Recovery Project was born from this awakening.

Bullying, body image, and childhood trauma reshaped identity — and alcohol became an escape.

Anger inherited from trauma can destroy relationships — or become healing. 10 practical tools to help manage your anger.