#addictionrecovery #addictionawareness #soberlife In this powerful and deeply reflective episode of The Sober Fix Podcast, Drew sits down with Eric J. Cunningham, an ecological anthropologist whose work bridges addiction recovery, systems thinking, anthropology, mindfulness, and spiritual inquiry.Eric shares his personal journey through addiction and recovery while illuminating how the same invisible systems that shape our personal struggles also operate at cultural, organizational, and planetary levels. Grounded in 12-step recovery, contemplative discipline, and cross-cultural research, this conversation explores how healing ourselves is inseparable from healing the systems we inhabit.This episode is especially meaningful for anyone navigating sobriety, addiction recovery, spiritual growth, mindfulness, UX research, systems design, or purpose-driven work.👤 About Eric J. CunninghamEric J Cunningham is an ecological anthropologist currently building Ripple—a practice emerging at the intersection of experience research, anthropological inquiry, systems thinking, and contemplative discipline. With deep expertise in Japanese culture and society, his work investigates how humans think about and interact with larger systems, not as external objects of study but as living ecologies we simultaneously inhabit and constitute.Grounded in the principles of 12-step recovery, Eric's approach understands personal transformation and systemic awareness as inseparable investigations. The same patterns that operate through addiction—the internalized constraints, the autopilot responses, the inherited ways of not-seeing—reveal themselves as microcosms of broader mechanisms of control and complicity.His commitment to spiritual seeking isn't separate from his research practice but foundational to it: the clarity required for genuine user-centered work begins with the willingness to examine one's own lens, to disarm one's own protective mechanisms, to become conscious of how systemic forces operate through the observer's very capacity to observe.Through Ripple, Eric is developing offerings like “Steps to You”—a structured intensive that refuses the false binary between practical logistics and inner work—and “Mindful UX,” which brings contemplative disciplines into experience research and design as methodology rather than metaphor. Drawing on his anthropological training and cross-cultural perspective, he is passionate about evidence-based design that serves the well-being of our planet and its many inhabitants, understanding that evidence itself emerges from particular ways of attending, particular questions we've learned to ask—or not ask.He writes Spirit/Matter on Substack, exploring the constant negotiation between seen and unseen realities, between materiality and meaning-making. His work is animated by the understanding that when we're grounded in purpose and at peace with ourselves, we naturally serve others more effectively—creating ripples that extend through teams, organizations, and communities toward worlds that affirm common life rather than exploit it.🔗 Learn more: https://ripplemoment.com✍️ Read his writing: https://ericjcunningham.substack.com🔔 Stay Connected with The Sober Fix🌐 Website: https://www.thesoberfixpodcast.com📸 Instagram: @thesoberfixpodcast🎵 TikTok: @thesoberfix📧 Email: thesoberfixpodcast@gmail.com👉 If you’re in recovery, questioning sobriety, or have a story that could help others—reach out. Your story matters, and it might be exactly what someone else needs to hear.
