Recovery (Sort Of) - The Podcast

Have you ever wondered if you are codependent? Have you ever even heard of codependency? Jenny fills in for Billy this week and we explore the world of codependency. We talk about what codependency is, what it can look like, if you can be codependent on behaviors and not just people, and ultimately some possible tips on what might help alleviate some of the need to be codependent? What makes us fe...

Tradition Nine: NA, as such, ought never be organized; but we may create service boards or committees directly responsible to those they serve. What is the ninth tradition really saying? Are Narcotics Anonymous, and other 12 step fellowship, supposed to be disorganized? Does this apply to meetings and groups, or only to the service bodies? How can a program or fellowship be successful if they aren...

Enabling. It's bad right? You don't want to be called an enabler. The person that is just letting their loved one use without consequence. Because all those consequences like being homeless, not eating, being totally alone when you do your street drugs, they are going to get you clean or sober, right? We have Jenny join us to take a deep dive into the idea of enabling. We discuss if enabling is ha...

Do you talk to your kids about drugs? Do you remember what your parents and others said to you about drug use? Was it helpful? We explore the idea of how to prepare our children for a world where drug abuse, alcoholism, and severe mental health problems exist. Was the DARE program actually useful? The world of addiction being a moral failing is all but gone, yet we still hold onto the idea of "jus...

We are guided in recovery to avoid unrealistic expectations, but what makes an expectation unrealistic? Are we supposed to walk around in our lives and not expect anything? Are realistic expectations healthy? Can we still be let down when our realistic expectations aren't met? Is there really a way to get rid of our expectations? Or even alter our expectations? Is tempering expectations an actual...

Many persons in recovery have a strong pull to help others find recovery. It's a very human experience to want to lead others to the same freedom you have found. However, we have watched many people struggle in this environment. Not to say that it isn't a good idea, but maybe there are some ways to do it that are better than others. We have on Basile to help us talk about what it's like to get int...

We call ourselves clean. And most of us think we know exactly what that means. But what does it really mean when someone says they are clean? Are they clean like us? Are they cleaner? Less clean? When someone gets a keytag or medallion, do we really know what they are celebrating being free from? Is it complete abstinence from ALL drugs, including caffeine and nicotine? Have they never taken presc...

Being a mom in recovery seems like a topic we need to talk about more. How often do we see moms, especially new moms, not at the meetings we used to see them at all the time? How hard is it to adjust to the new pressures and stresses of being a mom when one of the most valuable resources you had for dealing with stress and pressure was seeing your support network at the meeting? What about the uns...

Tradition Eight: Narcotics Anonymous should remain forever nonprofessional, but our service centers may employ special workers. We delve into the Eighth Tradition and what it means to NA. Or any 12 step program. What is the purpose of not having professionals? We identify the definition of professional in the context of the 8th Tradition, and also the definition of special worker. We talk about th...

We are talking financial health. In recovery, we mention physical, emotional, mental, and spiritual health, but we never talk about financial health. Money and finances are a huge trigger for many people early in recovery. Also, many people in recovery have never been exposed to the idea of any healthy balance with their financial picture. It's an often overlooked aspect of recovery. We have Pete...

This week we look at the battle between AA, Alcoholics Anonymous, and NA, Narcotics Anonymous. Which program is more helpful? We have on Louis to discuss the misconceptions that each program has of the other, and the truths behind those ideas. Is NA getting it wrong by taking so long to do the steps? Is AA not really getting to the heart of the matter by just talking the steps? Do people in AA onl...

The Seventh Tradition, every NA group ought to be fully self-supporting, declining outside contributions. We look at all aspects of the 7th tradition. While most people focus on the money aspect, this is just one tiny part of what self-supporting means. We examine the ways self-supporting looks at the group level, how it might look at the personal level, and what it means for subcommittees. Tradit...

We are back to talk about some more recovery clichés. We evaluate the truthfulness and usefulness of some of the things we often hear at meetings. Guest co-host Caraline helps explore: The newcomer is the most important person at any meeting It's a simple program for complicated people Learn to listen and listen to learn Meeting makers make it People who don't go to meetings don't hear about what...

We all know the old saying that geographical changes aren't cures for our addiction. But what happens when we move in our recovery? We have some clean time and recovery, feel pretty "established" in our area, are used to the meetings, the people, the way it all works. How hard is it to just do that somewhere new? Well, as it turns out, it's pretty damn tough. It's hard to be a newcomer in a new ar...

When is it the right time to get a new sponsor? Are there certain signs that let us know? Do we change whenever we hear something we don't like? Do we wait until well after the expiration date and let it die on it's own? We have on Jason to talk with us about figuring out when it's the right time to change sponsors and how to go about making the switch to a new sponsor. We explore if there are any...

We have on Dr. Robb Kelley to talk about his research and thoughts on treatment of alcoholism. Dr. Robb fills us in on some of his personal history, when he remember his drinking starting, key moments of his drinking, and how he came to find freedom from alcohol use. Dr. Robb tells us about how he has used that experience to find his calling, and how he treats people who struggle with alcohol use....

The 6th Tradition: An NA group ought never endorse, finance, or lend the NA name to any related facility or outside enterprise, lest problems of money, property or prestige divert us from our primary purpose. Tradition six deals with the problems that can go wrong when we decide to get involved by endorsing, financing or lending the name of the 12 step group to outside facilities or ventures. What...

We all experience pain in recovery, but what does recovery teach us about grieving? Do 12 step programs/fellowships leave room for grief? Does the program tell us that we should bypass the stages of grief? Denial, anger, bargaining, depression and acceptance are the stages. Do 12 steps try to have us skip to the acceptance and not allow us the space to feel the other stages? We have Caraline on to...

We take another look at meditating. We have on Dave(Ryūmon) , a novice Zen priest to talk all about meditation. We talk about all the intricacies of meditation and ask the questions about what really matters when it comes to meditating. Is posture important? Do you have to sit, or can you stand or be laying? Is it only about not moving, or are there movement meditations? What are we supposed to th...

Pain medicine in recovery. A slippery slope. We talk about our experiences when having to take pain pills, as prescribed by a doctor, and how the body doesn't know the difference between these prescription medications and the drugs we bought on the street. We examine the ways medical professionals entice us to use pain medication by stating that it's a part of the healing process, and try to under...

We are talking the 5th Tradition - each group has but one primary purpose, to carry the message to the addict who still suffers. Tradition Five says that the 12 step fellowship has one primary purpose. Does this leave room for secondary purposes? Can a 12 step program also have other goals or objectives? Why is it that we come to a program to get clean, but our primary purpose in the Fifth Traditi...

We talk with Nikki Myers, the founder of Y12SR, to find out more about the program and how it works. Nikki shares her story about how she came to find yoga, what made her want to incorporate it into her program of recovery, and how studying the foundations of yoga led her to see the connection between yoga and the healing process of recovery. We find out answers to some of the questions you may ha...

Is local government doing enough to address the opioid epidemic? It can often seem like the local health department or government, especially in smaller, more rural areas, isn't doing enough. We talk with Cecil County Health Department's Deputy Director, Division of Addiction Services, Mike Massuli, to find out more about the services the county offers. We explore why certain services are picked t...

How do we eat for recovery? How do we make healthy choices around what we put into our bodies? We have all seen people leave the drugs behind but continue to consume chemicals in the form of food. We might be those people. What is your plan for eating in a way that promotes health to your body, mind and spirit? Recovery needs to involve our mental, physical, spiritual and emotional selves. Do we r...

Today we have on guests from Recovery Café, a recovery model gaining popularity for it's usefulness, and find out everything you could want to know about the program. Becky and Ethan join us from Clark County, Washington, to talk about all things Recovery Café. We find out what inspired them to join the Recovery Café movement, to have a huge part in bringing Recovery Café to their town, and how th...