The Living Clean Podcast

Living Clean Book Study — Page 101: Illness (Living Clean: The Journey Continues)
On this episode of the Living Clean Podcast, Mason and Francis are joined by Jay, Jess, JW, Gregory, Dave, and Barb as we study page 101 from Living Clean: The Journey Continues and break down the section on Illness, one paragraph at a time.
This reading speaks to a reality many people in recovery face but don’t always talk about openly: life doesn’t stop happening just because we’re clean. Physical health issues, mental health struggles, and the long-term consequences of our past can show up in recovery and sometimes feel overwhelming. Together, the panel discusses how recovery tools help us cope with illness without falling into blame, resentment, or avoidance.
We explore the human tendency to search for explanations when we suffer, and how that can easily turn into judgment toward ourselves, others, or even a Higher Power. Instead of getting stuck in “why,” the conversation shifts toward perspective, acceptance, and learning how to just get through the day when life feels heavy.
This episode also takes an honest look at denial versus refusal, fear of treatment, stigma around illness, and the difference between truly turning something over and simply ignoring reality. The discussion connects illness to responsibility, self-care, ongoing step work, and making living amends to our bodies and our lives in recovery.
A grounded, practical Living Clean study focused on page 101 and the principle of living life on life’s terms — using recovery tools to face illness with honesty, action, and acceptance rather than fear or avoidance.

In this episode, Mason and Francis sit down with comedian Mark L., a performer known for bringing humor into recovery spaces and treatment settings across the world.
While respecting the spiritual principle of anonymity, this conversation focuses on experience, strength, and hope — not identity. Mark shares about his past, the role humor played in his recovery, and how laughter can help us talk about the things we once hid, denied, or ran from.
This is an honest discussion about addiction, recovery, perspective, and the power of being able to laugh without minimizing the seriousness of the journey.
If we can laugh about it, we can talk about it. And when we can talk about it, we don’t have to go through it alone.

After being invited onto the Living Clean Podcast, I started listening back through the early episodes. Toward the end of many of them, Mason or Travis would often ask a simple but powerful question:
“Do you have something you’d like to say to the newcomer?”
This episode is a montage of those answers from the first year of the podcast.
The question wasn’t asked at the end of every episode—but it came up often enough to leave a trail of wisdom, honesty, hope, and lived experience. What you’ll hear are short snippets of voices, shared in chronological order, speaking directly to the person who matters most in Narcotics Anonymous: the newcomer.
Putting this together reminded me of the magic of this program. The newcomer keeps us grateful. The newcomer reminds us that recovery is not something we graduate from—it’s something we live, one day at a time. This life we’ve been given is a precious gift.
Whether you’re brand new, coming back, or have some time in recovery, we hope this episode speaks to you right where you are.
Thank you for listening.
We’ll be back next week.
You can expect Year Two and Year Three of the Newcomer Montage in future episodes.
Welcome home. 💙

Atlanta has played a vital role in the growth and development of Narcotics Anonymous throughout the Southern United States.
In this Living Clean Podcast episode, we sit down with members currently serving on the committee writing The History of Narcotics Anonymous in Atlanta, along with several founding members of the Atlanta Fellowship. Together, we explore the early days of NA in Atlanta — how the first meetings formed, how the fellowship grew, and how addicts carried the message at a time when resources were scarce and recovery was still finding its footing.
This conversation captures the lived experience behind the history: the challenges, the service work, the unity, and the dedication that helped shape NA in Atlanta and influenced the broader Southern fellowship. These are stories of commitment, perseverance, and belief in a simple message — that any addict can stop using, lose the desire to use, and find a new way to live.
Whether you’re interested in NA history, service, or the roots of recovery in the South, this episode offers a meaningful look at how Atlanta became one of the building blocks of Narcotics Anonymous.

In this special episode of the Living Clean Podcast, Mason, Francis, and good friend of the podcast Ron H. guide a heartfelt conversation with the two individuals behind the powerful story “A Tale of Two Key Tags.” What started as a small, spontaneous moment involving a suitcase and a recovery key tag turned into a deeply meaningful experience that would eventually connect two recovering addicts across the country.
One author reflects on being in a difficult emotional space during an overnight airport shift when he impulsively placed a key tag on a stranger’s luggage. Meanwhile, on the other side of the country, the suitcase’s owner was navigating grief, exhaustion, and the emotional weight of arranging hospice care for a loved one when he unexpectedly discovered that same key tag after returning home. What followed was a moment that served as a profound reminder that recovery is present even in life’s hardest seasons.
Together, Mason, Francis, and Ron H. help unpack the emotional depth behind the story, exploring themes of service, connection, grief in recovery, and the quiet ways the fellowship shows up when we least expect it. The discussion goes beyond the written piece and dives into the human experience behind it — what it felt like in the moment, how the story unfolded afterward, and what it still means today years later.
This episode is a conversation about more than a suitcase and a key tag. It is about unity, unseen connection, and the powerful reminder that none of us are as alone as we sometimes feel.