A New Leaf

Recent Articles

  • Heard in a Meeting

    “I’m having positive transitions. This is the promise of recovery.” – Anonymous Published in A New Leaf – June 2025

    Heard in a Meeting
  • This Tune Shall Pass

    By, Jesse P. It started out as one teenaged wishthe click of a lighterand turned into a lifeIt was excitingand floating from the groundcame the laughter and the closeness I needed to have somehowyou turned into a danger from someone I held so close, I don’t knowbut it was time for you to go Oh…

    This Tune Shall Pass
  • Dear Cannabis Sativa

    By, Melissa H. Dear Cannabis Sativa,We were introduced by a cool, blond-haired rebel girl from Colorado. I was a 15-year old flatlander from Pennsylvania who had never even heard of you. I took to you because you elevated fun to a new level. I hadn’t known that fun was smokable. You made rolling over on…

    Dear Cannabis Sativa
  • Depression and the Twelve Steps

    By, Carol M. I am an addict and a depressive. I wish I were manic depressive, but I have never experienced the up, just the down. Getting to the “almost OK” has been a struggle all my life. My first attempt at suicide was at eleven. Depression is a disease. In many ways it’s like…

    Depression and the Twelve Steps
  • Thought of the Month

    “Life, Itself, Is The Proper Binge.” – Julia C. Published in A New Leaf – February 1991

    Thought of the Month
  • Break-Up Letter

    By Vinnie C. Dear Mary Jane, We are now broken up, retroactive to Dec. 29th, 2024. It’s not you. It’s me. Let me explain. When we first met back in February of 2004, you absolutely rocked my world. I’ll never forget that first time, smoking with a shady Russian guy in a New Jersey college…

    Break-Up Letter
  • The Birth of a Sobriety Baby: A Man’s Labor Story

    By T Money Nine months in, and Justin was glowing— Not from booze, not from weed, not from anything flowing. He’d been carrying this thing, deep in his soul, A sobriety baby—his life’s new goal. At first, it was easy, just a little bloat, Some cravings, some mood swings, but he stayed afloat. Then came…

    The Birth of a Sobriety Baby: A Man’s Labor Story
  • A Third Step Prayer

    By Susan L. of District 27 HP, I surrender. May victory over my inadequacies bear witness to the strength and power existing beyond and within me for the greater good of all. Guide me through the difficulties in my life, taking life’s strife as they arise. Help me to see the wonders in life and…

    A Third Step Prayer
  • A Prayer for Human Strength (Sin Eater)

    By, Jeanninne P. A prayer for human strength (Sin Eater): restrain my holiness, sustain my humanity, may my flaws be my sustenance, consecrated by my forgiveness. I forgive all my sins, till I eat them again. Published in A New Leaf – May 2025

    A Prayer for Human Strength (Sin Eater)
  • Why I Keep Coming Back

    Written by, Thia L. I’m an addict. I’m also a “chronic relapser.” Sometimes in meetings I joke that “I’m the poster child to keep coming back.” It’s not really a joke. I’ve been coming back to the rooms over and over for the past 12 and a 1/2 years. I can’t count the number of…

    Why I Keep Coming Back