STICK WITH THE WINNERS! –
July 22, 2025 – Jane Velez-Mitchell is the founder and managing editor of UnchainedTV, a free, global, streaming television network. Often called the Vegan CNN/Netflix, UnchainedTV produces and streams original video content on the plant-based lifestyle and streams hundreds of documentaries, cooking shows, lifestyle shows, talk shows and music videos, from a variety of sources, all with an eye to benefit animals, people and the planet.
Q. If you are in recovery, what was your drug(s) of choice and when is your sobriety date?
A. I’m a recovering alcoholic and my sobriety date is … April Fools Day. Seriously. April 1, 1995 is when I got sober after making a complete fool of myself at a party in West Hollywood the night before, a somewhat glitzy event where it seemed like everybody I knew was present and watching. So the date is very appropriate. Luckily, my sobriety has not been a joke. I’ve been able to do it one day at a time for 30 years. I’ve made every mistake possible within the rules that do exist, except drinking or using. That I haven’t done, thank god. So, my experience is a good reminder that nobody does it perfectly and – at the same time – everyone who stays sober does it perfectly. Go figure. Oh, and my drug of choice was Chardonnay. Whenever I elected to go with tequila, all bets were off. On that last night, I was drinking – you guessed it – tequila.
Q. Is there anything special in your sobriety toolkit that helps keep you sober?
A. Well, there are these little get togethers – which shall remain nameless – that I totally enjoy and that have really been the key to my sobriety. I know more about some fellow recovering alcoholics after listening to them for 15 minutes than friends I’ve known for 40 years. Fascinating.
