Strangers in Recovery – Ep18 – Sandra
Sandra, from Ireland, is a lady in long-term recovery. She talks about her experiences with alcohol, the limiting beliefs she had and how she started her sobriety nearly 27 years ago, and how it shaped her over time. She has started Recoveryhour in 2020 when COVID shut down the world to have a place for recovering addicts helping them to maintain their recovery. She’s an active member of the #RecoveryPosse community, and we can see her posts on Fridays at #FlamingoPosse.
She talks about moments of her life in recovery, how she maintains her recovery, and what it means for her to be in long-term recovery. She understands community needs and dedicates her life to serving them with empowerment and kindness. Her personality shines through the words that are relatable for all addicts at any stage of recovery, her laugh is a joyful reminder for everyone about life gets better in recovery when we open our eyes and hearts.
She is a thoughtful person who listens and helps whenever she can. She’s currently working on an upcoming event on 8 March 2022 at the International Women’s Day as its statement says: “Show other women who might be considering stepping onto a recovery path is one the best decisions a woman can make for her own life that her family and community will benefit from. Every hour counts, every moment makes a difference and every second is a glimmer of hope we can shine brightly for those who want a way out.“
Her stories and explanations of certain aspects of her addiction might resonate with many of us struggling with our own ones, and wanting to discover a better life in sobriety. You can follow her on Twitter @RecoveryHour.
I appreciate you leaving your comments and thoughts on https://strangersinrecovery.club website. You can reach your host at bala@strangersinrecovery.club, follow him on twitter.
Don’t forget to subscribe to the podcast and stick with us until the next episodes! Listen to all episodes with care and empathy. We are here to show our best selves via stories from our worst periods. We are Strangers in Recovery.
Strangers in Recovery – Ep16 – Chris, part1
Chris from the UK, recovering alcoholic and compulsive gambler, Co-Host of All Bets Are Off Podcast and Trustee at Gambling Education Network shares his experiences with drinking and gambling, brings us to the years when he has been addicted to both and the journey of how he found the way out of them by supporting tools such as honesty, connections, and fellowships like Alcoholics Anonymous and Gamblers Anonymous.
In the first part of this double episode, he shows moments of his life, how he built up his years in active addictions, and the moments that led him to utter surrender allowing him to start his recovery in 2017. He openly talks about details of his addictions, the various mental health issues, and the losses of his life. His humble personality shines through in words that are encouraging and relatable, we can connect to his narrative and understand what helps him to be sober and bet-free these days.
His stories might resonate with many of us struggling with alcohol, gambling and mental health, looking for support, or feeling lost with all details of our own problems. You can follow him on Twitter @gillsy1002_, listen to the Gambling Addiction Recovery Podcast called All Bets Are Off where he’s a Co-Host and the leading impact-focused UK charity Gambling Education Network dedicated to the prevention and reduction of gambling harm.
The second part of the discussion with Chris is coming on 13 February!
I appreciate you leaving your comments and thoughts on https://strangersinrecovery.club website. You can reach your host at bala@strangersinrecovery.club, follow him on twitter and instagram.
Don’t forget to subscribe to the podcast and stick with us until the next episodes! Listen to all episodes with care and empathy. We are here to show our best selves via stories from our worst periods. We are Strangers in Recovery.
Strangers in Recovery – Ep14 – Dave
Dave, a recovering addict from the United States, co-founder of SugarXGlobal, registered dietitian, and co-author of The Fix for Cravings who detoxed from sugar, grains, and 25 years of ADHD medicins shares in-depth about his addiction to primary food but other substances as well, the ways how he understands addictions and treats his own with following 12 steps principles.
He shows moments of his life, how he has been an artisan bread baker and transformed into the current himself, that he personally understands Addiction Interaction Disorder (one disease, many outlets), and often says, switching outlets is like switching seats on the Titanic; the ship is still sinking! His humble personality shines through in words that are encouraging and relatable, we can connect to his narrative and understand that regardless of our choice of drug we all can be in recovery.
His stories might resonate with many of us struggling with various types of addictions, and how he helped develop a system based on CARE (Connection, Action Steps, Recovery Protection, and Education) as the foundation for addicts to Grow. Recover. Transform. You can follow him on Twitter @DaveWolfeSRX, he can be reached at hello@sugarxglobal.com, and followed during his 5 days challenge kicking off on 10 January about crushing cravings at https://www.5daycrushyourcravingschallenge.com.
I appreciate you leaving your comments and thoughts on https://strangersinrecovery.club website. You can reach your host at bala@strangersinrecovery.club, follow him on twitter and instagram.
Don’t forget to subscribe to the podcast and stick with us until the next episodes! Listen to all episodes with care and empathy. We are here to show our best selves via stories from our worst periods. We are Strangers in Recovery.
Strangers in Recovery – Ep11 – Pamela
Pamela, a recovering alcoholic from the United States talks about her experiences with sobriety of over 7 years and how she went through her rehabilitation and found her new life in Alcoholics Anonymous. She is the author of the Letting Go of the Thief book, regularly shares at various meetings, and is an active and inspiring member of the #RecoveryPosse community.
She talks about moments of her life in recovery, how she discovered that unmanageability of her drinking could have taken her life and how she has started to use her talent in writing to help other addicts and alcoholics. Her personality shines through the words that are relatable for all addicts at any stage of recovery, we can easily identify with her narrative and understand how much it takes to be honest and show a full picture of alcoholism.
Her stories and explanations of certain aspects of her addiction might resonate with many of us struggling with our own ones, and wanting to discover a better life in sobriety. She gives a detailed overview of how she navigates through difficult periods of life, such as the holiday seasons. You can follow her on Twitter @pamela_pesta.
“I really let go of the anger because I came to understand it as a disease. And that was a saving grace for my whole family. And for me too, and I think I was able to leave rehab, tell myself I’m okay with a scarlet A (for alcoholic) in my head now, I’m okay with this because it’s a disease and I’m battling it. I’m doing everything I can to be a different person, to be a better person, and to be strong and I really went on that for a very long time. I still do.”
I appreciate you leaving your comments and thoughts on https://strangersinrecovery.club website. You can reach your host at bala@strangersinrecovery.club, follow him on twitter and instagram.
Don’t forget to subscribe to the podcast and stick with us until the next episodes! Listen to all episodes with care and empathy. We are here to show our best selves via stories from our worst periods. We are Strangers in Recovery.
Strangers in Recovery – Ep8 – George
George, a Scottish recovering alcoholic talks about his experiences with sobriety of over 12 years and how he found his way in Alcoholics Anonymous as a solution for his addiction. He is an honest alcoholic who practices his recovery every day by attending meetings, helping out at a local rehab center, or just simply picking up the Big Book of Alcoholics Anonymous to read and learn something new about himself.
He shares moments of his life in recovery, how he discovered that unmanageability of his drinking could have taken his life and how he turned to a grandfather of climbing trees these days. His personality shines through his words that are relatable for all addicts at any stage of recovery, we can easily connect to his narrative and understand how much it takes to be honest and show a full picture of alcoholism.
His stories and explanations of certain aspects of his addiction might resonate with many of us struggling with our own ones, and wanting to discover a better life in sobriety. You can follow him on Twitter @GeorgeC195.
“I didn’t see an alternative, I couldn’t live with it, I couldn’t live without it. If I could find a way to drink, without all the consequences that were building up in terms of my marriage, in terms of my personal relations, in terms of my carrier, in terms of my financial arrangements, and everything else: then I might, well, still be drinking. From my first meeting at Alcoholics Anonymous, I do remember two things: one guy said, if you don’t take the first drink, you can’t get drunk. That made complete sense to me cause it nailed my pattern. If it was absolutely crucial, I could not drink for a period of time. I hated it, I’ve been miserable, I’ve been grumpy, but I could do it. I thought, yeah, I can live with that. The other thing that they said: keep coming back. So I kept going back, not really knowing why I was going back, except that I wanted to hang out with these people who have got sober and starting to get my life together.“
I appreciate you leaving your comments and thoughts on https://strangersinrecovery.club website. You can reach your host at bala@strangersinrecovery.club, follow him on twitter and instagram.
Don’t forget to subscribe to the podcast and stick with us until the next episodes! Listen to all episodes with care and empathy. We are here to show our best selves via stories from our worst periods. We are Strangers in Recovery.
Strangers in Recovery – Ep7 – Becca
Becca, a Canadian recovering alcoholic talks about her experiences with sobriety of over 4 years and how she discovers her own truth by being an alcoholic. She is the host of The Unashamed Alcoholic Podcast where she invites well-known sober people for conversations about alcohol and working to take the stigma out of alcoholism, addiction and recovery.
She shares moments of her life in recovery, how she approaches her addiction and talks openly about what works for her, especially since she opened up in public. Her personality shines through in memories and feelings that are relatable for all addicts at any stage of recovery, we can easily connect to her narrative and understand how much it takes to be honest and show a full picture about alcoholism.
Her stories might resonate with many of us struggling with addictions, looking for our own truth in recovery, and wanting to discover a better life in sobriety. You can follow her on Twitter @UnashamedAlc.
“I’m sober, but that’s not the truth, that’s not my truth. I was saying I’m sober for 3 years before I started saying I’m an alcoholic as the truth. I’ve been hiding that when I went out to meet new people like I don’t drink, not giving any more details. Because how can I say I’m an alcoholic? I was at Alcoholics Anonymous, I admitted it, I loved life, I was super happy, I was confident in myself – but in secret. I thought this is ridiculous, I can be so open getting drunk and being hungover, or ah, I need a drink tonight – but you can’t talk about being in recovery? Why? Why can’t I be as open about one thing as I’m about another one? Why does society accept getting drunk is OK to talk about, but getting sober is not. That doesn’t make any sense!”
I appreciate you leaving your comments and thoughts on https://strangersinrecovery.club website. You can reach your host at bala@strangersinrecovery.club, follow him on twitter and instagram.
Don’t forget to subscribe to the podcast and stick with us until the next episodes! Listen to all episodes with care and empathy. We are here to show our best selves via stories from our worst periods. We are Strangers in Recovery.
Strangers in Recovery – Ep2 – Damon
Damon, a UK-based recovering alcoholic talks about his addiction, how he started his journey, the early days and challenges to understand this illness, and the importance of talking about it. He’s recently reached two and a half years of sobriety and shares with us his experience with Alcoholics Anonymous and Recovery Hour that is an online space where people from all fellowships and other support groups come together to discuss topics that relate to their recovery.
He’s clear about not knowing everything and just being honest is the way that helps him staying in present and navigating in recovery. His stories might resonate with many of us being addicted to substances or behaviors and all that he does is being a great asset for the community where he welcomes any- and everyone being early or already advanced in recovery. You can follow him on Twitter @AlcoholicDad4 and meet him every Monday and Friday at Recovery Hour where he chairs meetings.
If you’re struggling with alcohol or other substances, he recommends listening to this recording: Joe and Charlie Big Book Study – Complete – Damon listened to it early in his recovery that gave him another channel where he started to realize he’s not alone and can rely on others’ experiences and grow from there.
“When you remove the need to change how you feel, you are stuck with how you feel. That was the turning point for me when people said: shh; quiet; sit; listen; and feel it. And eventually, I realized my feeling ain’t gonna kill me. But trying to control my feelings almost killed me. (…) Removing the constant shame, feeling ashamed, making excuses, explaining what I’ve done, having to hide what I’ve done, working with my sponsor, adapting my life to honesty, willingness, and calm. And being able to say: I’m uncomfortable, I need help and moving away from that arrogance: you don’t know me, I’m better than you, how dare you – to actually just: I don’t know and I’m scared. That was the change.”
I appreciate you leaving your comments and thoughts on https://strangersinrecovery.club website. You can reach your host at bala@strangersinrecovery.club, follow him on twitter and instagram.
Don’t forget to subscribe to the podcast and stick with us until the next episodes! Listen to all episodes with care and empathy. We are here to show our best selves via stories from our worst periods. We are Strangers in Recovery.