Recovery (Sort Of) - The Podcast

You know when you are in a meeting and THAT person shares? Yeah, that one. Do we ask people to stop sharing? Or shut down their share? If someone is clearly talking about a mode of recovery that is not the 12 step approach, is there benefit to stopping their share? We tend to think about keeping the integrity of the program intact, or about the atmosphere of recovery, but what about for the indivi...

Clean time seems to be held as the end all, be all of the recovery world. Yet, we already know that the word "clean," which evolved from urinalysis results, is a stigmatizing word. Because that means those who aren't clean, are dirty. And what about the modern research and science that has proven more effectiveness with other forms of recovery? Are people following the science in their recovery sh...

What do you know about forgiveness as a spiritual principle? It is suggested we practice forgiveness, but how? Is forgiveness only accepting and letting it go, or does it involve ultimately wishing well the purpose you needed to forgive. Does forgiveness mean there must be reconciliation of the relationship? Why is forgiveness important? Are there health benefits from practicing forgiveness? Is fo...

Have you encountered a family member at a 12 step meeting? I think it's generally common practice at an anniversary, but what about at another meeting? Did you feel like they didn't belong there, or were bothered by their presence? Did the non-program member feel like they hindered the meeting process in any way? Or have you always thought of family members attending as a positive, a family that w...

Ever heard of a fentanyl dispensary? In Vancouver, Canada, they now have a maintenance program that dispenses fentanyl instead of alternative medications. There are a lot of feelings about this, positive and negative. We talk about whether this is a good idea, if the implementation seems to be ina  useful way, and how this could impact the struggle with opioid use disorder. We also mention ho...

This month we look at the spiritual principle of compassion. Interestingly, while compassion is the source of the 12 step world, we rarely talk about the principle of compassion by name. You'll hear honesty, open-mindedness and willingness in most meetings, but when's the last time you heard someone say compassion? We get into defining compassion, exploring the benefits of compassion, and looking...

We explore the question: Is alcoholism different than drug addiction? Further, are process or behavioral addictions different than drug addictions? Do these different ways of experiencing obsession and compulsion actually act differently in the body? Not the substances themselves, but the addictive process, or features? How does the half-life of alcohol possibly impact the difference? Is the way s...

Martin joins us to discuss what it's been like trying to recovery from substance use and also tragedy. We get into the shame that separates us from finding joy in our current lives. We talk about trying to stay on the positive side while being in a negative environment. We explore dealing with the unfairness of life. Martin brings an incredible voice to the table to discuss his life which has gone...

We attempt to tackle the topic of marriage in recovery. Joining us as guests are Jenn and Kim. Jenn is married to Billy and Kim is married to Jason. Jenn is in recovery with Billy, while Kim is not a member of the recovery community. Together, we explore what makes a marriage work whether both members are in recovery or only one member. Are there rules around recovery marriages, such as keeping yo...

We are talking all about patience. Is there science behind the idea of patience? Is patience a spiritual principle, to be applied in all situations? Or is patience more of a virtue, that is meant to be practiced in a proper balance? Are there times patience can be a negative in your life? How would you go about increasing patience? Are there practices you can use to gain more patience? Listen in a...

What is holistic rehab? Is it just some place that overcharges for the same information you can get from anywhere else? Is there any benefit to a holistic rehabilitation? Why use alternative practices when we can use the typical practices? We invite Chris on to explore holistic rehab and what takes place there. We look at how holistic methods treat the mind, body and spirit, as opposed to just sto...

Much has been said about updating the Big Book of AA. Written in 1939, the language of the Big Book of Alcoholics Anonymous can be confusing for people in the modern world. We invite Emily on to talk about her experience of navigating the Big Book. We look at the chapter To Wives, which seems like an incredibly dated and sexist part of the book. Not to mention completely not in touch with any mode...

We are talking all about journaling. Jenny joins us to help us understand the benefits of journaling. Have you always thought journaling was just like keeping a diary of how you felt each day? Well there's so much more to journaling. Artistic expression, keeping track of events, organization, lists, bullet points, etc. Journaling doesn't even have to be writing, it can be audio recordings. There's...

This month we are talking about the spiritual principle of commitment. Jenny joins us to examine what commitment is, how it might be different than any other choice we make, and how to practice commitment. Commitment can seem like a lifelong decision, or an eternal choice, but maybe commitment is softer and more like choosing to do something for now that works. Listen in as we discuss commitment a...

What do you do when you find recovery, only to find out you have a chronic illness that will impact you the rest of your life? We have Drew join us to talk about Multiple Sclerosis (MS) and what it's like to try to adjust to a new life after adjusting to a life without drugs. How do you deal with finding out that your life will not be the 'normal' life that you came into recovery to get? What new...

We are talking about problem gambling, disordered gambling, or gambling addiction, whichever feels right for you to call it. We invite Will on to teach us all about the life of a problem gambler. Will shares his story, talks about the work he does now as a peer assisting with the problem gambling community, how to recognize problem gambling, the seriousness of the obsession and compulsion to gambl...

We are talking about spiritual bypassing and what it's like to explore our dark sides. We have on Dave and Jenny to help us explore what spiritual bypassing is, how it is used, and what the drawback to it is. In spiritual bypassing, we try to move into the solution, or some positive frame of being, too quickly. We go around the feelings of the current struggle instead of actual dealing with them....

We are talking about death. Like, your death. And our death. Death is a topic that we mostly avoid as a society. Even when we see it happening before our eyes, it's often the elephant in the room. Can we help normalize talking about death? We are all going to die. Can we get comfortable in that idea? Can becoming more comfortable with death help us live a more fully realized life? Can the imperman...

The spiritual principle of trust. We continue to examine a spiritual principle each month. We delve into what trust is, how to practice trust, ways that might be useful to create more trust in our lives, and if there is an unhealthy level of trust. Just like some other spiritual principles, it seems there is a balance of trust that feels like the appropriate and healthy amount. Too little trust is...

Continuing in with Billy's story, this is part 2, the recovery years. Billy shares about what it was like to get into recovery, the challenges of early recovery, some of the many events that have happened along the way, and the different pieces he has picked up along the way to help transform him into the person he is today. Join the conversation by leaving a message, emailing us at RecoverySortOf...

Billy steps up to tell his story. This isn't a story told in the sense of a 12 step share, more of just a personal history. Billy recounts the events from his childhood and into his time of use of mind and mood altering substances. Listen in to learn more. Join the conversation by leaving a message, emailing us at RecoverySortOf@gmail.com,  or find us on Twitter , Facebook or Instagram , or f...

We are talking about courage today. What is courage? How would we develop and strengthen courage? Is it a process of being braver? Or is courage what happens when we practice other spiritual principles? We define what courage is not, which is not having fear, courage is walking through fear. Is courage a good thing to have fully, or is there a balance of courage and fear that is more useful? Liste...

We are talking about isolation. You might have heard the saying that "An addict alone is in bad company." Or maybe "You're never really alone because your higher power is always there with you?" Or how about "A person with no sponsor has a fool for a sponsor." It's often said that isolation leads to relapse. If the understanding that the disease of addiction, or substance use, tends to stem from a...

In the world of scientific data, new understandings of the internal mechanisms that create substance abuse, and harm reduction, have we lost the voice of abstinence? We have on Alexis and Giuseppe from the New West area of Vancouver to talk about how they feel that the abstinence option of drug treatment and recovery is being lost. Treatment for addiction is often funded based on evidenced based p...

What is harm reduction? Why would we want to offer harm reduction to people? Does harm reduction already exist in other areas of life? Does harm reduction limit people's desire to find recovery? Is harm reduction killing people? We talk with Jerah about harm reduction and how it looks in action in a small, rural community. Listen in and tell us why you agree or disagree with harm reduction methods...