Choice & Awareness
What is happening, and what help do I need?
A PRACTICAL PATH FORWARD · ONLINE COMMUNITY
The opposite of addiction
is connection.
Our guiding belief: recovery is not only about leaving addiction behind. It is about rebuilding connections with ourselves, others, and what gives our lives meaning—supported by practical tools for change.
One choice at a time.
01 / A DIFFERENT WAY FORWARD
Recovery is more than
what you leave behind.
The opposite of addiction is connection.
That belief is the premise of CONNECTED Recovery. Addiction can isolate us from relationships, values, purpose, and ourselves. Rebuilding meaningful connections, alongside practical coping skills, can help create a different way forward.
What if your recovery needs a different set of tools?
Are you struggling with addiction, worried about your relationship with alcohol or drugs, or finding that AA, NA, or CA isn't quite working for you? You deserve a place to explore what helps—without judgment.
Traditional 12-step programs have helped countless people through honesty, accountability, and connection. CONNECTED Addiction Recovery builds on those strengths and combines them with practical tools informed by Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) and Choice Theory.
Learn to recognize triggers, examine unhelpful thinking patterns, manage cravings and difficult emotions, and choose healthier responses. We offer a complementary path, not a requirement to abandon any support that's already helping you.
No required belief system. No pressure to share. Just practical skills, meaningful connection, and the opportunity to choose again.
Explore our Tuesday Zoom meetings ↗CONNECTED Addiction Recovery is a nine-process, peer-education approach informed by the reflection and accountability of 12-step traditions, practical recovery tools, and choice-centered thinking. We focus on understanding patterns, meeting needs in healthier ways, building relationships, and moving forward without carrying shame.
Connection is encouraged, never prescribed. Your source of connection may be another person, a community, a spiritual practice, or something else that gives you meaning. You decide.
01
Choice, not judgment
Practice the next workable action without demanding perfection.
02
Support, your way
Find meaningful connection with room for different beliefs.
03
Tools for real life
Use reflection, coping skills, and weekly exercises.
02 / THE CONNECTED PATH
Nine processes.
A lifelong practice.
You can begin wherever you are. Each process builds awareness, accountability and connection.
Openness & Ownership
What am I willing to trust, seek, and do?
Needs & Self-Discovery
What need am I trying to meet, and what is the cost?
Naming & Honesty
What truth am I ready to acknowledge safely?
Empowerment & Change
Is what I am doing working, and what can I try instead?
Connection & Accountability
Whom have I affected, and what responsibility is mine?
Transformation & Repair
What concrete repair can I make without causing more harm?
Evaluation & Maintenance
How did my choices work today, and what needs correction?
Daily Growth & Service
How can I grow and give back while protecting recovery?
03 / FIND YOUR PEOPLE
Come as you are.
Leave more connected.
Join our weekly online gathering for practical recovery education, a guided check-in, and supportive conversation. Sharing is always voluntary.
EVERY TUESDAY8:00 PM EasternAmerica/New_York · EST in winter / EDT in summer
WHEREZoom · OnlineMeeting link available from the organizer
The Zoom join link, meeting ID and passcode are included in both calendar options.
“
Connect before you act.OUR CLOSING REFLECTION
We choose. We respond.
We understand. We connect.
We release.
And then we choose again.
04 / PARTICIPANT RESOURCES
Put growth
into practice.
Each week has a printable workbook with explanations, examples, and guided exercises. Use these privately, at your own pace, or to guide discussion during meetings.
WEEK 01
Choice & Awareness
Cost–benefit reflection
Open weekly workbook PDF ↗ WEEK 02Openness & Ownership
Recovery compass
Open weekly workbook PDF ↗ WEEK 03Needs & Self-Discovery
Needs inventory
Open weekly workbook PDF ↗ WEEK 04Naming & Honesty
Pattern map
Open weekly workbook PDF ↗ WEEK 05Empowerment & Change
STOPP, WDEP, and urge planning
Open weekly workbook PDF ↗ WEEK 06Connection & Accountability
Relationship inventory
Open weekly workbook PDF ↗ WEEK 07Transformation & Repair
Safe repair plan
Open weekly workbook PDF ↗ WEEK 08Evaluation & Maintenance
Daily check-in
Open weekly workbook PDF ↗ WEEK 09Daily Growth & Service
90-day growth plan
Open weekly workbook PDF ↗All workbook resources open as PDFs. Use your browser’s download or print controls to save a copy.
FROM THE BLOG
Notes on
connected recovery.
Visit the blog ↗
The Urge Is Real. But the Thought Behind It Isn’t Always the Whole Truth.
A stressful day. An argument. A lonely evening. Sometimes the hardest part isn’t what happened—it’s the story we tell ourselves afterward: “I can’t handle this.”“I’ve already messed up.”“One […]
Read more ↗
Why Meaningful Human Connection is the Antidote to Addiction
At CONNECTED Recovery, our guiding belief is simple: the opposite of addiction is connection. Here is what that means in practice, and why it shapes everything we do.
Read more ↗
Five Ways to Build Healthy Community Bonds in Sobriety
Community does not happen by accident. Here are five practical ways to build healthy bonds in recovery, drawn from the CONNECTED approach.
Read more ↗
IMPORTANT INFORMATION
Program Disclaimer
- CONNECTED Addiction Recovery is a volunteer-facilitated peer education and mutual-support program. Facilitators are not acting as licensed mental-health, medical, or addiction-treatment professionals.
- CONNECTED is independent of, and is not affiliated with, sponsored by, or endorsed by Alcoholics Anonymous (AA), or any other organization. We draw upon Cognitive Behavioral Therapy techniques.
- Participation is voluntary. This program does not provide diagnosis, therapy, medical advice, detoxification, or crisis care, and is not a substitute for professional treatment. Seek qualified care for withdrawal, trauma, or urgent safety concerns.
- Personal sharing is optional. Respect others’ privacy; confidentiality cannot be guaranteed in a group setting. In an emergency, contact local emergency services.
05 / STAY CONNECTED
Every new chapter
starts somewhere.
Questions about the program, Tuesday meetings, or how to get started? Reach out. We would love to hear from you.
Email mark@connectedrecovery.org ↗