I had the pleasure of a long conversation with Patricia Ginn and Val Mondor about so many options for recovery and particularly Patricia's experience in Alcoholics Anonymous (AA) where we talked frankly about the successes and failures of the program. 

Patricia is a retired, proud Municipal worker. She grew up in a small village in Quebec where drinking was a sport and alcoholism ran rampant.  She is always open to speak about recovery and what it takes to survive going down the rabbit hole and back again.

Val is a retired PBS video editor who loves to dance, garden and play pickleball. She grew up in an alcoholic family and found herself repeating those dysfunctional dynamics in multiple relationships.

Patricia was a great sport knowing that I'm not a fan of 12-step programs and openly shared her experiences. 

We also talked about alternatives: 

SMART recovery 

Women for Sobriety 

Secular Organization for Sobriety  (Meetup based in Toronto)

CAMH LGBTQ addictions programs 

Serenity & Sobriety On the Land 

Sober Voices 

And although we ran out of time to talk more about gambling addictions, Patricia did mention a self exclusion program like Play Smart. You can find Patricia on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/sista.patricia.5