The Recovery Guy Podcast

Episode #96 - Friday The Checkup: Getting Well from the Inside-Out

As many of you know, I recommend Stephen Covey. I appreciate Stephen’s insight as a source of paradigm modeling that when properly understood and applied can help create the mental map necessary to get us from where we are at to where we want to go.

“The 'Inside-Out' approach to personal and interpersonal effectiveness means to start first with self; even more fundamentally, to start with the most inside part of self -- with your paradigms, your character, and your motives.

The inside-out approach says that private victories precede public victories, that making and keeping promises to ourselves precedes making and keeping promises to others. It says it is futile to put personality ahead of character, to try to improve relationships with others before improving ourselves”.

How do we accomplish this?

• We must be so tired we are willing to implement something new
• We must understand that this approach is not a quick fix
• We must have accountability
• We must be patient
• We must be willing to share what we have learned and applied
• We must be committed to life-long change

Episode #93 - Tuesday The Fix: When Mores Are Sufficient

Emile Durkheim was a French Sociologist and considered "The Father of Sociology". he analyzed how different aspects of society together formed the whole. Durkheim lectured and published sociological studies on subjects such as education, crime, religion, suicide and other aspects of society.

What is addiction if it is not a type of suicide. Depending on your addiction often determines what is being killed, but if not arrested, the addiction will cause the premature death of jobs, finances, health, relationships, families, self-esteem, just to name a few.

“Mores” are moral beliefs; when people hold steadfastly to them, says Durkheim, laws are superfluous or needless.

On the other hand, when people aren’t bound by conscience, they will break the law anyway.

Mores per Merriman-Webster
“the fixed morally binding customs of a particular group”

Before I came to the change I am now undergoing I had no morality that bound me to a set of principals or norms.

Let’s rephrase the quote to better apply to us as people of recovery. “When mores are sufficient, laws are unnecessary; when mores are insufficient, laws are unenforceable.”

In other words, When I have adopted the rules, guidelines or direction associated with the plan I am working I don’t require outside pressure to perform/confirm.

When I reject the same, then no amount of external pressure or coercion is going to be affective.

How do you feel regarding this measure?

Episode #92 - Friday The Checkup: Adversity Creates Opportunity

I am convinced that adversity will always play a role in my life. I can’t have light without dark, cold without hot, or good without evil. It is what I do with and through adversity that assigns its value.

Adversity; unfavorable fortune or fate; a condition marked by misfortune, calamity, or distress:

Opportunity; a situation or condition favorable for attainment of a goal.

I came across a very well written piece by Tiffany Mason. Here are some points from it that I think you will find helpful.

Here are four proven ways to overcome adversity: I will list all 4, but include content on 2 of them.

Surround yourself with positive people, Write, Be in nature and Start investing in yourself.

1. Write. There is something so peaceful in writing down your thoughts. However short or long your journal entries are, the process of writing down your emotions allows you to reflect. There are many benefits to writing:
   • Allows for self-expression
   • Helps give feedback about your life
   • Allows you to better understand your current situation
   • Allows you to think outside the box
   • Makes you a better philosopher
   Writing in a journal once a day can help in you overcome adversity. Whatever emotions, feelings or thoughts come to mind, jot it down. Years from now you’ll be able to reflect and see just how much you have developed.
2. Start investing in yourself. There is no greater investment than the investment within your own personal development. Experiencing adversity is a great excuse for people not to take charge of their lives. We all face adversity in some way. What makes one individual succeed and another not is how they handle their adversity. Many of us allow challenges to defeat us. What we need to focus on is developing into a stronger and wiser individual because of the challenges. There is no better way to do so than developing your internal world.

Episode #91 - Tuesday The Fix: Practicing Social Distancing Without Becoming Emotionally Disconnected

Social Distancing is adverse to personally connecting in a way that a person of recovery needs. The Social Model approach is one of the most effective ways for people to become well. When we remove this dynamic from the equation we run the risk of a person relapsing or never getting the doors of recovery in the first place. Here are some thoughts I found regarding the “Principles of Proximity”

According to this article “The principle of proximity is the tendency for people to form social relationships with individuals who are physically closer to them. Proximity means how close an object or person is physically to you. Someone sitting next to you on a bench is closer in proximity than a person sitting three rows away. You are much more likely to befriend your neighbor or coworker because you are exposed to them more so than a person who lives further away or who works at another place”.

We need to overcome the distancing in order to become well. We can do it as the present times go away and also learning new ways to get past the natural they create.

Episode #90 - Friday The Checkup: Things To Think On Part 2

As I mention in Part 1, when I allow myself to be distracted by the outside and negative sources it most allows affects me and view of my life. This can be very dangerous for a person of recovery. I need to “take my thoughts captive” and think on the things I can control and the things that support my position of recovery. This podcast does just that.

We explore all spiritual and practical reasons as to why we should think on certain things and we directly benefit and so do those around us. We have a chose. We can choose to live according to the things that hold us hostage or we can think on the things that give us freedom and power. Things To Think On helps empower to live a lifetime of victorious recovery.

Things to Think On

Philippians 4:8, ESV: "Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things."

Truth
a verified or indisputable fact, proposition, principle, or the like:
Honor
high respect, as worth, merit, or rank:
Just(ice)
guided by truth, reason, justice, and fairness:
Pure
free from anything of a different, inferior, or contaminating kind; free from extraneous matter:
extraneous= (introduced or coming from without; not belonging or proper to a thing; external; foreign:)
Lovely
charmingly or exquisitely beautiful:
Commendable
worthy of praise:
Excellence
the fact or state of excelling; superiority; eminence:
Worthy of Praise
Worthy; having adequate or great merit, character, or value:
Praise; the act of expressing approval or admiration; commendation; laudation.
Things To Think On

Episode #89 - Tuesday The Fix: Things to Think On Part 1

When I allow myself to be distracted by the outside and negative sources it most allows affects me and view of my life. This can be very dangerous for a person of recovery. I need to “take my thoughts captive” and think on the things I can control and the things that support my position of recovery. This podcast does just that.

Philippians 4:8, ESV: "Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things." This is Part 1 of 2. I hope you appreciate the heart it comes from.

Truth
a verified or indisputable fact, proposition, principle, or the like:
Honor
high respect, as worth, merit, or rank:
Just(ice)
guided by truth, reason, justice, and fairness:
Pure
free from anything of a different, inferior, or contaminating kind; free from extraneous matter:
extraneous= (introduced or coming from without; not belonging or proper to a thing; external; foreign:)

Episode #232 Tuesday the Fix; Justin B of Reco12 Podcast and Me

Justin B of Reco12.com Speaker Meeting discusses the importance of recognizing various addictions and behavioral challenges, as we look to become as well as we possibly can become. So many of us have challenges beyond our core addiction. As we overcome that core addiction, we must address the other areas where Wellness is needed. If we do not do this, we will continue to be uncomfortable with who we are and that degree of being uncomfortable will lead to a relapse. We will only be uncomfortable for so long before we revert to the thing or behavior that medicates us against feeling bad. Check out today's podcast and don't forget to go check out Justin B at Reco12.com

Episode #88 - Friday The Checkup: New Thinking Supports New living

As part of the Mindful and cognitive approach to recovery support, balancing and aligning thought supportive actions is critical.

“You can’t think your way into right action, but you can act your way into right thinking.” Is a quote by Bill W. Bill was the co-founder of AA?

I agree with this statement. Most of us coming to recovery did so with an emotional response to the negative consequences of the addiction or behavior.

Once we begin the road of recovery and the emotion subsides it must be replaced with a new way of thinking. This is where the mindful/cognitive guidance comes into play.

Per quora.com

Cognition is the process by which one acquires knowledge through their experience, thought and sensory input. When a person uses this cognition to integrate various inputs to create an understanding, it's called cognitive thinking.

Also from Quora. Com Cognitive skills are used to comprehend, process, remember and apply incoming information. Every individual has his/her own method of cognition and thereby assimilate information differently. This cognition includes, but not limited to Perception, Memory, Attention, Reasoning, Emotion and Action. Focusing on these areas will lead us to a balanced and productive life.

Episode #87 - Tuesday The Fix: Control The Controllable

The goal is to stop the uncontrollable from controlling. Sometimes the best was to respond to the uncontrollable is to make the necessary changes that make those aspects irrelevant in our life. We can diffuse/neutralize or remove them or we can leave them. In the past, we lived a life that was defined by the controllable things we did not attend to and the people and places we engaged in that would always be uncontrollable. Once we enter into recovery and realize there is another way to live we take an inventory of what should and should not be in our life. Once we define that then we can eliminate the things we can’t control and control the things that belong. It is a required process to living an aligned life.

Episode #86 - Friday The Checkup: The Mindful Path To Addiction Recovery

We all need a path that promotes wellness and a new way of living. I can’t expect to elevate my life without elevating the path I have been walking. Part of my disappointment and disillusion came from expecting one thing while engaging in thinking that was opposed to achieving it. Mindfulness is a break from the old way and into the new.

Mindfulness is a technique in which one focuses one's full attention only on the present, experiencing thoughts, feelings, and sensations but not judging them:

Psychology: The practice of mindfulness can reduce stress and physical pain. Dictionary.com

How does mindfulness affect the brain? - Bupa UK www.bupa.co.uk

The most current Research shows that after regularly practicing mindfulness, the grey matter in your brain's amygdala – a region known for its role in stress – can become smaller. This is the area where Mindfulness and creativity live. The pre-frontal cortex is the area of your brain responsible for things like

• planning
• problem solving
• controlling your emotions
• Reduces stress