Real Recovery Talk

5 Min or Less Visit: www.realrecoverytalk.com for all the episodes   Ben and I Can be reached at:   Ben@realrecoverytalk.com Tom@realrecoverytalk.com   Also Follow us on FB and YouTube @RealRecoveryTalk When having a conversation with somebody it's important that we try and practice active listening. Active listening will let that person know that we hear them, although we may not be able to relat...

Check out my new website where you can download any episode right from my site along with other useful information for those in recovery. Look for our new daily shows, which are five minutes or under! Listen in for yourself or for a friend. You can also find our new short episodes on our Facebook page . Today Ben and I will talk about the importance of helping other people in sobriety and why this...

5 Min or Less It is not weak to admit defeat! I am an addict. I am an alcoholic.   In this video we discuss the importance of qualifying. We have the only disease, that tells us we don't have   it, that has to be self diagnosed. If I do not admit to myself that I have a problem, I am most likely not going to seek out a solution. Admitting that I am an alcoholic or a drug addict, is simply stating...

Does it need to be said? Does it need to be said by me? Does it need to be said by me right now? After putting down the drink and drug, my next goal was to figure out how to live life. How can I live life in such a way that minimizes anxiety, worry, resentment or the like? I know that if I live my life feeling these negative feelings as a constant, I will eventually go back to the "ease and comfor...

You are who you surround yourself with! The people that we choose to hang around with will directly affect the level of success we achieve throughout our sobriety. If we choose to hang out with losers, we will lose. If we choose to hang with winners, we will win. This goes for anybody in life. Not just people getting sober. If you want to be a successful business person then hang out with successf...

So you think you know what it means to surrender in recovery? A term that gets thrown around a lot in recovery is the word surrender. It sounds good when you say it, but do you really know what it means? Do you really know what you're committing to? I thought surrender meant to go over to the winning side, or give up. Come to find out, it means "to agree to the terms of peace." Meaning, if you wan...

5 Min or Less   You Gotta Put In the Work! please visit www.realrecoverytalk.com Follow @realrecoverytalk Join @realrecoverytalksupportgroup   If you are going to take the plunge into getting sober, you have to understand that it is going to take a lot of hard work. I sometimes think that people are under the misconception that getting sober is just about stopping using drugs and alcohol. That is...

5 min or Less     I can see straight through your "stage-character!"   There is a reason 30 days is not enough to get to the underlying issues and the root of the problem.   Every client comes into treatment presenting their stage character. This is the person that they want everybody to think they are, so they can get the reputation they think they deserve.   Funny thing is, this usually gives wa...

Check out my new website where you can download any episode right from my site along with other useful information for those in recovery. Look for our new daily shows, which are five minutes or under! Listen in for yourself or for a friend. You can also find our new short episodes on our Facebook page . Today I will talk about the process and path of a person moving from being a "normie" to using...

MTV Real World: "the halfway house" In this video I will discuss the abundance of stimulus one feels while living in a sober support community. There is always something entertaining going on. It is the excitement of a new environment. It is the chaos of living with others. I discuss this topic to bring awareness and preparation for the day that you move out into the adult world. All of a sudden y...

Have you ever tried having a conversation with someone and it just isn't going the way that you thought that it would? 🙋🏻‍♂️ I know for myself when someone is not responding to me in the way I don't want to be responded to, I get on the defense. I will start to justify why I am right and you are wrong, I will get angry, I will get defensive and in the end it's not a productive conversation at al...

5 Min or Less To cannabis or not to cannabis in recovery? A very popular subject amongst the recovery community is whether or not utilizing marijuana is a relapse or not. The sober support community that I surround myself with does consider it a relapse; Though, one will find individuals who fall into both camps. Who is to say what is sober and what is not? I believe this is for every individual t...

5 Min or Less Please like and share Real Recovery Talk Am I the only one that I am hurting? Often times as addicts and alcoholics we think that we are the only ones that we are hurting.   The unfortunate part is that we are hurting a lot of people around us.   The people that we are hurting the most are the people that we hold closest to us. The loved ones tend to think as well that they are not t...

How dare you take someone else's inventory!!! Not! Have you been told not to take other people's inventory? Well, maybe you should not heed that advice. Reason being, if you spot it you got it. Often times, taking inventory of others is a mirror reflection of character defects that I may own myself. In addition, I had to learn how to be open to allowing others to take my inventory. If I am lyin...

5 Minutes or Less No is an "OK" Answer Often times it is so hard for parents and loved ones to say NO to the ones that they care about the most.   The unfortunate thing about that is, sometimes because we never say NO, it can drive someone deeper and deeper into their addiction. I spend a lot of time talking with parents and loved ones, trying to convince then that it is OK to draw boundaries!   T...

Check out my new website where you can download any episode right from my site along with other useful information for those in recovery. Look for our new daily shows, which are five minutes or under! Listen in for yourself or for a friend. You can also find our new short episodes on our Facebook page . Today I will talk about the process and path of a person moving from being a "normie" to using...

5 Minutes or Less   1/15/20 Wear Recovery like a loose garment Recovery isn't something that is supposed to stress us out!   We are being given the opportunity to start a new life, and we can create it however we want to create it!   Often times people look at sobriety as a "death sentence" and think since they are sober now they they are not going to be able to have fun and now their life is goin...

Spirituality and using substances to connect Do you struggle with the concept of spirituality or God in recovery? Check out this "five minute or less" video. Were we not trying to have spiritual experiences through alcohol and substances? Come on all you hippie ravers!?! Were we not trying to connect with others through social lubricant a.k.a. alcohol? Do they not refer to alcohol as spirits? W...

5 Minutes or Less Im not that bad, yet!   Don't let the "Yet" get ya!   As addicts and alcoholics we tend to compare ourselves to other people and circumstances. I remember sitting at the bar and looking at all the other people around me that are "for sure alcoholics" and comparing myself to them.   I would tell myself things like, "When I get that bad then I will make a change" or "I haven't gott...

What if they don't want to get sober?   When I am talking to parents or loved ones, they sometimes have the response "If they don't want to get sober then what is the point in them going to treatment?"   Although this does make somewhat sense, it isn't entirely true.   See, when someone is seeking treatment or goes to treatment, chances are they are not WANTING to go in the first place.   Maybe th...

Can I be sober and have fun at the same time?   Often times when people get sober they think that they are buying into this new idea that they are going to live boring mundane lives.   Done get me wrong, I do know people that are super boring and would be in better moods if they were drunk.   Those are people we like too call "dry drunks"   😂   Sobriety and Recovery can be boring if we don't take...

5 Minutes or Under Stay the Course The ever changing landscape of addiction can be rather daunting.   At first it's beautiful, sunny, perfect weather and no storms.   We are just enjoying the weather  Eventually though, the inevitable happens.  Storms start to come through.  What do we do when this happens? Often times addicts and alcoholics will let this turn into an excuse to drink or drug.   Ra...

Many people don't fully understand that a relapse starts WAY before one actually picks up a drink or a drug.  It is very important to understand that you have to think it through when you are faced with the temptation of relapse.  Think of the consequences that you could face when picking up that drink or drug.     Links and Resources: Real Recovery Live Chat Real Recovery Talk on the Web Real Rec...

Check out my new website https://realrecoverytalk.com/ where you can download any episode right from my site along with other useful information for those in recovery. Today I will talk with Benjamin B., and we reflect on our holiday musings. How being clean was a much different experience than showing up high. Being sober is more work; however, Ben was able to participate in the holiday events no...

Check out my new website https://realrecoverytalk.com/ where you can download any episode right from my site along with other useful information for those in recovery. Today I will talk to a former drug addict, Glenn, who almost lost everything because of his addiction to drugs. Many addicts come from a background where addiction is present or the environment they lived in as a child promotes drug...