Just want to start out by saying this is an awesome topic and one not talked about enough. I feel like experience, strength and hope in recovery topic discussions or meetings almost always revolves around negative experiences and how we overcame them. That is definitely vital and important but newcomers to recovery also want to hear about excitement and fun.

Ok lol that all being said, my best moment in recovery to date... So many to choose from. I am going to say an epic Vegas trip with some sober running buddies a few years back. Was awesome just non-stop laughing, met an amazing gal who I spent a magical 24 hours with roughly, somehow managed to leave with more money than I came with (rare... Very rare.) We got to go to a cool night club a buddy was able to get us on a list for totally free. Lot's of redbull and cigarettes. Was just awesome weekend.

Fort me, as a guy used to living life on the outskirts of society, I needed something like that. A reminder I wasn't dead.. I know that sounds sketchy to some but to me it was a good balance of excitement in recovery at the time. I don't gamble anymore because I never win since and it feels addictive and dangerous and I understand the odds are literally stacked against me. But back then it was fun for a bit. So yeah having an experience like that helped remind me that life was just beginning and the world is a sober mans oyster.

Last October, my first sober road trip basically, I spent a weekend climbing in Wyoming, and it changed me. The Tetons were at their autumn peak, the drive alone all the way from Pittsburgh was incredible—crisp air, golden aspens, and empty trails. My friends Jake, Lauren, and I set up camp under a sky bursting with stars, no phones, NO ALCOHOL and no distractions—just the sound of a crackling fire.

Saturday, day 2, was the real challenge: Symmetry Spire. Halfway up, the wind got scary strong, fingers numb, a bit unsure of the decision to tackle an advanced climb like this, but full of adrenaline, had to keep pushing. 5 hours later and like 8 pit stops, we hit the summit, the whole range stretched like something out of the movies, snow-dusty peaks, endless valleys. We sat there in literal silence and awe, taking it in, knowing I'd earned that view. Some reflection too on how a few months earlier I literally was not leaving my house except to go get more boxed wine about 3 times a week..

Sunday morning, we hiked to Taggart Lake for sunrise (A BIG MUST DO). Now it was cold, kept my thermos of coffee in hand, we watched the mountains wake up basically as sun climbed in the sky. It was the kind of moment you hold onto when life gets loud again. The drive home I slept a lot but had like a new contentment I wasn't really familiar with or at least hadn't had maybe since like ​early college before I ​became a daily drinker. So yeah love this topic and hope someone likes my story!

ALSO! I've thoroughly enjoyed boxing and light MMA. Although I will say, I am not very good yet lol.

I must chime in on this one. When I was stilll in sobe rliving I went to a YPAA conference in San Diego. We did a whole group trip out of it. Late nights with redbulls and stomach laughing, chain smoking. Made some friends there I'm still in contact to this day. It was just what I needed at the time, to see how young people can still live on the edge a bit and have fun in sobriety! That is still prob my fav moment so far in recovery!

This is indeed a good topic.I want to share a moment from this past NYE. Had a spiritual surfing session super early and after we had a bonfire. This was before the fires in the Palisades and we were over just below Malibu. Was a perfect session, waves seemed Godly, there were 4 of us and it was just all the right people. The bonfire afterwards too turned into just hours of talking and laughing. Reminded me my purpose and passion for staying sober. Also for the foreseeable future not gonna be possible to shred that exact area again so being able to have experienced that at least one more time (hopefully again soon) made it extra special. Happy 24 to everyone on here!

Brad I swear you look familiar! Were you around LA recovery roughly 5 - 6 years ago?

I think AA meetings in general. YPAA in particular. Someone told me they watched me catch the bug a few months ago and I see what they mean now. St first I was like “ehhh?!” But yeah thankfully I got in with a super fun group of women and not looking back! 

I got a dog when I got out of a 6 month recovery residence. A golden doodle mut, they’re not sure tho what the dad is but the mom is golden doodle. Anyways this dog, Aly, she’s amazing and I never really thought I’d be a pet person but she’s literally given me a reason to be excited waking up. Huge help in my recovery so far and going for hikes with her is my new fav activity in recovery 100%

I did a Euro trip with a buddy, my now best bud, from a sober house in south Jersey I went to. We started out in Barcelona and went north into switzerland (amazing) for skiing. Hadn't realized they speak French there, at least where we were. Thoug they spoke swiss lol, a perfect example of how much I had to learn in the world. We continued on up into Munich and then last stop was up to Stockhold (also amazing). The special time though really was in Swiss, it was just perfect we had this super cool cabin and ended up staying 3 weeks. Met a gal I kinda fell in love with for a while. Late nights by the fire with new friends, epic ski days... It was awesome. best part though maybe is that I remember everything lol! I did not drink and black out and make a fool of myself which who'd a thought how simple yet beautiful that could be...

What’s up everyone, just wanted to share something that still doesn’t feel real to me. A little over a year ago, I was sitting in an opiate detox, shaking, sweating, and completely convinced that my life was over. I had no money, no real friends left, and no clue how to live without getting high. But someone in detox told me, “Just get to a meeting every day, don’t overthink it.” So that’s what I did. I got out and started hitting AA meetings every single day, sometimes two or three a day. I didn’t have a car, so I skated to every meeting. At first, it was just a way to get around, but after a few weeks, I started skating longer routes just for fun. Something about pushing through the streets, feeling the wind, and clearing my head after meetings helped me deal with all the emotions that kept hitting me in early sobriety.

A few months in, I realized I was falling in love with skating again—the way I did when I was a kid before drugs completely took over my life. I started working on tricks again, hitting up parks, meeting new people (actual friends, not just people I used with). By the summer, I was skating every single day. Last September, someone convinced me to enter a competition in Venice Beach, and somehow, I took second place. I was blown away, and it felt like a surreal moment—just a year earlier, I was literally dope sick and barely surviving. Then last month, something even crazier happened. A guy from Vans reached out to me after seeing me skate at an event, and now I’ve got a sponsorship deal. Like… Vans. The same company I used to beg people to buy me shoes from because I was too broke.

I’m not saying this to brag—I just can’t believe how much life can change in a year. If you told me in detox that I’d be sober, skating, competing, and getting sponsored, I would’ve laughed in your face. But here I am.If you’re struggling, just know that life gets insane when you stay sober long enough to see it happen. Just keep showing up. You never know where this road will take you.

I have a friend who has a pretty amazing story. He's a DJ, but was mostly unknown some 10 years ago. But he was a true fan of that music. I was working and living in LA at the time. He was into designer drugs and alcohol, a lot of alcohol. He was having trouble staying sober but eventually kinda hit some sort of mental rock bottom I guess. When I met him it was thru a friend of mine who was working at the sober living he was at. They hit it off and soon we were all friends. Fast forward some 7 or 8 years and he started to really catch momentum, having stuck with it and grinded the music scene. As of today he is touring worldwide and is very popular and sought after DJ. He is still sober to this day and still goes to meetings and is in contact with his sponsor as far as I know. I will fully admit I am thoroughly jealous of the life he is living lol but am super happy for him and it is inspirational to say the lest!

Man this is the coolest topic I have seen in a sober recovery forum ever. Like why isnt this talked about more? Should be a topic at meetings too also. AS OPPOSED TO ALWAYS THE STRUGGLES SOMETIMES PEOPLE WANNA HEAR THE POSTIVITY! Honestly I was miserable my first 6 or 7 months but I was determined to stay sober so I was basically being dragged along by life. Around that 6 month mark I met 2 guys at a meeting in the LES of manhattan. It was like I had stumbled upon my last long pack of wolves. One of them was talkative enough for him to greet me and ask about some shoes I had on (some OG sneakers). Anyways yeah the adventures I have gotten into with those guys and a few new faces from sober living the past year has been so freaking cool. I almost left... Thats the crazy part. Like I was probably a few weeks away from picking up a drink. I totally get it now when they say "Don't leave 5 minutes before the miracle happens." So real!

Not gonna lie — getting sober young feels weird at first. Like, all your old friends are still out there partying, and you’re just sitting in a folding chair with a room full of people twice your age wondering if you’re ever gonna laugh again. I’ve been there. I thought I was about to become a super boring monk who just drank black coffee and journaled. But then I found YPAA — Young People in AA — and everything flipped.

When you start linking up with other young people in recovery, it’s different. You feel seen. These are people who’ve been through the same chaos, same heartbreak, same 3AM “what am I doing with my life” moments. Like they’re still here. Still clean. Still vibing. It makes you realize that sobriety doesn’t mean you have to ghost your whole personality. You can be wild, goofy, creative — whatever version of you is authentic — and still be living clean.

YPAA these days is kinda lit. Literally full-on sober festivals, camping trips, midnight speaker meetings with 100+ young heads, open mic nights, beach bonfires, group hikes, you name it. I met some of my best friends through a local YP meeting in L.A. (shoutout to Mid-City). One weekend we were playing Mafia till 3AM, next thing I know we’re caravanning to a YPAA conference three states over with aux battles and snacks for days.

There’s this false idea that recovery = boring. But bro, I’ve had more real fun sober than I ever did blacked out at some party I don’t remember. Plus, now I’m actually building something — friendships, trust, peace, and a life I’m not trying to escape from. That hits different.If you’re newly sober and under 30, don’t sleep on YPAA. You’ll find people who get it, who won’t judge you, and who’ll pull up when you’re crashing out at 10PM just because you said “I’m not okay.” We take care of each other out here. So yeah. Get to a YPAA meeting in your area pronto. You don’t gotta do recovery alone.