The Recovery Guy Podcast

Episode #199- Tuesday The Fix: Letting Go of Needless Suffering

Early on in my sobriety, I had a friend who would not let go of a particular feeling of being wronged. She suffered daily, over the course of 2-3 weeks. Gradually she stopped going to meetings and stopped coming to the Alano Club. I remember learning one Friday night that she was out with some “old playmates”. 

I tried to speak with my friend, but she did not want to hear all the reasons she had to be grateful. She seemed to prefer the needless suffering over something out of her control. I finally said to her, “maybe you should go get drunk.” Do you know what? That was the only advice she was willing to take. Fortunately, she came to her senses in a couple of days and was able to make it back to AA. To my knowledge, she is sober to this very day. She was one of the lucky ones. 

The most effective way I have found of avoiding needless suffering in my sobriety is to follow a plan of recovery that puts God at the front of the plan.  Then begin talking to those who have used that plan of recovery and find out how they did it.  I would also suggest that you stop taking yourself so seriously. 

Episode #198 -Friday The Checkup - I am Responsible

Responsible is a word that only responsible people want to accept. I know that sounds simplistic in its presentation, and it is meant to be. Those who are irresponsible have made an active choice to not accept what their role is in the things that occur to them. More specifically, in addiction, the individual who is addicted is the person responsible for their addiction. Until I am willing to realize I am my own worst enemy I will not recover. If I do have a period of sobriety, more often than not, it will be shallow and short lived. That has been my experience. You can disagree if you like but that would likely mean you are not being responsible.

Episode #197 -Tuesday The Fix - Others are the Key to Sobriety

Today I am in studio with Justin B of Reco12. we are discussing his personal recovery, exchanging recovery ideas, and sharing how individuals can get in touch with him at Reco12.com. Justin is always willing to share his personal story as well as inviting sober people on as guests. Please reach out to him as a listener or a guest applicant. Go to www.reco12.com where you can email Justin from the website.

Episode #196 -Friday The Checkup- Are You Teachable

Being teachable is the prerequisite for learning anything. If I am not teachable in an overall perspective or in a specific area I wouldn’t find it necessary to be taught anything. With that, being teachable is to learning what air is to breathing.

Most all of us have heard of Albert Einstein. Albert Einstein was literally a genius. His IQ was 160. That put him in the top 99%. Albert has more life quotes than most people and one of his most famous quotes is “we cannot solve our problems with the same thinking we used when we created them“. When we come into recovery we need to become agreeable to the notion that we don’t know anything regarding how to become well. If we did, we would not have become so sick. Over the years, I have had numerous teachers, counselors and mentors. One of my most favorite and instrumental mentors was a person by the name of Glenn Moffitt. Glenn passed away back in 2002 and to this day I still miss him. I met Glenn as my pastor when Laura and I first started going to church in Hesperia California. There were so many things that this man taught me about being a husband. One of the things that he would ask me more times than I can count, and it is the title of today’s podcast, is “Are You Teachable“. Teachable simply means capable of being taught, apt and willing to learn and favorable to teaching.

Here are some steps that I recommend to test whether we are teachable.

1. What is my first reaction when presented with something new?
2. Am I willing to try things based on the counsel of others I see leading a healthy life
3. Do I solicit new ideas from people before I am in a challenging situation?
4. Do I share with others what has been given to me?
5. How willing am I to get out of my comfort zone?

Doing these things will keep my perspective fresh. As a result of being teachable, I will continue to grow from the inside/out. To contribute to our recovery movement please visit www.recoveruguy.org and click on the Patreon link, go to www.patreon.com/recoveryguy or visit me on Venmo @Robert-Pardon-3. All funds to go support others in their pursuit of wellness.

Episode #195 -Tuesday The Fix - What Path Are You On

Led Zeppelin Stairway to Heaven “Yes, there are two paths you can go by but in the long run, there’s still time to change the road you’re on.”

“Yes, there are two paths you can go by but in the long run, there’s still time to change the road you’re on.”

One of the greatest movies of all time and maybe the greatest movie depicting recovery in a fantasy world is the movie Wizard of Oz. Dorothy was not happy where she was in her life on so many levels and chose a different path.

Dorothy decides to go on a journey and along the journey, many things happened to her and she meets different people with different life experiences. Dorothy has decisions to make some for herself and as feeling a sense of responsibility, for those who have joined her along the way.

At a point in the movie, Dorothy is given the choice of which path. Dorothy knew what she wanted her destinations to be, yet she wasn’t convinced of the path or the road that she had to travel to get there. This is the same as our recovery.

The Big Book of Alcoholics Anonymous states, “Rarely have we seen a person fail who has thoroughly followed our path.” It goes onto to say that if you don’t recover it is because you treated the path as a buffet. You took what felt good and left the rest.

Aristotle was a Greek Philosopher and lived from 384–322 BC he stated, “Water seeks its own level.” It does so because water takes the path of least resistance. We are the same way. That is why most all addicted people need a plan, higher power, and accountability. Without these things active in our life, we stand little, if any hope, of recovery.

Episode #194 – Friday The Checkup: No End in Sight

Topics regarding Recovery and points of discussion are endless. If we pay attention, we can find them anywhere. I was watching the Masters this last weekend and I heard a commercial regarding the universe and a particular perspective. Lack of power was our dilemma. Outer space is so vast that we don't know where it starts or where it ends. The same is true in recovery. We might be able to come close to where our addiction began. We might be able to discern the varying degrees of nature versus nurture, but pinpoint where it begins is near impossible. The same is true with our recovery. Unless we relapse, we do not know where it ends. Therefore, it is so important to remember that Recovery is a journey, not a destination. I am so grateful for both truths.

Episode #193 -Tuesday The Fix - Traditions Are The Glue

One of the best ways to ensure that something or someone keeps their foundational structure or direction is to establish traditions. Twelve- step recovery is second to none when it comes to establishing traditions that remain Intact and unchanged. Both of these things are important for without them being intact we would have no foundational direction and if they would change from time to time, they would be more subject to people's feelings than they would their thinking. Alcoholics Anonymous has remained structurally sound because of the traditions it has laid out from its earliest inception. For a list of traditions please go to aa.org. For today's podcast, we will focus on traditions 1-3 and tradition 5.

Traditions are defined as the handing down of statements, beliefs, legends, customs, information. These travel from generation to generation, especially by word of mouth or by practice. It is also referred to as a long-established or inherited way of thinking or acting.

This perfectly describes AA's 12 Traditions.

Episode #192 – Friday The Checkup: Fear vs. Faith

When we first come to recovery most all of us have been living in fear for many years. Matter of fact if it were not for fear we would not know how to act.

For many of us, removing a substance, one would think, would be sufficient for moving us from fear to a position of faith. However, merely not doing one thing doesn’t automatically ensure something else. We must actively dismiss fear as we are acquiring faith. Let’s go ahead and look at fear and faith side by side. Remember fear is “false evidence appearing real”. Fear is usually based on an external reaction or response from our past. Faith is something acquired on our journey moving forward.

As we begin taking the 12 steps, begin learning from our recovery material and relating to those who have come before us we start to believe that maybe this recovery thing can work for us, we are taking our first steps of faith.

Daily we must renew our commitment to our self to become well. Wellness is only accomplished as we move from fear to faith. We learn to trust our Higher Power, the program of recovery and even others as we “Trudge the Road to Happy Destiny” (AA Big Book).

“Above all take it one day at a time." - Bill W. page 11 of How It Works

Episode #191 -Tuesday The Fix – Principals to Live By

When we speak of Principals, we speak of things that come first or are the highest in rank. These are words associated with a high degree of importance and value. They are considered to be foremost in our life. Each of the Twelve Steps have Principals assigned to them.

1. Acceptance
2. Hope
3. Faith
4. Courage
5. Honesty
6. Willingness
7. Humility
8. Responsibility
9. Love
10. Discipline
11. Awareness/Growth
12. Service

Would You Like to Receive a free Daily Topic Email with the most popular AA Resources, distributed daily, accompanied by a secret Facebook group for discussion? Go to www.DailyAAEmails.com for more information! Don’t forget to share DailyAAEmails.com with friends, in meetings, and with sponsees in recovery!

Also, if you enjoy listening to Recovery Guy, check out TransitionsDaily.org list of recovery podcasts. They have a list of some of the best podcasts out there.

Episode #190 – Friday The Checkup: A Firm Foundation

One of the most wonderful things about what I do as a person committed to personal recovery is working with others along the way. One of the most important things I convey to everyone is the importance of a firm foundation. If one is to build anything a foundation is required. It has been said “If the foundations are destroyed what can one do.” I’ve also heard “a house divided against itself cannot stand.“ So not only does the foundation need to be firm but an indicator of its firmness is it singleness of purpose. To paraphrase the Gandhi, Life is an indivisible whole and it must lack internal conflict.

 

Building a firm foundation is required to establish personal recovery. A foundation is: the basis or groundwork of anything also the natural or prepared ground or base on which some structure rests.