Giving Voice to Recovery

In this episode of Giving Voice to Recovery Elizabeth interviews Kathy Stolecki. Kathy is a singer/songwriter and a health coach. She is also the author of the book Waking Up Sober in a Convent. Kathy shares how she came to that moment of clarity and realized that she needed and wanted to get sober. She takes us on her personal spiritual journey and shares her Spiritual awakening. A jour...

In this episode of Giving Voice to Recovery Elizabeth interviews Jenn Beninger, the CEO and founder of Genius Unlocked Coaching Institute. Jenn has refined the art of coaching others on how to delve into what's holding them back and live in their purpose by calling on their intuition. Jenn explains that the best way to get long lasting and permanent results in any area of life is to cultivate an u...

Love Without Martinis - How Couples Build Healthy Relationships in Recovery - Chantal Jauvin Interview Check out my interview with Chantal Jauvin, Author of a new book titled Love Without Martinis, How Couples Build Healthy Relationships in Recovery, Based on Real Stories. As a person in long-term recovery, who is also in a long-term marriage to another person in long-term recovery, I absolutely a...

Join Elizabeth as she interviews David Malow Recovery Coach. David's mission is to provide a bridge of guidance and support for individuals and their loved ones who are struggling with chemical dependency, while helping to facilitate the action steps which are necessary to maintain a happy, healthy sober lifestyle. David enjoys long-term sobriety and is a current member of CAADAC, CCAR, Recovery V...

As we start a new year a lot of people will be declaring new year’s resolutions. I used to do this and it did not work, now I know why. A resolution is when we resolve to quit something, something that’s not good for us. Addiction easily falls into this category. “Swearing off” is rarely effective because it doesn’t deal with the complex underlying issues involved. However, the main reason resolut...

For those of us that are blessed with recovery, gratitude becomes a daily practice. Developing an attitude of gratitude is a powerful spiritual principle that helps heal our mind, body and soul.  I believe that substance use disorder (addiction) is, among other things, a soul sickness. The remedy for soul sickness is a spiritual awakening. Spiritual connection, regardless of how you achieve i...

The word Stigma was borrowed from Latin meaning "mark or brand”. Stigma in English first referred to a scar left by a hot iron. In modern use the scar is figurative: stigma most often refers to a set of negative and often unfair beliefs that a society has about something—such as the stigma associated with addiction. Words are powerful. How we talk about ourselves and to ourselves, matters. Negativ...

My worse day turned out to be my best day. It was the day I had my moment of clarity. It was the day I woke up from my “story”, the story I told myself every day, the story that justified self-destructive behaviors. It was the day I woke up from my lie, the lie I had been telling myself for years. “My drinking doesn’t hurt anybody.” “If I ever get as bad as so in so, I’ll quit.” “I can quit anytim...

The Serenity Prayer God grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change the courage to change the things I can and the wisdom to know the difference Amen *There is a longer version of this prayer but the short version has been popularized and is the subject of my focus.  Although there are earlier versions that captured the concept of the serenity prayer, the actual prayer, as we k...

Focus on Hope I think most people would agree that we are living through challenging times. The Corona Virus Pandemic and all that comes with it including, lost loved ones, health anxiety, financial stress and forced lifestyle changes just to name a few, are taking their toll. Additionally, many of us are dealing with extreme weather events all while navigating the choppy waters of a deep politica...

Guilt vs. Shame Guilt is the emotional signal that says, oops I messed up, I did something wrong, I made a mistake, I need to clean that up or walk it back. Shame, on the other hand is the core belief that says, you are not good. It’s that subconscious feeling that there is something fundamentally wrong with you. It’s says “you are bad”, “you are a mistake”, “you are less than” or “you don’t belon...

One of the guiding principles of the many 12 step programs is “Progress Not Perfection”. This is a vital concept to recovery for several reasons and when you employ it you will immediately benefit from the change of focus. Perfection is a false standard. I’m not “perfect”, You’re not “perfect”, life is rarely “perfect” and because perfection has little to do with objective reality it is useless, i...

It is so easy to fall into "Learned Helplessness" during times of stress. Before I got sober I lived in a state of "learned helplessness", that frame of mind that looks and feels like "life is happening to me and I can't do anything about it". Basically a stuck, frozen victim mentality that leads to defeat and despair. One of the many tools I've learned along the road of recovery is to "Ask a Bett...

This one is for anyone who has ever loved or cared about a person who is hurting themselves with an active addiction. It is a mind boggling and terrifying experience to watch someone ruin their life, their health and their future opportunities because of an addictive behavior. Why can't they see the danger they are in? Why are they not ashamed of themselves? We beg them to see what they are doing...

Cultivating an Attitude of Gratitude Elizabeth explores the value and power of cultivating an attitude of gratitude as a cornerstone of recovery from addiction. One of the first and most important things I learned early on It’s a baby step in the right direct – it's a decision, it supports a turning point. It becomes a daily practice Addiction, among other things is a form of "Soul Sickness" and s...