There Is Still a Solution
Step Two, ninety years later: Joe Van Wie reflects on shared recovery, thoughts and emotions, social class, and the ocean-liner metaphor in Alcoholics Anonymous.
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Essays on recovery, culture, and being human. Explore the ideas, questions, and stories behind the work.
What If Pain Doesn’t Have To Be The Fuel
A reflection on intelligence, progress, and whether meaningful change has to begin with suffering. Joe considers another source of motivation: curiosity, connection, and the possibility of a better life.
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Ernest Hemingway: A Postmortem Clinical Review
After watching the Hemingway documentary, Joe reflects on the experiences behind the literary legend, including family history, trauma, alcohol, and emotional distress. This is an interpretive essay about a historical figure.
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Recovery Capital: Wealth That Actually Matters
Recovery involves more than willpower. Joe explores the value of relationships, resources, stability, and opportunities that people can draw on as they build a life in recovery.
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Psychosis Lite
An essay connecting questions about perception and shared reality with substance use and modern culture. Joe begins with the complex range of experiences described as psychosis.
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Sacred Ground, Shared Reality
Shared meaning can make a place feel sacred without requiring a particular religion. Joe explores the boundaries, relationships, and agreements that give recovery spaces their significance.
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Why We Feel What Others Feel: A Deep Look at Empathy, Sympathy, and Compassion
Joe examines the differences between sharing another person’s feelings, recognizing their distress, and responding with care. The discussion connects empathy with emotional regulation and relationships.
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Shame & Guilt
Joe distinguishes concern about an action from a painful judgment about the self. The essay explores what that distinction can mean for accountability, belonging, and recovery.
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New OS for an Old Mind
Joe describes the ongoing practice of self-examination in Step Ten. The essay explores how noticing thoughts and reactions can become part of daily life.
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One Day at a Time – The Physics and Humor of Now
Joe revisits a familiar recovery phrase through reflections on time, attention, and the present moment, with a sense of humor about the difficulty of staying here.
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Social Mobility: From Reptilian Alarm To Civic Recovery
Joe connects modern pressures around status and opportunity with older patterns of threat and survival. The essay explores how social conditions shape a person’s experience of recovery.
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