A2D - From Addict to Disciple

Are you addicted to anger? Does it bring you the same rush that risk takers feel? Do you use your anger to control others? Is it your tool of manipulation? If this sounds ask too familiar it's time to find freedom from your anger addiction.

Stacy Dodd shares his journey from experimentation, to addiction, to prison, and intimately to the founder of a community center www.hopecenter1usa.com and author of Backpack to the Burbs https://www.amazon.com/dp/1736336800/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_awdb_imm_364JZ5KPB6PH0P6XJGKM to an executive with Celebrate Recovery and www.vertavahealth.com. You can contact him through any of those links or on his websit...

In this episode we use the classical model of PTSD with a new twist to look at Post Treatment Stress Disorder and Post Time Stress Disorder. Discover how to deal with the stressors you are facing after completing rehab or outpatient treatment OR after serving your time in prison.

Today's episode is another group session and we discuss these points: There are two core fears. 1) losing what you have and 2) not getting what you want. How do we deal with these fears? How can we grow to fall in love with where we are in the moment?

Self doubt sucks. Where do we go with all the doubt, lack of trust and second guessing as we try to stay strong in recovery. Listen to our group of eight as they each share their journey to trust themselves and trust their higher power to lead them to the right choices.

Our group of eight guys in recovery discuss how opening up at small group and listening to others open up keeps then strong. If you would like to start or join an online small group contact me and we'll plug you in.

What boundaries would you set up for an addict who wants to live in your house? How would they be different in a half way house? Would you for tough love or unconditional love? What freedoms would the addict have? What about money? These topics and more from our group of eight guys in recovery.

More than 115 Americans for every day from an opioid overdose. Eighty percent of opioid addicts started with advise if a prescription painkiller. These statistics have brought America and the world to an awareness of the opioid crisis. But what do addicts really think about their personal crisis in the midst of opioid addiction? How can they give a way out when they hit rock bottom? Adam shares hi...

Today we compare Dante, one of our group of eight, and his journey in pornography addiction to the allegorical poem Dante's Inferno. We discuss: how addiction is a contradiction to God's will for you, how it feels to be stuck in the black forest and how you get out, the importance of vulnerability in seeking help, and much more. Tune in for this interview, you won't regret it!!

In the third group meeting I ask the guys: many of my listeners and people who want to help addicts have never been an addict and would never use drugs, get drunk or download pornography. So they struggle to understand why you do. What would you say to them to help them understand and empathize with people caught in the snare of addiction?

This is our second group session with right men in recovery from around the world. Today they each answer this two part question: Can you remember that moment when you passed from experimental or casual use to full on addiction? What were your thoughts or emotions that led you into addiction rather than asking for help while it was still early?

What are your thoughts about about methadone and medication assisted treatment (MAT)? Is it simply trading one drug for another? Is it a crutch? Is it a sign of weakness or poor moral choices? Can you empathize with the clients who say it is their first step to getting their life back?

In today's episode I share the thoughts of eight friends in recovery from the U.S., England, Australia and South Africa. I asked each of them two questions: What motivated you to stop? and What keeps you motivated in your recovery? Enjoy as their answers are shared in a group session format!

What do you need to do to be a Peer Coach? What's the difference between a coach and a peer coach? How does the clinical community diagnose addicts? What criteria do they use? How can I learn to understand the feelings and emotions of addicts?

In this one year anniversary episode we look at why we do what we do. Why addiction? Why prisoners, the homeless and other marginalized people? How can you be equipped, empowered and encouraged to begin to reach out to the addicts in your community? What is the From Ashes to Destiny curriculum all about?

What are Inhibitions? How do they help us control our impulsivity? How did our impulsivity fuel addiction? How do we restore our inhibitions so impulsivity doesn't lead to relapse?

Where do you stand on this question? What are the pros and cons about decriminalization of drugs? What are the historical models about drugs that have shaped policies, laws and treatment? Listen, share and please send your feedback.

An interview with Clive Human, founder of STOP, Standing Together to Oppose Pornography. Clive shares his wisdom and insight about the causes of addiction to pornography, the effects it has on the addict and their loved ones, steps to break free from this addiction and how to find hope to begin the journey to freedom. If you want to contact Clive in Cape Town go to his website www.stop.org.za

I'm this episode we look at the pain of victims of emotional, physical or sexual abuse. How do victims copper with this pain? What is a victim mindset or mentality? How can a victim mentality prolong our pain? How do I know if I'm stuck in victim mentality? How do I begin the steps of healing? These questions and more! Give it a listen!

Many addicts spend their life chasing that first high! In recovery they chase happiness as they still need instant gratification. Most people chase something: happiness, money, forgiveness, love, a second chance, a fresh start. What are you chasing? Are you ready to slow down and enjoy the journey? Be still, listen to the music, and dance.

What is the Imposter Syndrome? How does it relate to addiction and recovery? Am I the only one who struggles with it? How do I stop feeling like this? I'm tired of going through life feeling like a fraud!

Do you feel like you're treading water? Are you stuck in emotions, behaviors or circumstances that could pull you under the water? Today's episode explores these questions and charts a path to get out of the water, to ask for help and to build happiness into our everyday life. Remember as Richard Wagner wrote "joy is in you, not in things."

Today we look at the addiction to cutting. Why did people do this? How did they deal with the pain of cutting themselves? How can we begin to reach out to help them? What is the cycle of a cutting addiction? Remember if you're going to hold a conversation with someone you fear is cutting themselves go back to episode 1 of these podcasts on how to hold that discussion.

Are you working through the 12 Steps? Here's hello for Steps 8&9. Perhaps you have people you have struggled to apologize to. What are the components of a good apology? What if they are not ready to forgive? What if I want reconciliation, but they don't?

Surrender is a tough thing to do. How do I Surrender? How do I turn my life and will over to a higher power? What are the things you would be hesitant to surrender? When you enter a shelter or a rehab how does it feel to surrender your freedom and trust in their authority?