look for the good – when you find it, say something and amplify it!
we shine a light on the great things being done to support recovery from addiction
Let’s talk about what’s working!
We shine a bright light on communities and organizations working together to support and nurture a growing recovery community!
PechaKucha Presentation Portland Chapter
PechaKucha (PK) Presentation - Portland Chapter https://youtu.be/J12b56W2Ru0 A PK presentation is a style of storytelling that requires clarity and brevity to communicate a message with chapters all...
Sept 13 2021 The Day That Changed Everything
MaineBiz The Day That Changed Everything Episode 32 — Carolyn Delaney, founder and publisher of Journey Magazine When Carolyn Delaney launched Journey magazine in March 2019 to amplify hope for...
Summer 2021 Keep It Local
Keep it local Maine Todd & Kimberly Regoulinsky Summer 2021 In this episode, we chat with Maine publisher and addiction recovery advocate Carolyn Delaney of Journey Magazine. We talked about how...
November 11, 2021 Rich Jones of youturn
Founder & CEO of Journey magazine, Carolyn Delaney joins Richard Jones of youturn for a transparent discussion on recovery and advocacy for those dealing with substance and alcohol dependency....
July 16 2019 Daughters of Change
The Daughters of Change #Podcast is officially launched The first interview is with Carolyn Delaney, Publisher of Recovery Journey. Carolyn with Marie from Daughters of Change : Amplifying Hope...
May 1 2019 Channel 8 News with David Charns
Maine-based magazine Journey shows recovery is possible With Leslie Clark, the executive director of the Portland Recovery Community Center & Falmouth police Chief John Kilbride
6 Ways to Fortify Yourself
During the Pandemic (and Other Challenging Times) Resilience is one of the most important attributes that influences the quality of a person’s life. Our level of resilience affects our mental and...
Stepping Up
Starting a Courageous Conversation After sharing with a close friend about a frustrating and puzzling situation involving another person, I asked for her perspective and insights. I was especially...
Issue #18 Publisher’s Letter
For this very last issue of 2021, our theme is transitions. Some transitions we step up for, while other transitions are forced upon us (hello COVID), but regardless of why we find ourselves in...
Issue #17 Publishers Letter
End the stigma, support recovery now. Jeffrey D’Amico, a Journey team member, got me this mask at a recovery rally in South Paris a few weeks ago, and it’s now my favorite mask. It gives people an...
Issue #13 Publisher’s Letter
As we head into our third year as a print magazine, I was reflecting recently on how Journey first started; and how today, advancements in technology enable us to share information at the speed of...
Issue #12 Publisher’s Letter
We get a second chance at life when we recover, and books can be a vehicle for expanding our possibilities. I used to be embarrassed by how many personal development books I’ve owned over the years...
Issue #11 Publisher’s Letter
As we go to print with this Family issue, I’m reflecting on the various families I have around me - my own immediate family, my birth family, my husband’s family, my recovery family, my journey...
Issue #10 Publishers Letter
Greetings! We’re talking about home in this issue. At Home—with ourselves and in our physical space. Google says, “Home means an enjoyable, happy place where you can live, laugh and learn. It’s...
Issue #9 Publishers Letter
It doesn’t seem nearly enough to say “Black Lives Matter.” Not nearly enough compassion, effort, or energy can go into those three words that communicate the extent to which humanity is waking up to...
Issue #7 Publisher’s Letter
Here in Maine, February means winter is about half over. The days start getting a little longer and spring starts to be a speck I can see in the near future. For me, February is a month of complete...
Issue #8 Publisher’s Letter
Solving new puzzles together without a box cover for reference It’s April 8, and I’m taking big, deep breaths as I write this from my car on the East End in Portland, Maine. It’s a favorite peaceful...
Take Charge of Your Financial Situation
Three easy steps to get started on the path to financial stability It comes as no surprise that often a person’s financial life mirrors the ups and downs that might be reflected in their physical...
No Single One, There Are Many Paths
The Gifts Are in The Journey, Not The Destination There is no one pathway to recovery. Unless you’re talking about what got you there in the first place—waking up in jail, a trip to the emergency...
The Process of Intimacy
Why Intimacy is Difficult for Couples in Recovery Once a committed couple enters the recovery process, the most common concern they relate to is about finding or improving intimacy in their...
Personal Recovery Story – Christopher Poulos
From Prison to Law School to Mountain Rescue Christopher Poulos was born and raised in Portland, Maine, graduated from the University of Maine School of Law in 2016, and is now the executive...
What’s Your (Ally) Language of Love?
Find a way that works for you Maybe you’ve heard about the five languages of love. Introduced in the 2015 book, The Five Love Languages: The Secret to Love That Lasts, by marriage counselor Gary...
Hiring People in Recovery
Hiring People in Recovery is Just Good Business Chameleon Group is a business-to-business call center located in Dover, New Hampshire. It’s a busy and bustling workplace, and one where it would be...
The Gifts of Imperfection by Brene Brown
Practicing courage, compassion “ and connection in our daily lives is how we cultivate worthiness. The key word is practice.” This book is a practical guide to implementing practices that change the...
Be A Positive Influencer
This column on Prevention is possible because of the support of Be The Influence, a collaborative group of community members from Windham and Raymond, Maine whose mission, like mine, is to promote...
The Twelfth Step
Practicing these principles in all of our affairs If someone told you that you had to give away your car to keep it, you would wonder if they needed to be evaluated for a psychiatric condition. But...
Community Consultants
In Mid-coast, Getting Out of Jail Comes With Community Support For Recovery For the latest example of Maine’s long tradition of neighbor helping neighbor, look no further than Community Consultants,...
The Anonymous Path – Joe K.
Joe K. is one of many men that came to Alcoholics Anonymous through a mandated addiction rehabilitation center. The facility mandated 12 meetings a month but participants could choose which program...
Intentional Peer Supports
Changing the world one relationship at a time If you have come here to help me, you are wasting your time, but if your liberation is bound up with mine, then let us work together. - Lilla Watson,...
His Story Lives On
A ripple effect … continued Bruce Pierce of Calais died in a car accident in the early morning hours of July 28, 2021. Bruce is remembered for his volunteerism in the local recovery community, and...
Healthy Communities A Team Effort
Wellspring helps people start their journey Jess (not her real name) is one young woman who has found hope, support and recovery at Infinity House, one of the programs in a continuum of services...
Personal Recovery Story: Marshall Mercer
Marshall Mercer, 40, lost his identity at birth. His parents, both addicts, were never really in his life, and he was raised by his grandparents instead. “I had no identity, just pain,” he says....
Five Tips for Being a Recovery Ally
Being a recovery ally is a journey, a lifelong commitment to take actions that support people in recovery. There are many ways to show your support. Here are some tips that I have learned from my...
Bringing the help & support to where it’s needed
In 2008, Tina Graham, Owner and Director of Blue Sky Counseling, returned to school with the ambition of becoming a nurse. During a conversation with an advisor, she learned about addiction...
What Are Puff Bars?
I had never heard of Puff Bars until a colleague recently mentioned them. It turns out that Puff Bars are the new kid on the block in the vaping world. Puff Bars are disposable vape products, aka...
Music for Recovery
I fell in love with the guitar and songs in general at Girl Scout camp. When I was 10, my dad bought me my first guitar. We had just moved, and I was starting fifth grade in my third new school. A...
Al-Anon: Personal Experiences
No one can seek recovery on behalf of someone else. But, if you’re worried about someone with a drinking problem, Al-Anon meetings are for you. Not for you to help figure out how to make your person...
Al-Anon Family Groups
Help and Hope for Families and Friends of Alcoholics by an anonymous member of Al-Anon in long term recovery Who are Al-Anon members? Al-Anon members are people, just like you, who are worried about...
9 Work-Life Recovery Tools to Empower, Satisfy, Grow, and Delight
I am a recovering workaholic. I love to work. But I have discovered that the pressures of my career can collapse my soul if not balanced with play. I crashed in my third year of sobriety—a total...
The Pillars of Recovery
The Merriam Webster dictionary defines a pillar as “a firm upright support for a superstructure.” This is a perfect description of the four pillars of recovery! Home, Health, Purpose, and Community...
Getting Through Transitions as a Team
Life presents us with many transitions. Good or bad, change can be stressful for both the individual and the couple in recovery. In our work, we have found that learning how to function as a team...
Personal Recovery Story – Michael Paddleford
Staying the Course - A winding road to recovery sends a message of hope That early morning in March 2002, it seemed like every other snowstorm. I was the assistant manager at a convenience store,...
Senior Sober
I am sixty-one years old. Not quite senior, but certainly approaching the cusp. I have reflected on words my father spoke often to my brothers and me growing up in Pittsburgh. “Today is the youngest...
Brave the Unknown With Spirit
I look at myself in the mirror, stare deep into my eyes, and tell myself, “I can do this. I trust this next step and have faith that Source will guide me.” I’ve reinvented myself so many times that...
Millions of Cups of Coffee and Not a Drop to Drink
Most people in Helen Thorgalsen’s life have only known her sober. That includes her two children—now in their 30s— and her partner of 20 years, Bonnie Clement, with whom she founded the general...
Willa Wirth – A Force of Nature
When you see silver jewelry made by Portland’s Willa Wirth, you can’t help but notice the energy that radiates from her unique designs. A pendant takes the shape of a cresting ocean wave. Earrings...
At the McAuley Residence, women are shown the path to success
When Amanda Kurlanski walked into the McAuley Residence eight years ago, she didn’t know what would come next. She had lost years to her disease, she was unemployable, and she was working to regain...
Providing a Safe Space for Women to Transform
Living at the McAuley Residence “ literally saved my life. I learned that staying in recovery and being a good mother in recovery were both possible and within reach.” This is how Nicole*, a single...
Find Help NOW
MAINE: Maine Crisis Hotline Maine Behavioral Health 888-568-1112 24 hour hotline, mobile assessment & crisis intervention National Human Trafficking Resource Center/Polaris Project 888-373-7888...