The Last Episode – Saying Goodbye to this Podcast

Thank you for being here for me for many years. After 232 episodes I simply don’t have much else to say on the subject of addiction recovery.

Like a lot of you, getting sober was the best decision I’ve ever made. I am certain that if I did not get into recovery I’d be dead today. Instead, I am living the life of my dreams. And I’ve always said – okay, sometimes preached – that just quitting drinking or drugging should never be the goal, but living a happy, successful life in recovery was the best possible outcome.

LOVE ONE ANOTHER!

 

I’m still co-hosting the Into The Planet podcast with JIll Heinerth, and I look forward to you joining us over there.

The Real Sobriety film is at RealSobriety.com

And, My books are available on AMAZON.

Drinking The A.A. Jesus Juice Ep. 231

When I came into the rooms of AA in the late 1980s, in the deep south of the US, the Christian God was still the Highest of Higher Powers in my home group. Several group members would begin sharing with – and I quote – “My name is Joe or Jane…and through the mercy of my Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ and the Fellowship of Alcoholics Anonymous I am sober today”…
I was agnostic and leaning towards athiest, so all the talk of Jesus removing the affliction and sin of alcoholism gave me the creeps. I did not believe I was going to burn in an imaginary, medieval christian version of hell because I suffered from the disease of alcoholism any more than someone who suffers from the disease of diabetes.
I tried to tune out all the religiousity and Jesus talk, and just take away the things that I related to which could help me in my newfound sobriety. But it was hard to have intimate, honest discussions about recovery and sobriety with some of the members who drank the Jesus juice – and in true evangelical behavior, they tried to recruit me onto team sober Jesus.

Newcomers Are The Smartest People In The Room Ep. 230

I hope I never get to the point where I think I’m the smartest person in recovery and I can’t learn from a newcomer or someone with less time than me.

It is a fairly well known practice for oldtimers around 12 step meetings to tell newcomers to “shut their mouths and open their ears.” That’s what my first sponsor told me all those years ago. I can’t think of anything more disrespectful and potentially damaging to say to someone who is brand new in recovery. The newcomer is fresh off the playing field, maybe better described as fresh off the battlefield of addiction. Their perspective is raw and their need for connection and acceptance from the group is acute.

It’s About More Than Not Drinking Ep. 229

Our sobriety is about a lot more than stopping our drinking and drugging. It is about improving our quality of life one day at a time.
When I first stopped drinking the last thing I could imagine was my life improving in every way possible. The only thing I could think of, through the fog of my detox was – When will I stop feeling like crap? When will all the guilt and shame and self loathing stop? How will I ever piece my life back together?

Welcome Back! Episode 228

For those of you who have been on this ride with me all along, thanks for being here – and welcome back!

If you are new to this podcast – I’m glad you are here and I hope that you can take away something positive that supports your recovery journey.

You can find over 200 past episodes at the link over on RealSobriety.com and you can find this podcast on most major podcast platforms including Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Stitcher, Itunes Radio and dozens more. Just search for Real Sobriety and subscribe on whatever podcast service is best for you.

Where to begin? How about I reintroduce myself to newcomers and share a little of the back story of Real Sobriety?