The Recovery Guy Podcast

Episode #51 - Thursday The Checkup: Give Yourself Time to Grow

This podcast explores how giving our self time to grow is the most fair thing we can do. It does not mean that we are lazy and we expect things to happen through osmosis. It just means that we are learning to be patient and not getting too far ahead of ourselves. Certain things in life can be accomplished easily and without much effort. Personal recovery is one of those things. We did not get sick overnight nor do well overnight. 

Just as the Chinese bamboo tree takes five years before it breaks ground and grows we need time as well.

Episode #50 - Tuesday The Fix: Recovery After Coercion

Recovery after coercion is a concept that explores why people come into recovery and why they would ultimately stay. Coercion is a manipulation through arm twisting, duress, external pressure and threats of loss. Everyone I have ever met has come to recovery as a result of coercion. The ones that I have come to know as sticking around were ones that were able to translate for transition from coercion to the plan of recovery. Without this transition people will go backward once that coercion is removed. The people who remain and recover are those who can see that it’s not about getting back things it’s becoming a new person. 

Episode #49 - Thursday The Checkup: Relapse

Relapse can be one of the most devastating things to occur in a persons life. In many cases it is worse than the original addiction or behavioral challenge in the first place. What makes Relapse so damaging is that it is not only going back to a normal behavior but one more time it is admitting defeat after a period of success. In this podcast we discuss relapse from the inside out. I first define what relapse is and how it takes hold.  I look at the reasons why many people do relapse, the statistics of relapse and then I cover steps to help ensure against relapse.

Episode #48 - Tuesday The Fix: Letting Go

In this podcast, Robert explores the ins and outs of Letting Go and why it is essential to our overall wellness. Letting Go is a necessary step in becoming well and recovery. If we don’t learn to let go we will remain in bondage to areas that prevent us from moving forward. We will forever be stunted in our recovery or we will not have any at all. In the beginning, we let go because holding on has become far too painful. As we become more well we let go because of what we are moving to, not what we are moving from. As Gandhi stated “life is one indivisible whole”. Living in pain and pleasure, joy and despair, or hope and disappointment is only an illusion. Let’s learn to “Let Go and Let God”.

Episode #47 - Thursday The Checkup: ODAAT for the Rest of Your Life

This podcast looks at the importance of keeping everything relevant to the day. We also take a look at the courage to step out into tomorrow and to not be hung up on today. So often we are afraid to look at tomorrow because it’s too far out ahead of where our mind can go. That should be the rule and really the exception in recovery. Once we get past the initial recovery we should be able to move through and beginning the life of a person who is not afraid to plan while maintaining their position. The program of recovery is a program that is to be lived one day at a time for the rest of our lives. I hope you see it that way, but if not please reach out to me that I might be assistance.

Episode #46 - Monday The Fix: None of my Business

Have you ever heard the Phrase “your opinion of me is none of my business“. As people new to Recovery, we are a people who were always trying to measure up to others.  We spent our time worrying about their opinion and we try to own it as if it was our opinion.

For various reasons, we felt their acceptance was based on what we did not who we were. Because we had such a low self-esteem we never thought people would care for us because of who we were.

This type of thinking created an even greater lack of self-esteem because we believed no matter what we did we would never meet their expectations.

So much of personal recovery is based on understanding our value because of who we are not what we do.

As we learn more about ourselves we learned that our personal value is greater than anything we could ever do as we learn more about ourselves we learn that our personal value is greater than anything we could ever do. 

This podcast addresses just that and we are given six steps in learning how to overcome that personal viewpoint that others may have of us.

We cannot spend our time worrying about other peoples opinions because we can never please everyone all the time.

I hope you find this approach to your wellness as a help in understanding that other peoples opinion of us is really none of our business.

The only thing we can really own is our personal view of ourselves and the behavior that is based upon that. 

Episode #45 -Thursday The Checkup: Three agents of change

Welcome to the Recovery Guy Podcast of Thursday’s Check Up. In this episode we look at and discuss what I call “Three Agents Of Change”. 

Each one of these agents works independently of one another yet or necessary to be combined as the foundation that we would build a recovery from. We look at the need to understand our lack of power. We then need to understand how that lack of power has led to our unmanageability. Finally, we must admit that something needs to be done for our life to move forward to our goal of recovery. 

Episode #44 - Monday The Fix: The Power of H.O.W.

Most of us come to the decision of recovery or wellness out of need rather than want. Because of that, we aren’t as willing or open as we ought to be. Most of the things we agree with are due to a previous agreement or aspect of living. This works against us because we tend to agree with things that got us to this condition in the first place. Until we break free of the old behaviors and thoughts in favor of  new ways we will not be successful.

This is where setting aside all old ways and ideas comes into play. However, we can’t merely let go of the old. We are too conditioned. The way to push out the old is to introduce the new. This is where The Power of H.O.W. comes into play.

H.O.W. stands for Honesty, Open Mindedness and Willingness. Until we fully embrace these three aspects the likelihood is that we will never recover. We might have some brief successes, but long term changes will evade us. Sooner or later, we will slip back into our old ways and subsequently we will go back to the old behaviors.

We MUST become Honest, Open Minded and Willing if we are to stand any chance of lifelong wellness. This podcast addresses H.O.W. one point at a time and ties them all together to make a cohesive design to recovery and wellness.

Episode #43 - Thursday The Checkup: Becoming the Best version of you

Today’s Check Up is entitled “Becoming The Best Version Of You”. In this version we discuss the reasons for self and others that we go down this path. Becoming the best version of who we are allows us to enjoy life greater and to a deeper sense. So, it is not only for the temporary it builds on our future satisfaction. 

 

When it comes to becoming the best version of ourselves with respect to others is when we can have the greatest impact. When we become this version of ourselves and we receive the personal satisfaction of knowing what we have accomplished and then to have that self appreciated by those we help along the way is even a greater reward.

 

I know for some people this can be a challenge and this is why I’ve created six simple steps yet all of us are capable of understanding, implementing and being successful in. If we do not do these or take the steps it is because we either don’t feel a responsibility to her self or to others, or we just gotten lost along the way.

 

Either way, to not become the best version of ourselves is to deny the reason for our very existence. This podcast is designed to help you along the way. I hope you find the need, the desire and the energy to take this journey with us.

Episode #42 - Monday The Fix: Making a difference

Today’s podcast is dedicated to those who have yet to feel complete or whole. There’s so many people who start their day wondering if they matter or if they make a difference.
I so remember being that person. In my addiction and early in my recovery, I wondered if I would ever feel as a person of value. It was very discouraging and often very difficult to get through a day. It wasn’t a matter of whether or not I was going to drink or use it was a matter of if that feeling of emptiness would leave me and be replaced with the feeling of value.
For those of us who have recovered and gone through that phase of our recovery we completely understand what it’s like to be on both sides of the issue. We know what it’s like to be grateful that others came into our life to help us understand our value and our purpose.
Now as a person who has been become whole, it is my opportunity and yours to help those who have yet to feel that and help them to understand their value. Let’s make a difference in the life of other people and as my dear friend and mentor Damen Willis says “let’s leave everyone better than we found them“. Thank you for listening to the podcast and also visiting Recoveryguy.org.