Category: Episodes

101: Tradition 9 – NA, as such, Ought Never be Organized; but We May Create Service Boards or Committees Directly Responsible to Those They Serve (Sort Of)

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’t organized? How can we use tradition 9 to better our own spiritual wellbeing inside and outside of the fellowship? We discuss everything about the 9th tradition and even sticky peanut butter and jelly in this episode. Check it out and then check out all the tradition talks we’ve done. Join the conversation by leaving a message, emailing us at RecoverySortOf@gmail.com,  or find us on Twitter, Facebook or Instagram, or find us on our website at www.recoverysortof.com.

Continue reading 101: Tradition 9 – NA, as such, Ought Never be Organized; but We May Create Service Boards or Committees Directly Responsible to Those They Serve (Sort Of)

100: To Enable or Not to Enable, That is the Question (Sort Of)

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 harmful behavior, or if it’s possible that it keeps you alive long enough to possibly seek treatment. Is tough love really the answer? Are people really better off on the other end of tough love? Are those types of consequences really what pushes people to get clean? We’ve considered the idea of enabling to be a bad thing for a long time, but it’s time we think more about harm reduction and helping people stay alive. Join the conversation by leaving a message, emailing us at RecoverySortOf@gmail.com,  or find us on Twitter, Facebook or Instagram, or find us on our website at www.recoverysortof.com.

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99: How Can We Prepare Our Children for Mental Health and Addiction? (Sort Of)

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 “just say no” as the way to talk with our children about drug use. Knowing how Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) substantially increase the odds of addiction and mental health outcomes, do we do our best to avoid ACEs in our kids’ lives? Is that the best we can do? Can telling our children about our own experiences and warning them that there is a biological link to the chances of them also struggling help at all? Generally, we agree that being honest is useful, age appropriately, of course. Join us as we explore the topic of how to break the cycle of addiction and mental health struggles, then let us know any strategies you’ve come up with that you think are useful. Join the conversation by leaving a message, emailing us at RecoverySortOf@gmail.com, or find us on Twitter, Facebook or Instagram, or find us on our website at www.recoverysortof.com.

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98: Expectations – Getting Real About Unrealistic Expectations (Sort Of)

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 thing we are capable of, or do we just stuff them down and still get hurt by the outcomes? Are we giving up time that we could have been feeling hopeful by lessening our expectations? Is there a spiritual principle that can be applied to tempering our expectations? We have on Caraline to help us explore the world of expectations in recovery, what they are, if they are overt or covert, how to examine them, and hopefully, how to find more freedom from feeling let down when our expectations aren’t met. Join the conversation by leaving a message, emailing us at RecoverySortOf@gmail.com, or find us on Twitter, Facebook or Instagram, or find us on our website at www.recoverysortof.com.

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97: So, You Want to Work in Treatment (Sort Of)

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 into the treatment field. What are some of the drawbacks? Do people really think that their job is also their service? Do we need to keep our professional lives separate from our recovery, or is there a good way to unite them? How do we keep our egos in check once we think we have this all figured out? How can we deal with our recovery life bleeding into our work and vice versa? Do we need to go further away to meetings if we work in our area? How do we deal with people in a complete abstinence program who judge us for supporting other types of recovery at our job? We delve into all these questions and also learn about Elevate Recovery. Listen in and then reach out with your tips for how to navigate working in addiction treatment while also being in recovery. Join the conversation by leaving a message, emailing us at RecoverySortOf@gmail.com,  or find us on Twitter, Facebook or Instagram, or find us on our website at www.recoverysortof.com.

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96: What Does Being Clean Really Mean? (Sort Of)

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 prescriptions that are mind or mood altering? Have they never received pain medication after a surgery? Do they take mind and mood altering medication from a psychiatrist? Why are caffeine and nicotine considered different and allowable? If someone has 22 years “clean,” then has a motorcycle accident and is forced to take pain management for the rest of their lives, are they no longer clean? And if all of this idea of clean is debatable, why do we hold so strongly to the idea that suboxone isn’t clean? Is suboxone used to treat addiction, or just heroin overuse? Wasn’t the drug use just a symptom of the actual addiction that we are trying to treat? We debate all these questions and more. Listen in and then let us know what you think clean is and why. Join the conversation by leaving a message, emailing us at RecoverySortOf@gmail.com,  or find us on Twitter, Facebook or Instagram, or find us on our website at www.recoverysortof.com. 

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95: The Mother of all Guilt – Why Moms Struggle to Hit Meetings (Sort Of)

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 unspoken societal and internal pressure to always be with your child and not take time for your own health? We have Stephanie and Jenny on to talk about what it’s like for moms in recovery. How they found ways to adjust that helped them stay on the recovery path. What things might we be able to do to assist new moms in recovery when we encounter them. Listen in and then share your experience, thoughts and feelings about what might help mothers in recovery to keep recovering. Join the conversation by leaving a message, emailing us at RecoverySortOf@gmail.com,  or find us on Twitter, Facebook or Instagram, or find us on our website at www.recoverysortof.com.

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94: Tradition 8 – Narcotics Anonymous Should Remain Forever Nonprofessional, But Our Service Centers May Employ Special Workers (Sort Of)

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 the reasoning we can allow special workers and how they differ from professionals. We also speak to a few instances that we know of where we don’t seem to be following this tradition. Something as basic as getting flyers printed up. Special workers are supposed to operate within the traditions, and the printing companies that we use do not follow our traditions, they are outside entities. Then, to cap it off, Billy and Jason argue about recovery. Join the conversation by leaving a message, emailing us at RecoverySortOf@gmail.com,  or find us on Twitter, Facebook or Instagram, or find us on our website at www.recoverysortof.com.

Continue reading 94: Tradition 8 – Narcotics Anonymous Should Remain Forever Nonprofessional, But Our Service Centers May Employ Special Workers (Sort Of)

93: Financial Health in Recovery (Sort Of)

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 on to help us explore the topic of financial health. We look at creating a budget, what to do about some of the debt we might have when entering recovery, and the importance of starting some form of savings. We go further into investing, and prioritizing what financial aspect of our lives needs attention first. Listen in as we talk financial health and help yourself get your finances straight. Join the conversation by leaving a message, emailing us at RecoverySortOf@gmail.com,  or find us on Twitter, Facebook or Instagram, or find us on our website at www.recoverysortof.com.

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92: AA Versus NA – Which Program is Better? (Sort Of)

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 only use alcohol? And why do people who use heroin go to Alcoholics Anonymous in the first place? Do alcoholics only do the steps once and then they are done? Do people in AA work on other aspects of their problem, the areas that our disease tends to move into when we remove the drugs or alcohol, like sex, gambling, shopping, etc. We dive deep into the rumors and hash out which program might be the best fit for you. Join the conversation by leaving a message, emailing us at RecoverySortOf@gmail.com,  or find us on Twitter, Facebook or Instagram, or find us on our website at www.recoverysortof.com.

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