RenewEveryday.com

Follow Your Bliss is the blog of Ashley Webb Dane, a mother of two teenagers who has been in recovery for five years. She is committed to carrying the message of the spiritual aspect of recovery and the empowerment of women in recovery. She is a certified hypnotherapist, and is currently Director of Communications at ONE80CENTER, a drug and alcohol treatment facility in Beverly Hills.

Diane Cameron is an award-winning journalist and speaker on recovery and personal growth. She is the author of two personal blogs: “Out of the Woods”—for women in long-term recovery, and “Love in the Time of Cancer”—for couples and caregivers. Diane teaches on topics related to the history and politics of mental health and recovery. Her newspaper column on popular culture appears in the Albany Times Union and in newspapers across the country. “What Comes Next” offers ideas, suggestions and provocative perspectives for men and women who have 10-plus years of recovery and reveals the continued emotional and spiritual growth that occurs with long recovery.

Opinions, observations and ideas by occasional contributors to RenewEveryDay.com.

Bill Manville gets your questions about addiction answered in his blog, Addiction and Answers. He has been sober more than 20 years. “Cool, Hip & Sober,” his most recent work, has just been re-issued as an ebook, available at all online bookstores. A Book of the Month novelist too, Bill privately teaches “Writing To Get Published.” “Got any questions about addiction,” Bill says, “please email them to whmanville@yahoo.com.

Greg Kayko is the single father of two young children, the sponsor of half a dozen (or so) men in the Midwest, and an avid but painfully average golfer. A self-described sobriety junkie, Kayko is also a managing editor at a large national media company and author of Realtime Recovery: Where Sober is the New Black , a personal blog that celebrates the many ways we “trudge the Road of Happy Destiny.”

I am trying not to live so hard. I have four children, two dogs, one husband, a tortoise and I'm a recovering addict/alcoholic. I am also the wife of an addict/alcoholic with PTSD. I am an unorganized perfectionist, who is being public with my struggle to save my own life, which in turn saves my family. I hope this helps. - Betsey 

You can learn more about Betsey at her website, Mom Off Meth.

Dan Griffin has worked in the mental-health and addictions field for 17 years. He is the author of A Man’s Way Through the 12 Steps (Hazelden), the first trauma-informed book taking a holistic look at men’s experience of recovery from addictions. He is also co-author of the groundbreaking curriculum, Helping Men Recover, the first trauma-informed curriculum to deal with men’s unique issues and needs.

Dan served as state drug court coordinator for the Minnesota Drug Court Initiative from 2002-2010. He has also worked in addictions research, case management, public advocacy, and counseling. In 2010, Dan started Griffin Recovery Enterprises for consultancy and training. 

Dan has been in recovery since 1994, and lives in Minneapolis with his wife and daughter.

Jennie Ketcham is the author of I am Jennie, a blogger and a former porn star who began her recovery from sex addiction on VH1’s "Sex Rehab with Dr. Drew" and "Sober House with Dr. Drew" in 2009. She writes a popular blog, BecomingJennie.com, about her new life as a writer, student and recovering alcoholic. She lives in Los Angeles.

Former CNN, MSNBC and Fox News anchor Laurie Dhue has taken another step in embracing her role as a champion of addiction recovery by joining Renew Media as Editor at Large. As Editor at Large, Dhue focuses on high-profile recovery advocates and the ways politics, public policy and media impact such recovery-related issues as parity, access to treatment, recovery education, drug policy, employment and criminal justice.

Jeff Zacharias is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker, Certified Alcohol and Other Drug Abuse Counselor and Registered Dual Disorder Professional with several years of clinical experience in both the mental health and addictions field. As a therapist, Jeff offers a safe, supportive, non-judgmental environment in order to explore individual needs with a commitment to placing the highest priority on your care. Owner of New Hope Recovery Center in Chicago, his areas of expertise include all forms of addiction, interventions, gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender, and intersex issues, self-injury, eating disorders, trauma and more. Click here to learn more about Jeff.

At age 15, I picked up my drug of choice: Anorexia Nervosa. Over the years, I've been better and worse, and there were times when it nearly killed me. At 50, I embrace my life, my work as the editor of Renew, and my recovery. I invite you to share the highs and lows of my journey through Starkstarvingmad, We'll laugh a little, cry a little, and heal a lot, I hope.

John Spoto is the founder of Sentry Financial Planning in Andover and Danvers, Mass. In his blog, Financially Speaking, he offers advice for people in recovery who want to rebuild and strengthen their financial situations. If you have questions for John, email him at info@sentryfinancialplanning.com

Sam Shem, co-author of the play, “Bill W. and Dr. Bob,” with his wife, Janet Surrey (http://billwanddrbob.com/renew/), writes about their journey creating this powerful play about recovery, among other topics. 

April Pfrogner is a wife and stay-at-home mother of six children, who writes about recovery for a variety of sources. In May 2013, she joined Reneweveryday.com's Voices of Recovery, focusing largely on parenting in recovery in her blog, "Married with Children." April grew up in a small, coal mining town in western Pennsylvania and later attended California University, where she earned half a degree in Spanish Secondary Education. Instead of becoming a teacher, she became a mother, then an addict and alcoholic. A fast downward spiral into 10 years of heavy drug use took her to jails, institutions and suicidal wishes. Upon joining Renew she has six years of recovery. She also writes for http://challengingaddiction.com/, and contributes to the facebook pages "Sobriety Kicks Ass" and "Recovery and Hope" daily.

Liz Scott is a personal chef and caterer specializing in nutritional and dietary needs for recovery from illness and disease, including alcohol and drug dependence. She is a graduate of New York University and the French Culinary Institute in New York and holds an MA degree from Villa Schifanoia in Florence, Italy. Her personal battle with alcoholism and her dedication to the recovery community have led to new creative levels in her professional culinary career.

Entrepreneurship is the blog of Alex Shohet, who is the CEO and co-founder of the ONE80CENTER in Beverly Hills. Shohet studied system science engineering at UCLA but left college in 1984 because of his addiction to heroin and cocaine. In 1988, he entered a long-term treatment center in Pasadena where he found the path of recovery.

Dr. Harris Stratyner, Ph.D., vice president of Caron Treatment Center and clinical director of the New York region, is internationally known for developing and implementing the groundbreaking clinical model of "Carefrontation," a treatment approach that doesn't shame or blame the patient. It recognizes addiction as a disease and stresses each individual's responsibility to work with healthcare providers to reach the goal of complete abstinence.  

Rockin' Recovery is the blog of Super Star, who chose to stay sober one day at a time after surviving an almost 15-year battle with addiction. He left the crack houses to mingle with Hollywood’s elite, which culminated in the creation of an all-star CD featuring his childhood musical heroes. Artists on the CD include current and former members of Kiss, Heart, The Goo Goo Dolls, Dokken and Trans-Siberian Orchestra. He now devotes his life to educating others about the prevention and treatment of addiction.

Sherry Gaba, LCSW, psychotherapist, life and recovery coach, is featured on VH1's Celebrity Rehab. Sherry is the author of "The Law of Sobriety," which uses the law of attraction to recover from any addiction. Please download your copy of "Manifest Holistic Health" from Sherry's Enrich Your Life Series. Contact Sherry at sherry@sgabatherapy.com for webinars, teleseminars, coaching packages and speaking engagements. 

The founder of the Addict's Mom organization takes readers on a journey through the lives of many mothers who have been invaded by the destruction of addiction.