What is Honest Sobriety?

Years ago, in Denver young people's AA, we used to laugh at a blond-haired hippy guy who vacillated between AA and NA. If he got up at a meeting and said, "My name is X, I'm an alcoholic," we all knew he was doing drugs. If he got up and said, "My name is X and I'm an addict," we knew he was drinking. It was no laughing matter, but if we didn't laugh, we would cry. This young man was a perfect example of our disease leaving an opening so that it can feed itself. In the Big Book on page 58-59 it is written, "Remember that we deal with alcohol-cunning, baffling, powerful! Without help it is too much for us." What this means is that it is all too easy for our disease to call us back and so we need each other in order to keep our sobriety honest.

If we call ourselves alcoholic, we are probably saying that our drug of choice is alcohol. Does this mean we can do other drugs as long as we don't drink? We think not. Alcoholism is drug addiction and drug addiction means that mind-affecting chemicals trigger our disease. Of course our disease, the inner addict, will try to tell us this is not so. "Take an extra pain pill," it will whisper in our ear, "You can smoke dope as long as you don't drink," and so on.
A mind affecting chemical affects our mind and if we are alcoholic, any mind-affecting, mood-altering chemical can bring us back to our drug of choice or destroy our spiritual program by becoming a barrier between us and our Higher Power.

Quite simply, Honest Sobriety means abstinence from all mind-affecting, mood altering chemicals and unnecessary medications.

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Tips to keep your Sobriety Honest

  • At meetings, discuss anything that may affect your sobriety, including but not limited to: 
    • OTCs and medications that your health care professionals are suggesting you take
    • hanging out in high risk places, such as bars, clubs and raves,  celebrations that focus on  alcohol
    • contact highs from being in enclosed places with those who smoke dope
    • doing business with those who use cocaine, cocktails, and other recreational drugs as a networking lubricant
    • dealing with chronic pain and insomnia
    • alcohol in foods and toiletries
Since drugs directly affects your sobriety you MUST openly discuss them in 12-Step meetings. Step Twelve tells us to "practice these principles in all our affairs." There is no way to practice these principles in all our affairs unless we can talk about all our affairs. People who believe in Honest Sobriety know that if we take drugs, including abusing unnecessary medications, our disease is activated. It is considered relapse by those who want to stay clean and sober and understand the disease of addiction. Alcoholism is addiction, never forget it.
  • Find CDA (Chemically Dependent Anonymous) and make sure to read their basic text. CDA supports AA and encourages you to talk openly about all mind-affecting chemicals, including necessary and unnecessary medications. Also get their pamphlet on medications.
  • Tell your health care professionals (physicians, dentists, psychiatrist) that you are an alcoholic and addict and must NOT take addictive type drugs or even those that have a potential for dependency. If you don't tell every one concerned with your health care that you are a chemical dependent, your inner addict is making sure it has a foothold in the door and it will eventually bring you down.
  • Make sure your sponsor understands that a drug is a drug is a drug. No matter how long your sponsor has been sober or how well respected they are in a particular program, if he or she doesn't 'get it' about mind-affecting, mood-altering chemicals, you must get a sponsor who does.
  • Be sure that how you introduce yourself in 12-step meetings is honest and includes the idea that all mind-affecting chemicals are part and parcel of your disease. Some people can simply say "addict" because they know without reservation that "addiction" includes alcohol and prescriptions. Some say "I am an alcoholic and drug addict" because they are identifying lifestyles, the legal drug alcohol and the illegal street drugs. Many people are opting for "I'm chemically dependent." Avoid narrowing your introduction and leaving the door open for your disease to take hold. Saying, "My name is X and I'm a cocaine addict," can give your inner addict hope, thinking than maybe drinking or pain pills will be alright because they are not cocaine. You might want to say, "My name is X, I'm an addict and my drug of choice is __________."
  • Never celebrate or condone separate birthdays such as one for alcohol and one for other drugs. Honest Sobriety has one anniversary: the day you stopped using mind-affecting, mood-altering chemicals as well as unnecessary medications. There is no compromise on recovery. It is false pride to try to celebrate separate "birthdays." Real pride comes from real sobriety. We call this Honest Sobriety.
Download a handout on these tips. PDF format. Click here.

Books that Support Honest Sobriety

Some recovery books are simply better at supporting a program of Honest Sobriety. Make sure that some of them populate your recovery library.
You have several ordering options. All of these books are available on Amazon.com, some can be purchased at huge discounts from Day By Day Direct Sales, and some can be purchased from other online sources. Each book will offer all the applicable links.  If you sell any of these books and want a link, send an email to the and we will include your sales link free of charge.

Alcoholics Anonymous: the Big Book of AA. Buying Options: Day By Day Amazon Cart

Chemically Dependent Anonymous: Basic text of CDA URL CDAweb.org Buying Options: Day by Day Amazon Cart

Conscious Contact: Daily Meditations for the Chemically Dependent: Daily Meditation Book of CDA: URL CDAweb.org Buying Options: Day by Day Amazon Cart

Day by Day: Daily Meditations For Recovering Addicts: Hazelden's classic daily meditaions for all addictions. URL www.Day-By-Day.org Buying Options: Day By Day Amazon Cart

Pocket Sponsor, 24/7 Back to the Basics Support for Addiction Recovery from the author of Day By Day. URL: www.PocketSponsor.com Buying Options: Direct Sales for Institutional Discounts * Recovery Emporium * Day by Day Amazon Cart

Young, Sober & Free: Experience, Strength, and Hope for Young Adults: the big book for young people in recovery: URL: www.YoungSoberFree.com Buying Options: Direct Sales for Institutional Discounts * Day by Day Amazon Cart

Honest Sobriety Links

There are all kinds of wonderful sites that will support you in a program of Honest Sobriety. Be sure to patronize them and let the site owners know how much you appreciate the service and sharing they are willing to do. If you have a site that supports Honest Sobriety and freedom from all mind-affecting, mood-altering drugs and unnecessary medications, send an email to " " and we'll add your link.

12StepRadio.com The music they play is a mixture of rock, folk and folk rock, country and country rock, Americana, etc. The main idea is that the message has something to do with what it was like, what happened, and what it’s like now
AA Speaker Tapes Sit back and relax. The tapes will vary in length from 40 to 90 minutes each. I try to give you three to five new tapes every two weeks. Bill W will always be available. I don't have many Al-Anon tapes, but I try to toss one in every once in awhile. NA links too.
Alcoholism and Drug Abuse This site, so elegant in it's simplicity, presents The Problem, The Solution, and  Answers. It is straightforward information and useful resources related to alcohol & drug abuse, alcoholism, drug addiction, codependency, & (especially) recovery. 
The Gateway is a group of Widespread Panic fans who choose to remain drug and alcohol free. They are not affiliated with Alcoholics Anonymous, Narcotics Anonymous, the Panic or The Wharf Rats. Our simple purpose is to provide support and information to those who seek the comfort and camaraderie of other clean and sober people at shows.
Humor with Buddy T. You have to visit the 12-step shopping network and find out about reclaiming your victumhood. I really got a kick out of "Alcoholic's Say the Darndest Things." Write to Mr. Recovery. He is no Dear Abby and more of a Dear Crabby!
The NA AA Recovery Zone is dedicated to Recovering Alcoholics and Addicts. Site features NA and AA  Page, 12 Step meeting lists, Recovery Tools, Personal Stories, Recovery Slang Terms, Jokes, Recovery Links, and Recovery Downloads.
Recovery is Everywhere Freedom from addiction to alcohol and other drugs is a reality for millions of us.. What we call the recovering community is a rich group of diverse individuals – drawn together by our common pursuit of a happy life and of another day without a drink or a drug.You will love the FREE ads and postcards. An inspiring site.
Recovery Net Radio. Listen to live recovery radio every Wednesday night on the net. Email in with questions and comments. Bill and Denise host the show with  a refreshing look at the basics of recovery.
Recovery-World This is a site full of resources--lots of stores, but also lots of freebies. They are sincere and really seem to understand what recovery is all about.
Sober Coaching Your Teen: a site that teaches parents how to support their kids in recovery. This site tells the truth, no blaming parents for their kids choices!
Wolf Running With the Spirit Wind:This is an extraordinary experience in web design. Wolf's clean and sober story is as fascinating as the ghost wolf lurking on his page.
YouAreATarget.com Is great for those suffering aubse as the result of drugs and alcohol. Free Tutorial.
Young, Sober, & Free: Is a fabulous site for young folks in recovery. It has personal stories, suggested meetings, and great tools for recovery.

Honest Sobriety Treatment Centers

Most treatment centers today support the concept that all addiction is basically the same disorder. For this, many of us in recovery can be extremely grateful. The links listed here are the centers we particularly like. If you have a center that you want listed here send an email to us at "" to Hour to Hour's Honest Sobriety links. As long as the center bases recovery on Honest Sobriety we will happily add the link here.

Community High School Community High School is a four-year, non-residential, private high school. Students voluntarily attend CHS and work a 12-step recovery program. Within the community, students, faculty, parents and guardians actively support the holistic recovery of each individual.

Sober College offers a unique approach to traditional drug rehab programs for parents seeking a supportive, sober environment for their teen.