The Other Side of Hell Podcast

Once we get sober, it can be hard to make sense of our past or become at peace with the things we did or the things that happened to us.  Our tie to the past can be a strong one and it can be easy to dwell in guilt and shame around our experiences. But, if we can use our stories to help others who are currently struggling, our stories take a new meaning. Your story matters!   We have an amazing sh...

Do you ever feel like the universe is trying to tell you something? For a lot of us, we couldn’t see it until we got a little bit of time in sobriety under our belts. But once you start seeing the signs, it becomes difficult to ignore the divine suggestion. For us, ignoring those signs has often had “poor results.”   This week’s warstory comes to us from Angie. Angie spent a lot of time trying to...

It’s been said that “life is a journey.” Oftentimes, we don’t get much more context than that and it can be hard to know what to do with that statement. Where are we trying to go? What are we after? Is that a good thing or a bad thing?   Well, the journey is what we make it. For that one, you can quote Kenneth Watson. He delivers this week’s warstory and it is a powerful one. You’ll hear how it is...

Most of us found ourselves in the firm grip of addiction because we were seeking. Seeking comfort. Seeking relief. Something to take us away from the negative thoughts or feelings we have inside.    In sobriety, we have an opportunity to seek in a new way. We seek a power greater than ourselves or a new relationship to the person we thought we were. Whatever it is, its in the seeking that we find...

Ever wonder what it’s like to be a police officer AND an alcoholic? Well, wonder no more. Today we have a very special guest, Bob A., who found his way to sobriety after getting a DUI from a co-worker. Tune in to hear him talk about what life was like in the LAPD and how he worked to bring more awareness to the disease of alcoholism to his department and the law enforcement community.    Thanks fo...

A wise man once said, “if you meet three assholes in a row, odds are, you’re the asshole.” What did it take for you to realize that YOU were the problem? Tune in this week to hear us rant about what it took for us to see clearly, that it wasn’t anybody or anything but our own making that was our undoing.    This week’s topic was inspired by an amazing story from Marco. What did it take for Marco t...

What does it take to get us to finally realize we have a problem? That we can’t just casually drink or use? A lot.    Why is that? Oftentimes, we are holding on to the fantasy of what the substance CAN give us. We have reservations that keep us from fully admitting to our innermost selves that we are alcoholics or addicts and that we must find a way to abstain completely.    Our topic this week, r...

A new year is a great opportunity to look back and reflect on moments and events to take stock. It's not always easy to see growth when we’re constantly in a state of action but when we do, it’s important to really soak it in. Gratitude is the fuel that can rocket us into the fourth dimension.    This week, instead of a warstory, we’re doing something a little different.  Thanks to you, the fans,...

We've all done some things in our past that we regret. Most, but not all, we can chalk up to the mess that was us while in our active addiction. If we're lucky enough, we get to grow through a process of making amends. But how do we make amends to those people we hurt but do not know directly? Or to those who have passed on? That's where living amends come in.   This topic was inspired by this wee...

Let’s face it, when we were actively using and drinking, life didn’t make a whole lot of sense. Self-pity and fear ruled over us and we were convinced that the universe was conspiring against us. We looked at everything through a broken lens and it seemed nothing could go our way.    Then, for some of us, we were given the gift of desperation and began the work and surrender of getting sober. We b...

The alcoholic suffers from a spiritual malady, or so it says in the Big Book of Alcoholics Anonymous. What does that mean? And how can we change it? And how do we build and improve on that spiritual connection?    This week, we’re talking all about the spiritual connection, a topic inspired by the amazing warstory from Bill. Bill was the son of an alcoholic and grew up without a father. When his a...

It doesn’t matter where you're from, what your background is or who your mom is, if you’re an alcoholic, odds are you’ve said a prayer or two. We don’t always know who or what we’re saying it to but there is something about it that we naturally turn to in times of need. So what is the power of prayer? Let’s talk about it.    This week’s topic was inspired by an amazing warstory from Kelsie! Kelsie...

Let's face it. Recovery is work. Whether you're newly sober or finally doing something about your compulsive overeating, there is no doubt that the road ahead will be challenging. But you know what else is hard? An alcoholic still in the disease. Or someone who struggles with food navigating life in an oversized body. If we're lucky, we'll get to choose which path we take.    Our topic, "choose yo...

Have you ever wondered what it's like to go through withdrawal from opiates or alcohol? Have you experienced it first hand? To say the least, it’s a sobering up like none other and often times, can lead to some pretty monumental growth. But it sure doesn’t feel that way when you’re going through it!   Just ask Ronny. In Ronny’s warstory, you’ll hear how quickly drugs become an everyday occurrence...

Maybe you’ve heard that the opposite of addiction is connection. Why is that? What is it about connecting with others that fills the void? Could “connection” be what we’ve been searching for all this time?   This is the prompt to a great conversation, that is multi-faceted, humbling, and a good reminder of what really matters.    We have a great warstory from Mike this week who’s work in recovery...

It seems to be one of the biggest hang ups to those thinking about getting help with a 12 step program. But is it really what we think it is? Or is our disease, once again, convincing us that we are not like others.    That’s right. This week, we’re talking about, the God thing.    This topic was inspired by the inspiring story from Jamie. Tune into to hear how her bottom had her compromising hers...

As it turns out, recovery isn’t easy. Maybe that’s why it takes some of us so long to get here. But once we become desperate enough, we usually become willing, and that’s half the battle. The other half? Putting in the work.    This week, we have an amazing warstory from Kameron who, as an adolescent,  had more felony convictions than pimples on his face. Hear the crazy places meth took him, how h...

It’s hard to describe to someone who has never been there just what it feels like to be at your bottom. The word “fear” doesn’t quite cover all the emotions that you feel. The big book of AA describes the Four Horseman as terror, bewilderment, frustration, and despair. Yeah, it feels like that.    Unfortunately, just getting sober doesn’t mean we don’t still feel these things. However, today, we d...

Doesn’t it feel like in order to get sober, we need to smash all the ideas we had about ourselves and the world around us? I know it did for us. Along with that, we had to admit that we were wrong about some things- a lot of things. But once we started believing that we could get sober, we realized anything was possible!   This week’s topic is inspired by our warstory from Cathie! From an early ag...

When we first look at getting sober, in most cases, the pain of using has become so great that we are desperate to change. One thing they ask you in Alcoholics Anonymous is if you are now willing to go to any lengths to stay sober? The answer is confoundedly yes.    But what about those of us who have been around for a minute? Are we still willing to go to any lengths when the pain of the last dri...

In case you don’t know, we addicts tend to be creatures of habit. Oftentimes, without something to do, we’ll slip back into a negative way of doing or thinking. That’s why having a routine can play such a critical role in living a positive way of life 24 hours at a time.    This week, we got another banger of a warstory from Michael Sean, who inspired this topic. Tune in to hear how Michael-Sean’s...

Early on in recovery, we learn just how sick we are. Hopefully, we also learn that its not our fault and that we don't have to stay that way. But a big pill to swallow can often be this idea of a higher power. What does it mean to have your own concept of a higher power? And why is it important to getting and staying sober? In this episode, the boys get into this sometimes controversial topic.   ...

They say to wait until you have two years of sobriety before you get into a relationship.  But what if you get sober at the same time as your significant other? Or are in a relationship as you get sober?    Relationships are hard enough as it is. Throw in the crazy that comes from an alcoholic's way of thinking, and you've got yourself a recipe for resentment, loathing, and irrational thinking. Ju...

If there is one thing we hear in everyone’s story, it's that they never felt “comfortable in their own skin.” This will have us seeking validation from just about anything and put ourselves in some vulnerable situations all in an attempt to be a part of something outside of ourselves.    Our warstory this week comes from Alan, who inspired this topic. Listen as he describes the restlessness he fel...

Guilt and shame were often the bedrock of our bottoms. Our behavior is often so shameful that the last thing we want to do is talk about it outloud. Only when we have recovered and shared that story honestly to others who are struggling do we begin to know the value of our stories.    This week’s warstory is a special one.  Britnee is not only a grateful food addict but also Cameron’s sister. When...