Coping With Someone Else's Substance Use - Recovered 1388
Recovered Podcast
Experiencing a friend’s relapse is profoundly challenging and can evoke a complex mix of emotions, including frustration, sadness, and fear. This situation can create an emotional tug-of-war, where you feel torn between your concern for their well-being and the need to protect your own sobriety. The stress and anxiety from worrying about your friend can add difficulty to your own program, making it essential to find effective coping strategies. Tonight, we talk about Coping with Someone Else’s Substance Use. This week, Chris, Chance, Falisha, Nicole, Breanne, Joel, Martin,...
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Leveling of Pride - Recovered 1387
Recovered Podcast
Leveling of pride is important as it encourages humility, self-awareness, and a willingness to learn and grow. Pride can often be a barrier to progress, leading individuals to resist feedback, cling to rigid beliefs, or overlook the importance of seeking support from others. By leveling pride, individuals in recovery open themselves up to the possibility of self-reflection, acknowledging their vulnerabilities, and embracing the guidance and wisdom of peers, mentors, and support networks. Tonight, we talk about the Leveling of Pride. This week, Virginia, Becky, Kim, Amanda, Shelly,...
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Humility - Recovered 1386
Recovered Podcast
Individuals who approach their recovery journey with humility are more willing to acknowledge their limitations, weaknesses, and areas for improvement. Rather than succumbing to pride or ego, humility allows individuals to embrace the wisdom and guidance of others, recognizing that they cannot navigate the complexities of recovery alone. By humbly accepting support, feedback, and guidance from peers, mentors, and support networks, individuals in recovery can gain valuable insights, tools, and perspectives that contribute to their sobriety and overall well-being. Tonight, we talk about...
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Willingness - Recovered 1385
Recovered Podcast
To skip the intro, tap 3:25 Willingness entails a readiness to embrace new perspectives, adopt healthier behaviors, and embark on the journey toward sobriety with an open heart and mind. Without willingness, individuals may remain stuck in cycles of denial or resistance, unable to fully commit to the process of recovery. However, when coupled with a genuine desire for change, willingness becomes a catalyst for transformation, empowering individuals to overcome obstacles, confront fears, and embrace the challenges of recovery with courage and determination. Tonight, we talk about...
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Integrity - Recovered 1384
Recovered Podcast
To skip the intro, tap 3:25 Developing integrity in recovery is important for building trust, accountability, and authenticity in one's journey toward sobriety. Integrity is the compatibility between inner convictions and outward behavior. Integrity entails honesty with self and others about mistakes, acknowledging the impact of our actions, and taking responsibility by making amends. Integrity fosters a sense of self-respect and dignity, empowering individuals to honor their commitments, set healthy boundaries, and cultivate meaningful relationships based on trust and mutual respect. ...
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Courage - Recovered 1383
Recovered Podcast
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Surrender - Recovered 1382
Recovered Podcast
To skip the intro, tap 3:25 Surrender is a fundamental concept in the journey of recovery from addiction, signifying a willingness to relinquish control and accept the reality of one's powerlessness over substances or other’s behaviors. It marks a pivotal moment of recognition, where individuals come to terms with the fact that their attempts to manage or control their addiction have been futile. Surrender does not signify weakness but rather strength, as it requires individuals to confront their vulnerabilities and humbly acknowledge their need for help. By surrendering to reality,...
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Hope - Recovered 1381
Recovered Podcast
To skip the intro, tap 3:25 Hope is not just a desirable aspect but a necessary cornerstone of a recovery program. In the depths of addiction, individuals often feel consumed by despair, powerless to break free from the cycle of substance abuse. In early recovery, hope provides a beacon of light amidst the darkness, offering the promise of a better tomorrow. It instills the belief that despite past mistakes and present struggles, a life of sobriety and fulfillment is attainable. This hope is not merely wishful thinking but a tangible force that drives individuals to take the...
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Step 11 - Recovered 1380
Recovered Podcast
To skip the intro, tap 3:25 Step 11 in a 12-step recovery program holds significant importance for both straight and LGBTQIA+ individuals as it emphasizes the practice of spiritual principles and mindfulness. Regardless of sexual orientation or gender identity, individuals in recovery often struggle with issues of self-acceptance, shame, and spiritual disconnection. Step 11 encourages regular prayer and meditation, fostering a deeper connection with a higher power or spiritual principles that transcend individual differences. For LGBTQIA+ individuals who may have experienced rejection...
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Step 10 - Recovered 1379
Recovered Podcast
To skip the intro, tap 3:25 Step 10 in a recovery program holds immense importance as it emphasizes the practice of ongoing self-reflection and accountability. This step involves a daily inventory of one's thoughts, actions, and behaviors, along with a prompt acknowledgment of any shortcomings or mistakes. By regularly examining their attitudes and conduct, individuals in recovery cultivate a heightened sense of self-awareness and honesty, which are crucial for maintaining sobriety. Step 10 serves as a preventative measure against relapse by enabling individuals to promptly address any...
info_outlineWe all know about the “other shoe” and how we’re supposed to wait for it to drop. There are two basic assumptions in this expression. The first is that the drop of the second shoe is inevitable. The other assumption is that the drop of the second shoe is usually something bad.
For us alcoholics, it is common that we periodically experience a sense of foreboding that positive situations will not last. In our experiences as alcoholics, bad things can and do happen. In tangible ways, in ways that have been a result of our own behavior.
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For Al-Anons, the trauma of active alcoholism real and horrific. Fear and anxiety can be common companiangs for the Al-Anon as they look to their future with a hypothetical relapse of a sober loved as part of that future.
Tonight, we talk about it. We talk about waiting for the other shoe to drop.
Let’s address the mail first,
Let’s turn to you first Anna, as a person who lived through my alcoholism and early recovery.
What are your first thoughts about this email?
How did you plan for your future when I was new?
What about the impact of my active alcoholism on our marriage especially when I was new?
How about now when you think about the negative impact my drinking had on the family?
Ok Luiz, coming to you
Any thoughts on the email or the discussion that Anna and I just had?
What does waiting for the other shoe to drop men to you?
Have you experienced it?
How does it manifest for you?
What character defects are working when this happens?
How can the program help?
Do you live with dread?
What was it like when you were new?
What helped then?
What is it about being an alcoholic that makes us vulnerable?
What makes the al-anon vulnerable to this syndrome?
_______________________________________________________
We asked our listeners about this topic.
We asked,
"What do you think has contributed to your experiencing "waiting for the other shoe to drop" syndrome?”
Did you take the survey?
https://www.surveymonkey.com/analyze/7imA53axNzGUPk8Ya9JfNVWaFzFMUbjiNBRYKPnwRAwE_2FUyuDq1XnkSDh70eHpB8
What would be your answer?
________________________________________________________
Do you think your drinking behavior has created this syndrome in others?
What can you do about this?
What part of the program can help?
What things, what trauma, has occurred in your life that may have contributed to you “waiting for the other shoe?”
How do you cope?
We are about solutions here at the Recovered Podcast. So let’s talk about some suggestions that I have found.
First up. Try being Present and being mindful.
How does being mindful help?
How does being present help?
What slogan comes to mind here?
2. Next suggestion is to “Try savoring life”.
That is, meditate on positive emotions or events. For example, I can take several minutes, and relive my whole vacation to ireland. Town by town, remembering the names of each town,, the sites, the smells, the spiritual experience, the positive life affirming conversations with really awesome people…
Why do you think this may be of help for some?
3. Introduce some logic to your thoughts.
Sometimes our thoughts can run away from us, going down a path that we know isn’t logical or helpful.
In the case of anticipating something negative, I’ve found that I can best stop the thoughts with this simple reasoning: “Yes, it is inevitable that something bad will happen at some point, but I don’t know when or where. So, I might as well enjoy what I’m feeling now so later I won’t regret not having enjoyed that time when things were going well.”
4. Practice gratitude.
Being aware of what we have in our lives orients us to the present. We can always find something or someone to appreciate, and in showing this appreciation we gain an increased awareness of its beauty.
5. Spend time with people who also like to live fully.
What would you say to the new person about waiting for the other shoe to drop?
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