Commune with Jeff Krasno Small Steps Toward Sobriety with Amanda de Cadenet
Jan 8, 2026
In this engaging discussion, Amanda de Cadenet, photographer and author, shares her journey of sobriety and recovery. She candidly explores the societal pressures of drinking and its effects on mental health and social connections. Amanda emphasizes the importance of community and personal rituals in rebuilding one's life without alcohol. She shares practical tools for overcoming social anxiety and highlights the value of 12-step programs in fostering accountability and support. The conversation is a heartfelt reminder that change happens one small step at a time.
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Alcohol Is Built Into Social Rituals
- Alcohol is culturally scaffolded as both celebration and consolation, making abstinence socially difficult.
- Amanda de Cadenet emphasizes that availability and social rituals normalize drinking despite health harms.
Learning Social Life Sober With Support
- Amanda found early sober social situations terrifying and relied on sober companions to learn how to navigate them.
- Sober friends accompanied her to events and taught her practical ways to cope until she built new skills.
Why Twelve-Step Works Long-Term
- The 12-step model succeeds largely because it's simple, decentralized, and community-driven rather than doctrinal.
- Its anonymity, low cost, and flexible notion of a higher power make it widely accessible and durable.
