Recovering Out Loud

In this episode of  Recovering Out Loud , Anthony introduces a framework he calls  Member, Attender, Pretender  — the three roles people cycle through in recovery — and makes the case that knowing which one you're in right now could be the most important question you ask yourself this week. This isn't about shame. It's about awareness. The Three Roles: The Pretender  The Pretender isn&...

Is addiction a disease… or a choice? For decades, psychologists, doctors, and people in recovery have debated this question. Some experts argue addiction is a  chronic brain disease . Others believe addiction develops through  learned behavior, trauma, or environment . In this episode of  Recovering Out Loud , Anthony breaks down the major psychological models used to explain addiction and how the...

That voice in your head — the one that shows up right before a relapse — isn't random. It's patterned. It's predictable. And once you can name it, it loses most of its power. In this episode of  Recovering Out Loud , Anthony breaks down the  5 lies that addiction tells you  — the cognitive distortions that sound completely reasonable in the moment but are quietly setting you up. Whethe...

Patio season hits different when you’re sober. In this episode, I break down the reality of navigating patios, bars, and summer social environments in recovery — especially when everything  looks  fun on the outside. From unexpected triggers walking past patios… To feeling out of place when everyone else is drinking… To that quiet voice that tells you you’re missing out… This is the episode I wish...

Why do people sometimes destroy the very progress they worked so hard to build? In recovery, something strange often happens. Life begins improving — relationships heal, opportunities return, and stability appears. Yet for many people, this is exactly when self-sabotage begins. In this episode of  Recovering Out Loud , Anthony explores the psychology behind self-sabotage in addiction recovery and...

Today I sat down with my good friend Kaitlin B. Getting sober is one thing. Learning how to live with your feelings is another. In this episode, we get into emotional sobriety, codependency, boundaries, dating, self-worth, and why being alone can feel so uncomfortable in recovery. This is a real conversation about healing the patterns underneath addiction.  What happens after you stop drinking or...

Is Isolation worse for you than drinking? Lets talk about it There’s a stage in recovery that doesn’t get talked about enough. It’s not the chaos of addiction. It’s not withdrawal. It’s the quiet phase where you start pulling away from people… ignoring calls, canceling plans, and convincing yourself you’re better off alone. In this episode, I break down isolation in recovery — why it happens, what...

When people picture addiction, they often imagine someone who has lost everything. But that’s not always the reality. Some people lose jobs, relationships, and housing because of addiction. Others maintain careers, families, reputations, and outward success while silently struggling. From the outside, everything appears stable. But internally, the situation can be very different. In this episode o...

Why can some people drink or use drugs casually… while others lose control the moment they start? For decades people believed addiction was simply about  willpower, discipline, or bad choices . But modern research suggests the reality is far more complex. In this episode of  Recovering Out Loud , Anthony breaks down the real factors that influence addiction risk. Addiction rarely has a single caus...

In this episode of  Recovering Out Loud , Anthony opens up about what it really means to  get current in recovery . He talks about the danger of pretending everything is fine, the pressure to look strong on the outside, and how secrets, isolation, fear, comparison, and financial stress can quietly pull someone away from the solution. Anthony shares how meditation, honesty, prayer, service, fellows...

The Great Debate... Ontario’s HART Hubs vs Harm Reduction | Ontario is shifting its addiction response with the rollout of  HART Hubs  — short for  Homelessness and Addiction Recovery Treatment Hubs  — while moving away from supervised consumption services, safer supply, drug checking, and needle exchange programs. In this episode, I break down what that policy shift actually means, what HART Hubs...

What actually keeps someone sober long-term? After spending the last  10 years in and out of recovery , I’ve learned some powerful lessons that completely changed the way I approach addiction, sobriety, and life. In this episode of  Recovering Out Loud , I break down the most important principles that have helped me stay sober and continue growing in recovery. These are ideas I’ve learned from peo...

Many people believe that once they quit drugs or alcohol, the addiction is over. But for many in recovery, the addiction doesn’t disappear —  it just changes form . In this episode of  Recovering Out Loud , Anthony breaks down  cross addiction , the phenomenon where addictive patterns shift from substances to other behaviors like gambling, work, fitness, social media, shopping, or even relationshi...

Addiction doesn’t only affect the person using substances — it affects  everyone around them . In this episode of  Recovering Out Loud , Anthony shares a deeply personal and honest conversation about what happens when addiction enters a family. From broken trust and emotional chaos to the painful cycle of hope and disappointment, families often find themselves trying to fix something they cannot c...

In this episode, I break down  what spirituality actually is  — especially for people in recovery who don’t believe in God, grew up religious, or feel triggered by the word “spiritual.” Spirituality in recovery isn’t dogma — it’s connection, grounding, meaning, and a power greater than your impulsive brain. Today I share  practical spiritual tools , how I rebuilt my relationship with a higher powe...

In this episode of  Recovering Out Loud , Anthony dives deep into one of the most dangerous emotional patterns in addiction recovery:  resentment . Often called  the number one offender of relapse , resentment quietly builds in the background through replayed anger, unmet expectations, and stories we tell ourselves about other people. Anthony explains the difference between  anger and resentment ,...

Have you ever been having a normal day when a smell, a song, or a place suddenly pulls you back into the past? In this episode, we talk about  intrusive memories in recovery  — why they happen, why they feel so intense, and why they  don’t  mean relapse, failure, or weakness. Intrusive memories aren’t something you choose. They’re automatic nervous system responses that often show up in addiction...

Complacency in recovery rarely announces itself. It creeps in quietly—disguised as comfort, routine, and “I’m fine.” In this episode, Anthony Degasperis breaks down how complacency develops in recovery, why it’s one of the most common relapse pathways, and how to recognize the early warning signs before things spiral. Drawing from lived experience, Anthony explains why relapse is usually a  proces...

“You can be sober… and still be miserable.” You cannot be miserable and sober for long - it doesn't work  A lot of people hear sobriety and assume it automatically equals recovery .But if you’ve been around this long enough—or lived it—you know that’s not true. Today we’re breaking down: What ‘dry drunk’ actually means The difference between being sober and being in recovery Why people relapse eve...

my apologies in advanced for the poor video quality on this one Why can two people experience the same trauma in recovery — and one relapse while the other grows? The answer isn’t willpower. It’s  perception . In this episode of  Recovering Out Loud , we unpack how distorted thinking fuels cravings, emotional suffering, and relapse — and how recovery teaches us to reinterpret pain instead of escap...

Welcome to Soul School. Today i sat down with Jessica and Nicole from the Soul School Podcast and we got real deep to uncover, discover and discard old ideas. You can find them on instagram here : https://www.instagram.com/therealsoulschool/ What if addiction isn’t about alcohol, drugs, or behaviors—but  thinking ? In this episode, we break down why money obsession, judgment, anger, and control fe...

Cravings don’t mean you’re failing. They mean your nervous system is activated. This  10-minute mindfulness meditation for addiction recovery  is designed to help you  sit with urges without reacting , using principles from  Buddhist mindfulness (Anapanasati & insight practice)  adapted for modern recovery. This is not about forcing calm, positive thinking, or “making cravings go away.” It’s a...

This episode is a raw, unfiltered conversation about  relapse after long-term sobriety, shame, integrity, and why early recovery relationships can quietly derail progress . Anthony sits down with a Steven W who shares his full arc: early substance use, jail, treatment, sober living, loss of close friends, repeated relapses, and finally what changed after hitting the true “jumping-off point.” Toget...

We talk a lot about getting sober — but far less about what happens  after  the substances are gone. In this episode, I break down  emotional sobriety : what it really means, why so many people struggle emotionally even years into recovery, and how emotional overload often comes  before  relapse. This isn’t about being calm all the time or “positive thinking.” It’s about learning how to feel emoti...

Relapse doesn’t usually happen because someone “stops caring.” It happens when the mind becomes unsafe — when fear, shame, isolation, and obsession quietly take over. In this episode, we have an honest, unfiltered conversation about what the final days before recovery really feel like — the desperation, the mental chaos, and the moment when surrender finally becomes possible. We talk about why com...