The One Day At A Time Recovery Podcast

In today's episode, I’d like to share a book recommendation: “A Course in Miracles” which I learned about through lectures by Marianne Williamson. Her lectures kept me sober my first year in recovery. I wasn’t sure how to explain it so I pulled this description off their website https://www.acim.org A Course in Miracles is a complete self-study spiritual thought system. As a three-volume curriculum consisting of a Text, Workbook for Students, and Manual for Teachers, it teaches that the way to universal love and peace—or remembering God—is by undoing guilt through forgiving others. The Course thus focuses on the healing of relationships and making them holy. A Course in Miracles also emphasizes that it is but one version of the universal curriculum, of which there are "many thousands." Consequently, even though the language of the Course is that of traditional Christianity, it expresses a non-sectarian, non-denominational spirituality. A Course in Miracles therefore is a universal spiritual teaching, not a religion. The benefits to me personally are immeasurable. It helped start the process of healing judgment and gain compassion toward myself and others. I know people who spend years studying the text. It is truly amazing. Like all the resources I recommend, you can find a link to it on my website at odaatchat.com In this episode I’ll be talking with Dan, who happens to be my husband’s sponsor for about 27 years. This is a long conversation. Listen to the episode all at once, or maybe over a couple of sittings, but I’ll encourage you to hang in for the whole thing. By the time this episode publishes, Dan will have been sober for 30 years! We have a wide ranging conversation that covers his family history, marriage, kids, sponsorship and much more. I really enjoyed this conversation and I hope you do as well. And with that, please enjoy this episode with Dan! Peace & Love, Arlina How to Listen: Download as an MP3 by right-clicking here and choosing “save as.” Stream by clicking here.

Beth - Childhood Trauma, Alcoholism, Therapy & Helping Others Normally I share books, but the resource I’d like to share is actually from today’s guest, Beth Killough. If you love animals and specifically horses, you are going to love this one. Beth is the owner of Take a Chance Ranch, and facilitator of the Circle Up Experience which has been profiled on TV shows and many other publications. The Circle Up Experience is a leadership training program which uses horses to guide the participants to learn deeper lessons about themselves and the people in their lives. I’m not going to be able to do it justice here, so please visit the website at the circle up experience.com and watch the videos. It’s truly amazing to witness the insights people get by going though the process. https://www.takeachanceranch.com https://www.thecircleupexperience.com Today’s episode is a long format interview. I’ll be talking with Beth about her childhood, some of the events, good and bad, that set the stage for addiction and eventual recovery. For me personally, there have been times when I hear people’s stories and I’m left feeling shocked they survived. This was one of those conversations. Beth is very transparent, authentic and so open about her experiences and for that I’m grateful. I feel like a better person for having shared this time with her and I hope you get as much out of it as I did. And with that, please enjoy this episode with Beth. Peace & Love, Arlina

  You might be wondering the purpose of the podcast, and what I can tell you is that besides wanting to clear up a lot of misconceptions about addiction and recovery, I also wanted to share the teachers, ideas and exercises that have helped me on my own journey over the last 22 years that fall outside the parameters of 12 step groups.   In my intros I usually review a book or another resource and today I’d like to share a meditation app called Headspace. If you are struggling with meditation or if you are a beginner, a guided meditation can be a good place to start. And the whole point of meditation is to calm the mind and help you gain clarity of thinking. I know from my own experience, that when I practice meditation regularly, my day flows better, I am not as reactionary or impulsive. I’ve been using it for just over a year now and I highly recommend it. You can find a link to it on my website at odaatchat.com   In this episode I’ll be talking with Kevin. Kevin is one of those guys who is always in service. In our fellowship he has earned the nickname “The Mayor of ODAAT”. He has a talent for fostering connection and building community. Kevin shares his story of addiction, how he got sober, and how his family and life has healed and actually flourished in recovery, among many other things. He’s such a wonderful person and I’m so grateful we are friends. I hope you enjoy this conversation as much as I did!   And with that, please enjoy this episode with Kevin.

Neil - Atheism, finding your tribe, dealing with death, fun in sobriety Welcome to Odaat Chat, my name is Arlina and I’ll be your host. In case you didn’t know, ODAAT stands for “one day at a time”. If you haven’t yet, don’t forget to subscribe on iTunes so you don’t miss out on upcoming episodes. You might be wondering the purpose of the podcast, and what I can tell you is that besides wanting to clear up a lot of misconceptions about addiction and recovery, I also wanted to share the teachers, ideas and exercises that have helped me on my own journey over the last 22 years that fall outside the parameters of 12 step groups. So today I wanted to share an exercise called “willingness calls”. This is something I actually require girls I sponsor to do. When someone new comes into the group, it’s important for them to get connected, so I ask them to make 3 willingness calls a week. A willingness call is when you reach out to someone to demonstrate you are willing to do what it takes to stay sober and connect with others.  The idea is they ask how the other is doing, then share something about themselves and that’s it! Over time, you form bonds with others and you have a few people you are current with. Then when the shit hits the fan, they are already current with a few people and can get right to the issue without having to explain the backstory.  I’ve been practicing willingness calls my entire sobriety and it’s my first go-to exercise when I’m stressed out and can’t deal. I can’t imagine trying to be sober without being connected to those I’ve come to adore. This is a special interview with someone I had been dying to interview from the beginning and will likely be a reocurring guest. Neil is a fascinating guy. He’s super smart, an atheist, and is a deep thinker. We had good intentions of covering several topics, but we barley scratched the surface and have already planned round two. Neil is definitely one of those guys who had developed an inclusive community of people who are outcast or otherwise live on the fringes and in subcultures. If not for people like Neil and his lovely wife Stephany, I wonder if the people they reach, would otherwise be lost. For that I deeply admire and respect them. I talked way too much on this one, but I couldn’t help myself! I hope you enjoy this one as much as I did. And with that, please enjoy this episode with Neil. Peace & Love, Arlina

Michele - Recovery From Alcoholism, Coping with Her Husband's Head Injury, Parenting and Autism I have been sharing a lot of book recommendations, but today I’d like to share a visualization exercise that’ve done several times to help me get focused on manifesting my goals. Its called a vision board and I first learned about this on Oprah about 15 years ago. John Assaraf also talks about it in the movie “The Secret” and shares an amazing story about it. The idea is that you cut out pictures that represent things, places or experiences you’d like to bring into reality, then put them on a poster board that you place somewhere you can easily see it. I’ve had some cool experiences with them. For instance, just a few months ago I created one and had a picture of Cabo San Lucas on it. I had taken a picture of my vision board and put it as the background of my phone, so everyday I would see it and as I was chatting, I’d look at the pictures and think about Cabo as if I was already there. Not long after, I was notified at work that I had reached my annual goal and that I qualified for President’s Club…and the trip was to Cabo! That’s just one example of many I could share. If you go on Pinterest you can find hundreds of examples. It’s a great exercise to help you retrain your brain to be more positive and focus on what you do want. https://www.pinterest.com/thepatternshack/make-a-vision-board/ You can find a link to it on my website at odaatchat.com In this episode I’ll be talking with Michele. We have a wide wandering conversation that covers her family of origin and how that shaped her self image, dealing with a spouse who suffered a head injury in sobriety as well as coping as a parent of a child who is on the Autism spectrum. Michele has long term sobriety, she’s a kick in the pants, really a lot of fun, and she has dedicated her life to helping others. I hope you enjoy this conversation as much as I did! If you would like to connect with Michele, you can find more information about her on her website: http://michelewaterman.com/ Or on LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/michele-waterman-002a8b132 And with that, please enjoy this episode with Michele! Peace & Love, Arlina

Welcome to Odaat Chat, my name is Arlina and I’ll be your host. In case you didn’t know, ODAAT stands for “one day at a time”. If you haven’t yet, don’t forget to subscribe on iTunes so you don’t miss out on upcoming episodes.   You might be wondering the purpose of the podcast, and what I can tell you is that besides wanting to clear up a lot of misconceptions about addiction and recovery, I also wanted to share the teachers, ideas and exercises that have helped me on my own journey over the last 22 years that fall outside the parameters of 12 step groups.   I’m not sharing any resources today, but I did want to say a quick thank you to everyone who has subscribed, left a review on iTunes or provided feedback. It’s so awesome to hear about the experiences the guests have after they are on. At some point, I’ll gather some of those stories for a blog post or maybe do a podcast talking about that, but for now, I just wanted to say thank you to you all for participating. It means the world to me! If you’d like to leave feedback too, I read everything! Just visit the website at odaatchat.com Today’s episode is with my sweet friend Kerry. She actually has a special gift and talent that I don’t think she even recognizes because it comes so naturally to her. Kerry has a way of noticing when members of our tribe are not feeling a part of, and she is able to connect and makes them feel comfortable and valued. She is quietly and unassumingly the glue of my favorite meeting and I adore her for it. Kerry doesn’t like to talk about herself but she is always willing to share her experience if it helps someone else. She’s a wonderful person, she’s super funny, and one of my favorite people ever.   And with that, please enjoy this episode with Kerry.  

OC014 Gary - Sponsorship, surgery & medication, planned meds & unexpected, depression OC014 Gary Welcome to Odaat Chat, my name is Arlina and I’ll be your host. In case you didn’t know, ODAAT stands for “one day at a time”. If you haven’t yet, don’t forget to subscribe on iTunes so you don’t miss out on upcoming episodes. You might be wondering the purpose of the podcast, and what I can tell you is that besides wanting to clear up a lot of misconceptions about addiction and recovery, I also wanted to share the teachers, ideas and exercises that have helped me on my own journey over the last 22 years that fall outside the parameters of 12 step groups. If you would like to suggest topics or leave feedback, visit odaatchat.com, or our Facebook page. In this episode I’ll be talking with Gary. We had a goal of talking about a few topics but ended up talking about all kinds of stuff. We talked about growing up on a ranch in Colorado and the escapades he had through his drinking and using. We also talk about sponsorship, his aneurysm, and how he handled bouts of depression. Gary is one of the most chill guys I know, he’s a dear friend and I hope this interview does him justice. And with that, please enjoy this episode with Gary! Peace & Love, Arlina        

David - Continuous sobriety after chronic relapse, co parenting, HP, blended family Welcome to Odaat Chat, my name is Arlina and I’ll be your host. In case you didn’t know, ODAAT stands for “one day at a time”. If you haven’t yet, don’t forget to subscribe on iTunes so you don’t miss out on upcoming episodes. You might be wondering the purpose of the podcast, and what I can tell you is that besides wanting to clear up a lot of misconceptions about addiction and recovery, I also wanted to share the teachers, ideas and exercises that have helped me on my own journey over the last 22 years that fall outside the parameters of 12 step groups. I’d like to share a book recommendation: Creative Visualization, by Shakti Gawain. It’s a bit of a cult classic. It’s been around since 1979 and a lot of the ideas from the book were re-popularized by the movie “The Secret”. Visualization is a very powerful tool when it comes to making positive changes in your life. Vision boards and things like that all stem from what this book has been teaching for nearly 40 years. I tried one of the visualization meditations from the book called “the pink bubble technique”. The idea is that you hold in your mind, a goal that you would like to manifest, as if it has already happened, with as much positive feeling as you can. Imagine it in as much detail as you can, then surround it in a pink bubble. The last step is to imagine letting it go and seeing it drift away. Then you practice this meditation for several days or weeks. When I did this 14 years ago, I was hoping to buy a house in Silicon Valley, which is no small feat. I had a clear image of a modest beige house on street canopied by big trees.  I was really just hoping for something similar to what I grew up in. Suddenly, a house became available and I got a call at 8am from my relator. I saw the house that afternoon and purchased it, even before my husband came home from work. We were VERY excited to say the least. It wasn’t until I was looking at pictures to send to family, that I realized it was the very house I had imagined!! It was the kind of realization that gave me goose bumps. Now that I’m talking about it, maybe I’ll try it again for a few other things..lol. Anyway, it’s a super cool book, and you can find a link to it on my website at odaatchat.com In this episode I’ll be talking with David who talks about close calls, long term sobriety after long term relapses, and going through the whole thing mostly agnostic. He is living proof that you can get sober without a clearly defined HP. I really enjoyed this conversation and I hope you do as well. And with that, please enjoy this episode with David! Peace & Love, Arlina

Caitlin – From abuse, suicide attempts, and alcoholism to recovery love and healing   I’d like to share a book recommendation: “The Language of letting go” by Melody Beattie. It’s a daily meditation book for people dealing with codependency. Honestly, it’s my opinion that if you are struggling with addiction issues, chances are you are also struggling with things like setting boundaries, powerlessness, control, and all the other issues surrounding codependency. This is a great daily reader to help remind you of ideas that help you to stay centered and peaceful. You can find a link to it on my website at odaatchat.com In this episode I’ll be talking with Caitlin. We go deep on this one. She was brave enough to share some of her struggles with depression and suicide and how she came back from the abyss to lead a happy and productive life of recovery and service. There will be show notes on the website and an opportunity for you to leave comments and feedback. And with that, please enjoy this episode with Caitlin! Peace & Love, Arlina  

Welcome to Odaat Chat, my name is Arlina and I’ll be your host. In case you didn’t know, ODAAT stands for “one day at a time”. If you haven’t yet, don’t forget to subscribe on iTunes so you don’t miss out on upcoming episodes. You might be wondering the purpose of the podcast, and what I can tell you is that besides wanting to clear up a lot of misconceptions about addiction and recovery, I also wanted to share the teachers, ideas and exercises that have helped me on my own journey over the last 22 years that fall outside the parameters of 12 step groups. In this episode I speak to my dear friend Jim. I have known Jim for about 22 years and have seen him go through many challenges with strength and courage. Everything from break ups to the death of a child. However in the midst of all the challenges, there have been valuable lessons, people who showed up in amazing ways, love and even joy and happiness. I was so grateful to Jim for sharing his experience. I believe there will be many people who will benefit greatly. So with that, please enjoy this episode with Jim! Peace & love, Arlina