398 Unpaid Labor, Loopholes & Lost Lives: The Dark Truth About Rehabs
Sobriety: The One Day At A Time Recovery Podcast
Release Date: 10/09/2025
414 From Eating Cookies Out Of The Garbage to Healing Food Addiction
Sobriety: The One Day At A Time Recovery Podcast
One of the most powerful moments in this conversation came when Amber said: “I didn’t want to do what I was doing… but it became my comfort zone.” If you’ve ever struggled with food, alcohol, or any compulsive behavior, you know exactly what she means. This episode isn’t about dieting. It’s about why the body holds on — to weight, habits, protection, and survival patterns — even when we desperately want to change. Amber walks us through her healing journey, from childhood trauma and food addiction to full recovery, and explains why binge eating isn’t a lack of discipline...
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413 Sobriety Fundamentals: What Actually Keeps You Sober Long Term
Sobriety: The One Day At A Time Recovery Podcast
I recently sat down with my dear friend and author, John Loxley to discuss the fundamentals of sobriety. John is 15 years sober and works in mental health services in the UK. We weren’t talking about shiny breakthroughs or dramatic transformations. We were talking about the basics — the things that quietly keep sobriety intact, year after year. Because here’s the truth: most people don’t relapse because they don’t know enough. They relapse because they slowly stop doing the things that keep them emotionally regulated, supported, and self-aware. This episode was a reminder of what...
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412 Sex, Shame, and Sobriety: What No One Told Us in Recovery With Dr Stephanie Covington
Sobriety: The One Day At A Time Recovery Podcast
Hi friend, thank you for downloading the episode, my name is Arlina and I’ll be your host. In case you haven’t seen it, the new show notes include all the action steps and links to resources mentioned in the podcast, along with a link to the YouTube interview. You can access them by visiting the website at I keep hearing from listeners that they are missing some of the episodes and as it turns out, only 73% percent of listeners are subscribed. So if you could do me a favor and take a moment to make sure you are subscribed, that would be tremendously helpful. It’s the free...
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411 The Neuroscience of Anxiety, Addiction, Over Eating, And How To Break The Habit Loop With Dr Jud Brewer
Sobriety: The One Day At A Time Recovery Podcast
Anxiety Isn’t the Problem — It’s the Habit Loop Behind It I recently had a conversation with psychiatrist and neuroscientist Jud Brewer that stopped me in my tracks — not because it was abstract or inspirational, but because it finally explained something I’ve lived with for decades. Even in long-term sobriety. Even with years of self-work, therapy, meetings, journaling, and personal development. That thing is anxiety — and more specifically, how anxiety quietly turns into habits like worrying, overthinking, scrolling, information hoarding, procrastinating, and self-judgment. What...
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410 Managing Intrusive Thoughts, Anxiety, and Depression In Sobriety
Sobriety: The One Day At A Time Recovery Podcast
One of the biggest takeaways from this conversation with Emma is that anxiety, depression, and burnout aren’t character flaws—they’re nervous system responses to feeling unsafe. We talked about how depression often mirrors the nervous system’s shutdown response, and how anxiety shows up as fight-or-flight. When your body feels overwhelmed for too long, it doesn’t motivate you—it protects you. Why Worry Keeps You Stuck Emma explained that worry is actually reinforced behavior. When we worry and nothing bad happens, our brain learns, “That worked—do it again.” Over time, worry...
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409 From Elite Athlete to Inmate: The Wake-Up Call That Changed His Life
Sobriety: The One Day At A Time Recovery Podcast
Choosing Yourself Isn’t Selfish — It’s Necessary In this episode of The One Day at a Time Recovery Podcast, I sit down with Hakeem to talk about what happens when performance, substances, and distractions can no longer protect us from unresolved pain. Hakeem shares how the death of his younger brother, years of buried grief, elite athletics, addiction, and eventually incarceration led him to a moment of total reckoning. Sitting alone in a jail cell — without substances, screens, or distractions — he was finally forced to face himself. What stood out to me most is Hakeem’s belief...
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408 Overcoming Betrayal And Suicidal Depression In Sobriety
Sobriety: The One Day At A Time Recovery Podcast
How Journaling, Community & Self-Compassion Can Transform Recovery: A Conversation with Sonia In this episode, Sonia from Sisters in Sobriety joins us for a deeply honest conversation about recovery, journaling, trauma, and rebuilding life after addiction. Sonia shares how her drinking escalated from teenage experimentation to daily wine-drinking as a high-functioning professional. While she never had the “traditional” external bottom, she described being emotionally bottomed out — chronically ill, blacking out, and unable to imagine a future. What finally shifted? A moment of...
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407 The Brutal Truth About Why You Stay Stuck And How To Break Free With Brett Eaton
Sobriety: The One Day At A Time Recovery Podcast
Today I am joined by Brett Eaton, who is a motivational speaker, high performance coach, and the best selling author of "Uncomfortable Either Way: The Blueprint For Building Confidence Through Discomfort”. You might think that he doesn’t fit the typical guest profile, but Brett’s expertise on building confidence, behavior change, identity shifts, and building momentum - are the foundational building blocks of sobriety. In this episode we talk about: ✅ How accepting discomfort leads to change ✅ The importance of micro-commitments ✅ Why focusing on the wins is critical...
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406 The Midlife Unraveling: How Julie Rebuilt Her Life After Addiction, PTSD & Burnout
Sobriety: The One Day At A Time Recovery Podcast
In today’s episode, I sit down with my dear friend Julie Bloom - She’s a coach, mental health trainer, multilingual communicator, and survivor of childhood abuse, and severe workplace trauma. Julie shares her remarkable story of navigating PTSD, burnout, trauma, addiction, and a complete midlife unraveling… and how she rebuilt her identity through emotional regulation, nonviolent communication, and deep personal healing. Together we explore: ✨ Why emotional regulation is the foundation of all healing ✨ What actually happens in the brain during triggers ✨ How to respond...
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405 Breaking Generational Trauma and Finding Recovery With David Shamszad
Sobriety: The One Day At A Time Recovery Podcast
In this powerful and deeply honest conversation, I sit down with David Shamszad, author of I Am Someone You Know: The Fight for Recovery and Mental Health, to talk about the hidden pain behind high-functioning addiction, growing up in an alcoholic home, and the courage it takes to heal. David shares his journey through childhood trauma, undiagnosed bipolar disorder, suicidal ideation, and eventual recovery, revealing how vulnerability and self-care became his path to freedom. We explore the power of telling your story, breaking cycles of generational trauma, and how choosing courage—moment...
info_outlineIn this powerful conversation, investigative journalist Shoshana Walter exposes the dark underbelly of America’s rehab industry. Drawing from her eight years of research for Rehab: An American Scandal, she reveals how court-ordered rehab programs have exploited vulnerable people by sending them to work unpaid in dangerous jobs — all under the guise of “treatment.”
We discuss:
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The shocking origins of these labor-based rehabs and how they became so widespread
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Why our mainstream treatment system often fails people — and in some cases, increases overdose risk
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Real-life stories of individuals like Chris, April, and Wendy that illustrate both the broken system and the resilience of those fighting for change
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How loopholes and lack of oversight allow unethical rehabs to thrive
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Practical ways families can identify quality treatment programs and avoid predatory ones
Despite the heavy subject, this episode ends with hope: a growing community of advocates and storytellers pushing for systemic change.
Before we jump in, I just wanted to give you a little update on what I've been up to, and share a new meeting I’ll be hosting.
After creating and teaching a course called “Inner Compass”, I was feeling super burned out, so I decided to take some time off. I called it my "Self-Care Summer". I didn't do any new interviews, take on any new clients, or do any social media.
It was a time to reset, heal and think about the direction of my work. My guiding thoughts were centered around one question: "What does God want for my life?" I was practicing total surrender, and I gotta tell you, it was a leap of faith, but then something interesting happened. Two podcasters published interviews I gave, and I realized something. I truly love sharing what I've learned in recovery. It really fills my heart with joy. That's why I've been doing the Sobriety Reset series for those who are coming back from another “Day 1”. Also I was invited to partner with OpenRecovery, a free app centered around recovery, to start a new community there. This means I'll be hosting free meetings that will make 12 principals accessible to my fellow skeptics, by providing a path around common obstacles.
I’ll leave links in the show notes so you can download the app, and there will be announcements for the launch date. I’ve been wanting to host a meeting since I published the book, and OpenRecovery is providing me with the platform! I’m really excited about it and I hope you’ll join me.
One last thing, if you enjoy this episode, it would mean the world to me if you leave a review on Apple Podcasts. It might surprise you to know that according to the analytics, less than 1% of our audience will actually leave a review. By leaving a review, it helps others who are suffering to find the podcast and get the life saving resources they need to get and stay sober. You can even think of leaving a review as an act of service! So thank you so much for your support!
So without further delay, please enjoy this episode, and let me know what you think!
👊🏼Need help applying this information to your own life?
Here are 3 ways to get started:
🎁Free Guide: 30 Tips for Your First 30 Days - With a printable PDF checklist
Grab your copy here: https://www.soberlifeschool.com
☎️Private Coaching: Make Sobriety Stick
https://www.makesobrietystick.com
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Listen to the episode on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or Amazon Music, or you can stream it from my website HERE. You can also watch the interview on YouTube.
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