Kristen Crisp writes with sharp humor and lived-experience honesty about the reasons she kept drinking for more than 30 years. From low self-esteem and “liquid courage” to the social pressure that made sobriety seem strange, this Author of the Month piece names the loops that can keep alcohol feeling normal long after it has stopped being fun. It is direct, funny, uncomfortable, and deeply human.

Author and counselor Tim Lineaweaver explores the conflict he felt between opening up about his trauma and addiction and remaining anonymous.

Vital Voyage Author of the Month, Michael Cline, gives a raw account of addiction’s exhausting cycle.