Spirit of Recovery

Recovery is the same for men and women—or is it? Addiction affects women differently in some ways. And while the foundation of recovery is the same, when treatment and recovery address women's unique needs, their well-being blossoms. Guest Beverly B. shares about her own long-term recovery and her work as a board member of a women's treatment facility that has a great track record of supporting wo...

Young adults are naturally resilient and have the ability to get their lives on track. But in a culture that glorifies addictive behavior as a rite of passage, it is difficult to create the supportive, sober peer community essential for long-term recovery. Exciting cutting-edge treatment programs, coupled with aftercare in an innovative Collegiate Recovery Community, give new hope for young adults...

Are people pushed into recovery by overwhelmingly negative life circumstances—or are they drawn by their spiritual hunger? Are these the same thing? Guest Deanna Lowell, treatment center chaplain, discusses the spirituality of recovery, what draws us in and what it takes to keep growing. Rev. Lowell has years of rich experience in companioning recovering people as they deepen their spiritual walk....

Maintaining long-term recovery is so much more than just not using. It requires a spiritually awakened life based in accountability, responsibility and consistency. Treatment that blends 12 Step spiritual principles with evidence-based medical and psychological approaches can help break the relapse cycle. Guest Michael Smith, director of multimedia marketing at Burning Tree, a long-term residentia...

Spiritual health is a vital component of mental and physical health. When we find ourselves stuck with chronic problems, we may need to dig deep to find what’s blocking our connection with a loving spiritual power. Past trauma, negative messages or spiritual neglect may be blocking the sunlight of the Spirit. My guest this week, Dr. Leslie Ahlers, a physician who has experience in addiction medici...

Advances in neurobiology, psychology, medicine and even electronics—through the creation of social media—offer new approaches to recovery. Do these spell the end of 12-Step programs? My guest this week, Dr. Dan Frigo, dean of Hazelden Graduate School of Addiction Studies, discusses how new methods integrated with the 12-Step model create the possibility of higher quality long-term sobriety, and ho...

Full mental health means spiritual health. Healthy spirituality is being in touch with a love that cares about you and is bigger than whatever has harmed you. Becoming conscious of the fullness of Spirit is the key to constructive participation in life. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The beauty of recovery is that we find we are not terminally unique. There are others like us today, and those who have gone before us, who light our way. We alone can do it, but we cannot do it alone. Guest Ray Nelson, Unity minister with  17 years living a recovery program, shares how seeking ways to serve others is the surest way to find solutions when he is struggling. His favorite saying is,...

Recovery is all about second chances. The brittle outer shell cracks open to reveal real life inside. It’s a lot like resurrection. Rev. Mark Fuss shares what happens when what breaks apart becomes the joy of what’s breaking through.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Spiritual growth calls us to participate fully in life. Recovery gives us the energy and clarity to connect productively. Guest Nell Hurley, executive director of the Minnesota Recovery Connection, shares how a united commitment to peer-to-peer support, public education and advocacy offers recovering people a way to give back, strengthen their own recovery, and support others who are seeking recov...

What happens when you pursue the spiritual path with all you've got? A life that works! Join me and my guest as we discuss what it means to want spiritual growth so much that you're willing to go to any lengths.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

What’s so powerful about the Twelve Steps, and how do they mesh with other forms of spiritual practice? First published in 1939 in the book Alcoholics Anonymous: The Big Book, the Steps offer practical actions that lead to spiritual awakening. They work, not only for people recovering from the disease of alcoholism, but for anyone with “the human condition.” When incorporated as a way of life, the...

When outer circumstances fall apart, it’s often a sign that our inner life is coming together. Change is unsettling, but our own spiritual self has called it forth because we are ready for a larger life. Chris Castaldi, a longtime member of the recovery community, started her college program with a burning interest in the change process. In the midst of creating her capstone project, she found her...

Who wants to interact with a God who is negative, judgmental, cold and uncaring? Probably nobody! Guest Ron Scott shares how he came to understand his Higher Power in a completely new way. Through an amazingly simple and effective process that his minister shared with him years ago, Ron has come to know God as a loving Divine Friend. This close relationship has led to a fulfilling, abundant, love-...

Many thousands of children have received the help they need to recover from the pain and loss of growing up in a family impacted by the disease of addiction. When children get help, they can grow up with a sense of self-respect, a connection to positive spirituality, and the ability to participate constructively in life. Guest Jerry Moe is vice president and national director of Children’s Program...

What helps women fully recover—finding freedom from addiction and meaningful spirituality? Recovery services that respond to the realities of womens' lives—that understand the need to address trauma, empowerment, and self-worth issues. Guest Carol Ackley, executive director of River Ridge Treatment Center in Minnesota, and a pioneer in implementing womens' recovery services, shares the transformat...

The most fundamental addiction is the addiction to our own defenses—our patterns of thinking and living. "Stinking Thinking" keeps us running on the hamster wheel of fear. And it keeps us at odds with just about everybody. Guest Richard Rohr, prolific author, speaker and founding director of the Center for Action and Contemplation in Albuquerque, New Mexico, shares his thoughts on detaching from t...

Where do we find the power to live constructively? We strive to find it by achieving and doing. But that has its limits. My guest, Rev. Dennis, shares how the powerlessness of Step 1 of the 12 Steps leads to connecting with our inner spiritual Twelve Powers—and how, when grounded in spiritual power, we can create meaningful lives. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Active addiction or obsession with another robs us of the ability to live in reality. Spiritual growth in recovery allows us to see life clearly, powers our thinking with wisdom, and motivates our actions from love. Guest Jerry J., who has more than 30 years experience working a program of recovery, shares how spirituality gets us into reality. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/...

What Was, What Is—the Foundation for What Will Be—Taking a look at how we responded to life in 2011 is a great way to appreciate our growth. It also gives us guidance from our Higher Power for what new directions we can choose to take in 2012. My 12-Step guest shares practical ways to use our past to springboard into our future.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Compassion for ourselves and others paves the way for authentic fulfillment. Compassion invites us to reach into our depths and call into action powerful values. It leads us to actions we might never have considered. Multi award-winning independent singer-songwriters, wisdom teachers and compassionate spiritual guides Jan Garrett and J.D. Martin share with us through their music and in conversatio...

The Christmas story is a powerful one for recovering people. It’s a story of possibility, of hope and of promise. It’s filled with spiritual awakenings, surrender and faith. It shows how trusting God, even when the path seems nonsensical and out of the mainstream, leads to an amazingly good outcome. Pat Williamson, a Unity minister deeply committed to living and teaching spiritual principles, and...

Is it possible to actually enjoy the holidays!? To have peaceful celebrations with family and friends? Yes, it is—if we choose serenity first. Counselor Nancy Little, Ph. D., gives practical spiritual techniques to release behavior patterns that block holiday joy. She shows how to create new ways of seeing and being so we feel calm and connected to God, ourselves and our loved ones. Learn more abo...

Seeing ourselves through the lens of humor helps us put life in perspective. Our goofy quirks are what make us human—and okay, they are also what get us into trouble. When we have a laugh—at ourselves—we see that we are indeed simply a human among humans. And that means there is definitely hope. Singer/songwriter and humorist Greg Tamblyn shares his music and original perspectives on the ego-in-de...

Talk, talk, talk—will get you nowhere. Our lives get better when we actually live our spirituality. Guest and author Arthur Messenger helps us put the power of Spirit into action each day. His book Living the 12 Steps of Recovery wakes up a new sense of what is possible in recovery.  Find out more about Arthur at www.livingtwelvestepsrecovery.com.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone...