82: Tradition 5 – Each Group Has but One Primary Purpose – To Carry the Message to the Addict Who Still Suffers (Sort Of)

We are talking the 5th Tradition – each group has but one primary purpose, to carry the message to the addict who still suffers. Tradition Five says that the 12 step fellowship has one primary purpose. Does this leave room for secondary purposes? Can a 12 step program also have other goals or objectives? Why is it that we come to a program to get clean, but our primary purpose in the Fifth Tradition isn’t to get and stay sober? Are we aware that our primary purpose is to carry the message? What is the message we carry? That an addict, any addict, can stop using, lose the desire to use, and find a new way to live. We examine how our groups can be proactive in carrying that message: by creating an environment of empathy, honesty, caring, sharing and service. Is one addict helping another truly without parallel? Is the group more powerful than the literature when it comes to carrying the message? What would happen if the group had a different purpose? We talk about all this and how we might be able to apply Tradition 5 in our lives outside the 12 step program. 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 82: Tradition 5 – Each Group Has but One Primary Purpose – To Carry the Message to the Addict Who Still Suffers (Sort Of)

81: Y12SR Yoga of 12 Step Recovery – Everything You Wanted to Know (Sort Of)

We talk with Nikki Myers, the founder of Y12SR, to find out more about the program and how it works. Nikki shares her story about how she came to find yoga, what made her want to incorporate it into her program of recovery, and how studying the foundations of yoga led her to see the connection between yoga and the healing process of recovery. We find out answers to some of the questions you may have about the program: What does a Y12SR meeting look like and how does it run? Are there any requirements for membership? How does a yoga practice incorporate the 12 steps? Listen in as Nikki gives us all the information on how the Y12SR program works, what it can do for your recovery, and how to get involved. 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 81: Y12SR Yoga of 12 Step Recovery – Everything You Wanted to Know (Sort Of)

80: Local Government’s Response to the Opioid Epidemic – Is it Enough (Sort Of)

Is local government doing enough to address the opioid epidemic? It can often seem like the local health department or government, especially in smaller, more rural areas, isn’t doing enough. We talk with Cecil County Health Department’s Deputy Director, Division of Addiction Services, Mike Massuli, to find out more about the services the county offers. We explore why certain services are picked to be implemented, why some might not be chosen, and the challenges faced in trying to establish programs to help the community. We explore using scientifically backed methods and what the health department sees as the definition of their role in addressing the opioid epidemic. 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 80: Local Government’s Response to the Opioid Epidemic – Is it Enough (Sort Of)
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79: Put Down the Spoon and Pick Up the Fruit – Eating for Recovery (Sort Of)

How do we eat for recovery? How do we make healthy choices around what we put into our bodies? We have all seen people leave the drugs behind but continue to consume chemicals in the form of food. We might be those people. What is your plan for eating in a way that promotes health to your body, mind and spirit? Recovery needs to involve our mental, physical, spiritual and emotional selves. Do we replace the drug with food? Are we eating to fill the void? Did you put down the spoon only to pick up the fork? Did you know that eating processed food is linked to increased mental health problems and decreased quality of life? Do you track your food intake at all? We aren’t so much talking about counting calories, as making calories count. Do you read any of the labels on the food you eat? Do you know what’s in what you take in? We discuss the idea that if we don’t have a plan to end up in a particular destination, nutrition wise, we can end up any old place. And most of us don’t want to be in any old place. Having a history of drug use puts us at greater risk for having an unhealthy relationship with food. Join us as we talk about general ideas of having a nutrition idea, monitoring what we take in, and try to eat for life. 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 79: Put Down the Spoon and Pick Up the Fruit – Eating for Recovery (Sort Of)
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78: Recovery Café – Everything You Wanted to Know (Sort Of)

Today we have on guests from Recovery Café, a recovery model gaining popularity for it’s usefulness, and find out everything you could want to know about the program. Becky and Ethan join us from Clark County, Washington, to talk about all things Recovery Café. We find out what inspired them to join the Recovery Café movement, to have a huge part in bringing Recovery Café to their town, and how their program has grown. Becky and Ethan also answer all our questions about the Recovery Café program. We learn what Recovery Café has to offer, what to expect when you visit the café, how they help people gain access to needed resources in the recovery process, and so much more. This program welcomes all modalities of recovery under one roof. Our guests also tell us about the process of starting a Recovery Café in your own neighborhood, if you don’t already have one. This program works so well as a hub for persons in recovery, and fills a much needed gap in the medical treatment model that just sends you home after 28 days. Listen in and find out if Recovery Café is right 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.

Continue reading 78: Recovery Café – Everything You Wanted to Know (Sort Of)

77: Tradition 4 – Each Group Should be Autonomous Except in Matters Affecting Other Groups or NA as a Whole (Sort Of)

We examine the 4th Tradition, Each group should be autonomous except in matters affecting other groups or NA as a whole. What does the Fourth Tradition actually tell us? When does Tradition Four say we have crossed the line into what affects other groups or NA as a whole? Is there any clear lines drawn in the sand about what groups can and cannot do? We further explore the idea that some consider virtual meetings to not be actual groups because they do not have a meeting place. Is the internet a place? In the end, we come to an understanding that Tradition 4 is less about setting the rules for what groups can and can’t do, but more about while groups are practicing their autonomy to self-govern, it’s imperative that they remember the second part of the tradition, to maintain the focus of practicing principles to not make anyone else’s life worse. This tradition is all about part two, to keep in mind how our actions can possibly harm others. 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 77: Tradition 4 – Each Group Should be Autonomous Except in Matters Affecting Other Groups or NA as a Whole (Sort Of)

76: Vigilante Nursing – Renegade Wound Care When the Medical System Fails (Sort Of)

When the medical system is set up to see as many people as possible, and attempts to combat the opioid epidemic by shaming anyone who uses substances, what options do we have to help those in the community? How about taking vigilante nursing to them? We talk with Jason B. to find out what exactly he does in his work. Jason fills us in on why he got into helping the substance use community, how he goes to their houses and provides education on how to take care of wounds, and advises people on if they need to visit the hospital or not. Jason uses care and compassion to help those in the area who have found care and compassion to be highly lacking in the medical community. Jason also informs us about best practices for preventing the need for wound care, how he has changed his mind about harm reduction, and how he believes the medical field needs to be built again from the ground up to actual meet it’s original goals of helping people. Listen in and learn all about vigilante nursing and renegade wound care in our modern society. 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 76: Vigilante Nursing – Renegade Wound Care When the Medical System Fails (Sort Of)
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75: The Jokes on You – When is it Spiritually Okay to Make Fun of People (Sort Of)

When is it okay to make fun of people? In a spiritual program, when do we stop to consider what the line is and if we have crossed it? Can we make fun of people we are close to? Can we make fun of people who will never know about it, and therefore not be hurt by it? Are there certain topics that aren’t okay to joke about? Is there a universal line about what is allowed to be laughed at and what isn’t funny, or do we each draw our own line? If we have ever made fun of anyone, laughed at a joke about someone, or even watched a comedy show, can we claim the high ground when we think someone has crossed our personal line? We invite Chris B on to help us explore the rules around jokes. 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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74: Tradition 3 – The Only Requirement for Membership is a Desire to Stop Using (Sort Of)

We examine tradition 3, the only requirement for membership is a desire to stop using. What does this actually mean in the 12 step fellowship world? Are we becoming members of the program, or of the fellowship? What does this mean about how we treat people at our meetings? Is everyone truly welcome there? Are we also free to leave at any time we don’t want to be there? How does this apply to the influx of persons on medication assisted treatment or harm reduction methods? Are they just as welcome? Do we have the right to ask them not to share if we consider them to have used that day? We address all these questions as we talk about the third tradition. We also talk about how this might look if we applied this tradition to the government level. How do the principles of tradition three carry over into our outside lives? 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 74: Tradition 3 – The Only Requirement for Membership is a Desire to Stop Using (Sort Of)

73: Coming out of the Basement – What it’s Like to be Un-Anonymous (Sort Of)

We have Jenny on to talk about being non-anonymous. Jenny recently decided to tell the world of her substance use history, and the fact that she is in recovery. We talk about what led up to her making the decision to let her world know that she identifies as having struggled with alcohol, and as someone who no longer drinks. Jenny tells us about what made now the right time to make the decision to tell everyone. We also discuss some of the benefits and drawbacks of exposing this part of herself to the world. We also explore recommendations, as someone who just outed themselves, for the process of how to go about it, what things to consider first, and what implications it might have in your life. 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 73: Coming out of the Basement – What it’s Like to be Un-Anonymous (Sort Of)
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