The conversation in America around substance use and addiction is changing. Recent studies have shown that Gen Z is drinking less than previous generations, and a growing number of “sober curious” social initiatives and activities are taking off nationwide.
Sober athlete, entrepreneur, and CNN Hero Scott Strode has long been at the forefront of this changing conversation. In 2006, he launched The Phoenix, a revolutionary sober-active community that’s reshaping the way our communities support addiction recovery, encouraging members to bond over who they want to become—healthy and strong in mind and body—rather than defining themselves by their addiction.
It’s grown into a national sober-active community, empowering more than half a million people through the transformational power of connection, and on track to help ten million people by 2030.
This January, Strode takes the next step in his path to help others thrive in sobriety with the release of his new “memoir with a mission” called RISE. RECOVER. THRIVE. How I Got Strong, Got Sober, and Built a Movement of Hope.
Strode’s book arrives as over 46 million Americans are grappling with substance use disorders, and nearly half of all U.S. adults report being personally affected by addiction through family or close friends. The urgency for change in addiction recovery has never been clearer.
Charting Strode’s extraordinary path from addiction to founding The Phoenix, RISE. RECOVER. THRIVE. is an empathic and empowering gift for anyone who’s had a brush with addiction—either themselves or a loved one. Strode candidly opens up about his rocky upbringing, descent into addiction, journey to sobriety, and personal transformation into the founder of the Phoenix with raw vulnerability and unwavering honesty. Offering a complete picture of his life from childhood trauma to recovery and beyond, Strode provides readers with a roadmap for overcoming addiction, breaking free from stigma, and living their fullest lives.
Today, the connection between substance use and our Epidemic of Loneliness and Isolation are clearer than ever. The revolutionary, ongoing success story of The Phoenix is the result of Scott Strode understanding that connection two decades ago and building a new path forward.
“People dealing with addiction are not a problem to be solved,” Strode notes. “They are full of potential waiting to be drawn out.”
About the Author:
Scott Strode is the founder of The Phoenix, a national sober active community on track to help a million people in their recovery journey by the end of 2025. Born and raised in Pennsylvania, by a father who suffered from untreated mental illness and an emotionally distant, workaholic
mother, Scott turned to alcohol and cocaine early on as an escape from his tumultuous childhood. On April 8, 1997, he made the life-changing decision to get sober. His early motivation came from adopting an active lifestyle, including boxing, biking, and ice climbing. But the catalyst for his long-term sobriety was the support he gave to, and got from, others in recovery. Since its founding in 2006, The Phoenix has offered healing and hope through group activities like hiking, concerts, and yoga. “We believe in each other even before we believe in ourselves,” says Scott. He lives in Boston with his wife and two children.
About the Phoenix:
The Phoenix is a national sober active community that provides free fitness classes and social events for anyone impacted by substance use, creating a space to connect, build friendships, find support, and have fun. Scott Strode launched The Phoenix in Colorado in 2006, based on his personal experience that a healthy lifestyle has a transformative effect on long-term sobriety.
Scott strongly believes that a sober active community helps individuals rise, recover and live through the power of fitness and community. Since 2006, the Phoenix has now helped more than 500,000 people across America to rise above addiction and harness the power of self- transformation. The Phoenix takes a new approach to recovery by fostering healing through fitness and personal connection. All to help people grow stronger together, overcome the stigma of addiction, and rise to their full potential.