Flat Out Recovery

This week, we're joined by Casey from 'Addiction And The Family' Podcast and we're talking about his new book, 'Spirituality For People Who Hate Spirituality'. We look at how many people in rehab/early recovery are sceptical about the concept, at which barriers typically present themselves and how they can be overcome, and at how anyone, anywhere can find their own kind of spirituality.

This week, we're talking about how we find creative outlets in recovery and at how this can function as a both discipline and self-care. We're also looking at persistence and application in the pursuit of self-improvement, at how important it is to continue working with others and that we maintain our position within the recovery process.

This week, we're talking about finding new experiences and hobbies and rediscovering former interests, as these things are a vital part of recovery. We look at how we expand our horizons once we are clean and sober, particularly in the way in which we engage (and reengage) with the wider world. Setting up folk festivals, climbing mountains and barn dancing? That's just the start!

This week we're talking about some of things in which we can engage to support and reinforce our recovery. We look at Buddhism, creative activities and how we can either find new interests or restore former ones. We are also discussing the meaning of life and The Philosopher's Stone, and we're pleased to say that we couldn't find an answer any more than anyone else who's ever investigated such thi...

This week we're talking about 'The List', this being the one we make every day, week, weekend or month that we reorganise ourselves, leading to... usually, more lists! We look at procrastination, perfectionism and how we do or don't cope with the effects of control freakery, whether its our own, or on the part of someone else.

'How Are You?' is a simple question, but we don't always know how to answer it. We look at how we articulate our feelings in recovery, in any given moment, on any given day. Sometimes we're being evasive, other times we can't pin down the feeling or find the right words; also, there are times when we genuinely don't know. We look at the fear of being misinterpreted and yet the need to say somethin...

This week we're talking about insecurity; and in early recovery, there's an awful lot of it! We look at how difficult it can be to admit to being fragile, and therefore human. How do we show vulnerability? How important is it? We're also looking at the importance of living an honest life in recovery and how we face up to the everyday challenges that brings.

How can I be manageable in a world that feels so unmanageable? This week we're talking about coping with daily living (and everything it brings) through newly clean and sober eyes, and at how we learn to reset our default mechanisms as we grow in recovery. Also, we're talking about 'elephants and matchsticks' and how to be mindful of the little things, because they can mount up!

This week, we're looking at our responses to the hot weather, both in addiction and in recovery. We're also talking about relapse triggers and the process of adjustment we all go through once our preferred poisons have been removed. In reengaging with the world in recovery, we don't hide, we seek to find our true selves...

This week we're talking about returning to reality (or discovering it, if we've never been there before), approaching the everyday without substances or our former default mechanisms, and at the fear associated with this. Whether events be ordinary or extraordinary, we look at how we learn to manage life on life's terms in recovery.

This week, we're talking about how to be proactive in recovery, to get up, dress up and show up! We also look at how to negotiate some of the dilemmas we encounter in the dry house environment and how we can sometimes make plans - albeit with the best intentions - that get the better of us. And with all the things we do,, there's what's necessary (or not) and what's possible (or not)...

'How can you tell when an addict is lying? Their lips are moving.' 'Alcoholics don't make friends, they take hostages'. We never needed a substance to do this. This week, we're looking at how we need to change the way we interact with other people when we come into recovery.

This week, we're looking at how our responses and reactions to everyday life change over time in recovery. We're also considering how managing the smaller things on a daily basis has a positive cumulative effect. We look at the importance of gratitude, when and why we go to wet places or not and how we deal with unfairness.

This week, we're talking about the importance of becoming proactive and at how we practise the principles of recovery in our daily lives. Also, we look at how important it is to want to get better, and to work at it. You can lead an alcoholic/ addict to a meeting, but you can't make them stay there, let alone listen...

This week, we're talking about how we learn to live with change and how we discover new perspectives on everyday life in recovery. Also, we ask whether former obsessions can be kept in check and even channelled positively; and finally, we consider the perils and pitfalls of 'What If...'

How do we keep a routine and stay organised when the world around us becomes chaotic? We discover that we're more reliable than the buses (no surprises there) and just how much it pays to keep a structured routine.  Also this week, we look at the perils of co-signing someone else's bullshit and how we deal with 'unfairness', both in recovery and in addiction.

This week, we're looking at how we cope with living sober, particularly amongst friends and family who may not have a clear understanding of what we mean by 'being in recovery'. We look at managing social occasions and 'why I buy my own drinks'. Also, we're talking about the possible impact of legalising street drugs.

This week we're talking about how and when recovery starts, that we have to make a decision without just saying 'tomorrow'. We're also talking about how we cope in recovery when friends relapse and how mental health and addiction often run hand in hand. Also, there are giant vegetables...

This week, we're looking at the role played by dry/ sober living houses in the treatment process and at how they can form part of the foundations of sustained recovery. We're also talking about the importance of identification in early recovery and beyond, and at how lived experience serves as invaluable expertise.

This week we're looking at relapse and how to deal with it. For some, it's an integral part of the journey, while for others it may be more of a question of watching it happen to someone else. We look at honesty around relapse and the willingness to learn from the experience. Also, we're talking about the perils of blacking out and the importance of being productive.

This week, we're talking about how we can end up in all sorts of places (even different countries?!?) whilst under the influence, and not remember how we got there. We're also talking about how coming into recovery certainly doesn't mean that we stop having fun; in fact, it's quite the opposite. And finally, in our dilemma this week, we're looking at destructive resentment cycles.

This week we're looking at 'Trap Doors', how we create them - sometimes unwittingly - and how we can trip ourselves up in early recovery as a result. We're also looking at relationships, treatment and (lack of) funding and we have more dilemmas, based on lived experience.

If drug and alcohol use are repeatedly condemned, especially in a public way, what is the likely reaction of today's teenagers? The same as any other generation, as the forbidden only becomes more desirable, again and again. We look at how this negative narrative is largely counterproductive. We'll leave you to imagine the soap boxes...

This week, we're looking at stigma, marginalisation and how the public perception of the addict/alcoholic (particularly when imagined as 'the other' or 'not like us') can affect recovery. We also look at the decreasing availability of treatment and how this affects addicts and their families.

This week we're looking some of the choices we make, both in addiction and in early recovery; we also look at the consequences. We have the second part of our interview with Bob, in which he describes his journey and how he found a spiritual awakening.