The Addicted Mind Podcast

On today’s episode of The Addicted Mind Podcast, Duane speaks with Constance Scharff, co-author of Rock to Recovery: Music as a Catalyst for Human Transformation, and author of the award-winning poetry book, Meeting God at Midnight. They talk about other things you can do in your life to bring about recovery and create a meaningful, joyful life, specifically, through using music, meditation, and breathing to help heal from addiction and trauma. Constance has a Ph.D. in transformative studies where she studies the nature of change and how the change occurs in an individual. Having been sober for more than 23 years now, Constance saw how people coming back from Iraq and Afghanistan weren't getting sober and a lot of them were killing themselves. At that time, Constance was suicidally sober. And so, she thought there has to be a better treatment. She then changed the direction of her graduate studies and devoted her life to finding a better treatment – and there is! Constance went through a very significant early childhood trauma and she used alcohol to dampen the trauma symptoms and make her feel better. She drank until she felt nothing. In sobriety, when she wasn't pouring alcohol on those feelings, and at a time when there wasn't any good trauma treatment, she was just plagued with trauma symptoms. She figured that the reason some people end up killing themselves was that sobriety doesn't feel good and there were no options. The treatment they were getting didn’t solve the problem. She soon realized that trauma is stored in the body, but once she was able to feel those feelings and release them, they longer had any hold over her.In this episode, you will hear: The goal of recovery The misunderstanding around addiction The role of trauma in addiction What are complementary therapies? Examples of complementary therapies Understanding the neurological component  The role of epigenetics in addiction Key Quotes:[03:25] "We get sober not to just get through life, but to really enjoy our lives and connect with other people and be part of our communities. The goal of recovery is connection."[05:51] "We assume that... if I remove alcohol, and alcohol is the problem, then I should get better... but they don't get better, they get worse."[08:46] "I really understood why the veterans would kill themselves because sobriety doesn't feel good and there are no other options. The treatment that you're getting doesn't solve the problem."[10:37] “Complementary therapies are about teaching us life skills that will serve us in our mental health and our recovery.”[13:23] “You don't have to be good to write music, play music, sing, write poetry, journal, craft, or act because the brain doesn't know the difference between skilled and unskilled. It only knows that you do it.”[19:44] "There are facts that are true... but how I relate to those facts is what makes all the difference."[32:29] “Trauma is stored in the body and when I can feel those feelings and release them, they no longer have a hold over me.”[43:27] “Each thing affects the mind and body in a different way. And so you want to keep poking the brain so that you don't over-focus because addiction is about obsession.”If you really enjoyed this episode, we’ve created a PDF that has all of the key information for you from the episode. Just go to the episode page at www.theaddictedmind.com to download it.Supporting Resources:www.constancescharff.comRock to Recovery: Music as a Catalyst for Human TransformationMeeting God at MidnightInstagram: @constancescharffEpisode CreditsIf you like this podcast and are thinking of creating your own, consider talking to my producer, Danny Ozment.Find out more at https://emeraldcitypro.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoicesSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

On this episode of The Addicted Mind Podcast, Duane speaks with Tricia Parido, an international master addictions coach and a recovery lifestyle enthusiast. Passionate about helping people attain sober lifestyles so they can live free and fulfilled, Tricia established the Turning Leaves Recovery Life and Wellness Coaching. Tricia has a 30-year story of addictions, negative attachments, and habits holding her hostage in life, and she also has a 25-year recovery journey because not everything was ready to recover at the same time. The last bit of her journey was getting rid of the alcohol and the benzodiazepines that really took her out.Tricia started drinking at 12 and as she got older, she became an open daily drinker. She worked hard to be a high-functioning alcoholic so she could keep her daily drinking. In her early 30s, Tricia developed a generalized anxiety disorder. The doctor prescribed Xanax for her anxiety and it worked. But there's that feedback loop in taking things like Xanax where you initially feel good immediately and then there’s that kickback effect that intensifies things and your anxiety gets worse. Sadly, that becomes so difficult to handle when you don’t have the skills to deal with it.At 43, Tricia found herself stuck in psychological addictions, dealing with eating disorders, people-pleasing, shopping addiction, and codependence. Being the control freak she is, she no longer had any control. Driven by curiosity about why those things were happening to her at that age, she decided to seek help.For the most part, education was a big part of her recovery. She got her psychology degree and went into an intensive coaching program accredited for addiction. She studied all things that were behavioral and chemical addiction in nature. Eventually, Tricia found coaching as a modality that fit her personality.In this episode, you will hear: Tricia’s addiction and recovery journey Finding a modality that fits your personality Creating and nurturing emotional intelligence  The locus of control theory How a recovery lifestyle works The power of changing your perspective Manifestation through action What stops people from putting their skills into practical application Understanding post-acute withdrawal The role of nutrition in your recovery Key Quotes:[06:24] - “We weren't taught emotional intelligence. We weren't taught impulse control, distress, tolerance, and emotion regulation.”[10:44] - "Anybody that's aspiring to be a practitioner, find the modality that speaks your language because you're going to help more people."[13:48] - “The substance isn't really the problem. Sure, it exacerbates them. But there's a reason it came about, to begin with. And it's different for everybody.”[14:46] - “The alcohol, the marijuana, whatever it is, it's an external locus of control. You are relying on something outside of yourself to bring you peace, joy, comfort, relief, value, validity, and worthiness.”[20:57] - “We have to learn how to live for ourselves first without feeling guilty, selfish, punished or restricted.”[23:19] - “​​If you don't like the way you're perceiving your life, it's up to you to change your perception.”[26:39] - “​​Manifestation is an action word – it requires you to do something. You must get up off your couch to manifest anything.”If you really enjoyed this episode, we’ve created a PDF that has all of the key information for you from the episode. Just go to the episode page at www.theaddictedmind.com to download it.Supporting Resources:https://www.triciaparido.comhttps://www.turningleavesrecovery.comEpisode CreditsIf you like this podcast and are thinking of creating your own, consider talking to my producer, Danny Ozment.Find out more at https://emeraldcitypro.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoicesSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

On this episode of The Addicted Mind Podcast, Duane speaks with Serge Prengel, the author of The Proactive Twelve Steps for Mindful Recovery. They dive deep into the process of change and this concept of the virtuous cycle that creates a positive feedback loop in our lives so we can make the strategic change and create a meaningful life that feels good and is purposeful. Serge is a therapist who's big on experiential or somatic psychotherapy. He believes that everybody is very different and every situation is very different. Serge talks about how you can be proactive in your approach, and over time, gradually step out of feeling stuck and powerless so you can enjoy a balanced and happy life. Serge has had a long-term dialogue with the 12 Steps for the past 30 years, which he discovered through friends who were in recovery. He always admired the power of the 12-step culture, the idea of having a common path, and the community it has created. He admires the system where people can have peer support and they can pull themselves together out of something that would feel like a morass.That being said, Serge also had a problem with the 12 Step’s concept of reliance on divine intervention or higher power. However, at the same time, he sees that something is working. This led him to a path of going deeper into the dialogue around the 12-Step to get a better understanding of what works. Then he would be able to translate it so other people can understand it better and be able to follow the path more effectively.In this episode, you will hear: A more generalized concept of healing His definition of trauma Building the tools through practice The importance of group work The inner power instead of the higher power How the felt sense experience functions as a guide The virtuous cycle of trauma healing The power of the mindful pause How the change starts to manifest itself Key Quotes:[09:55] - “It's impossible to be a human being, without having had some situations and some experiences, which are beyond their capacity to digest at the time.”[11:27] - “In the moment of being confronted with trauma as an individual, you're exactly in the position where you're disempowered, where you are with the least access to your capacities. And so it takes practical tools to actually overcome these kinds of moments.”[12:08] - “We're different people when different parts of the nervous system are in gear. And so, you cannot build the tools when you're activated."[18:24] - “The inner experience of being saved by God is an inner experience that actually can be also experienced by people who don't believe in God, and that's progressively connecting to that sense of higher power.”[24:31] - “Being more connected to ourselves is the healing, and the healing enables us to be more connected to ourselves. This is how we hit that virtuous cycle. And then the vicious cycle is that progressive cycle of disconnection.”[25:34] - "When you're in the midst of trauma, you cannot have access to that simplicity. What feels obvious when you're out of it does not feel obvious when you're in it."[27:17] - "That mindful pause becomes the DNA of the process because it's something that moment by moment helps you orient but is also something that helps you stay and be progressively more able to accept."[32:59] - "Look for kindred spirits who are willing to engage in a process of healing together."If you really enjoyed this episode, we’ve created a PDF that has all of the key information for you from the episode. Just go to the episode page at www.theaddictedmind.com to download it.Supporting Resources:The Proactive Twelve Steps for Mindful RecoveryEpisode CreditsIf you like this podcast and are thinking of creating your own, consider talking to my producer, Danny Ozment.Find out more at https://emeraldcitypro.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoicesSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

On today’s episode, Duane speaks with author Benjamin Boyce about his addiction story and how the war on drugs impacted his ability to better his life and live a meaningful life. The discussion dives deep into the war on drugs, how it can exacerbate the problems of addiction, and its impact on our society as a whole.  Benjamin is the author of Dr. Junkie: One Man's Story of Addiction and Crime That Will Challenge Everything You Know About the War on Drugs and the host of The Dr. Junkie Show.Benjamin was diagnosed with Asperger’s Syndrome (now part of the autism spectrum). Studies in the last 5-10 years have shown that people with Asperger's or on the autism spectrum that use marijuana or other cannabis products show reduced social anxiety. However, he realized that criminality showed up right behind it because he had to hide the marijuana and not tell people about it. For him, becoming the bad guy was just self-fulfilling. Like most of us, Benjamin grew up misinformed about drugs. It was misinformation that exploded into a lifestyle of crime and punishment. Benjamin was told he was a criminal so once he ran out of money, it was easy to start stealing stuff. He ended up shooting mainline injecting heroin and cocaine for four or five years. Then this “war on drugs” that has put him in the system just made things worse. He went to prison in 2004 and spent some time in the largest walled prison on earth. Once out of prison, he found a loophole in the system’s full-time employment requirement by going to college. So he got a Bachelor's and a Master's and then he worked through getting his Ph.D. Benjamin is now teaching at Denver University and the University of Colorado. The latter has a recent program where they now teach degree classes to people in prison.The zero-tolerance that the system has put in place is an antithesis of the help people need. When really, the goal is to get people in life, not just in a consistent loop of use.In this episode, you will hear: Benjamin’s addiction and recovery journey The roots of the war on drugs Survival mode vs. healing mode How we can become role models to our kids Having a strong support network Defining your own recovery Key Quotes:[07:14] - "Lots of studies nowadays, in the last 5-10 years, have shown that people with Asperger's or on the autism spectrum that use marijuana or other cannabis products show reduced social anxiety."[11:11] - “It increases the likelihood of overdose when somebody gets out because you're taking them at a moment of trauma, doubling that trauma, putting them in a hole and making sure they know the people around you don't care."[13:38] - “We’ve built the war on drugs to make sure a victory looks like making sure the price of street drugs goes up tomorrow.”[18:05] - "There's a way to do this that leans into our humanity. But I think we've also got to keep it in the confines and the framework of what our culture demands."[20:51] - "Why are we spending all of this effort and energy fighting a 100-year old war that is largely against our own citizens who could all be, instead of costing us money, paying taxes, running businesses, and having productive lives?"[21:41] - “There are other ways to achieve those same states that we use drugs to get to. You get preoccupied chasing the drug when you're in an addiction loop. But if you can put that aside for a day or a week or a month or a year, the wound starts to heal.”If you really enjoyed this episode, we’ve created a PDF that has all of the key information for you from the episode. Just go to the episode page at www.theaddictedmind.com to download it.Supporting Resources:Dr. Junkie: One Man's Story of Addiction and Crime That Will Challenge Everything You Know About the War on DrugsThe Dr. Junkie ShowEpisode CreditsIf you like this podcast and are thinking of creating your own, consider talking to my producer, Danny Ozment.Find out more at https://emeraldcitypro.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoicesSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

On today’s episode of The Addicted Mind Podcast, Duane talks with Paul Schulte, the author of We Agnostics: How William James, Father of American Psychology, Advanced A Spiritual Solution to Addiction: How a Venerated Harvard Doctor Inspired the 12 Step Movement. Paul is going to talk about Williams James's philosophy, what he brought to addiction treatment and addiction care, and how his work strongly influenced the work of Bill Wilson, founder of the 12-step program, Alcoholics Anonymous.He talks about how William James was able to articulate the theme he saw in human change – something that has been talked about in religious circles and spirituality for over 3,000 years. It’s the theme of a person who is lost, feels broken, and ultimately is able to find serenity and calmness. With a degree in drug and alcohol addiction counseling, Paul did an internship at the UCLA School of Medicine. There, he was drawn into what was going on with the different types of treatment and the influences of the 12-step movement. He came across William James’ Book, The Varieties of Religious Experience, which has had a tremendous influence on American life. Paul very much resonated with William’s experiences, how he had developed all of his ideas about the unconscious, and where these urges to suddenly stop what seems like a chronic behavior comes from in humans.William questions what causes these transformations in humans. Way before Freud developed his idea of the subconscious, William was one of the early pioneers of the subconscious and the desire to move towards a new form of regeneration of the human spirit coming from the subconscious.In this episode, you will hear: How Paul resonated with William James The universality of the human condition The 3 marks of the soul-sick The two-fold mark of a spiritual experience Why William James says we are all agnostic How Bill W. adopted the idea of William James Beautiful analogies in William’s book that describes the human experience and its similarities to the 12-step movement Dealing with chaotic emotions and purging fear  Not excusing the behavior but forgiving it The sense of regeneration Key Quotes:[06:19] - “William James was on to something about the obsession of the mind. But certainly, the spiritual element of trying to get cleaned up. That was a very big quantum leap in the understanding of addiction.”[10:09] - “I had this thing in me, this weird soul-sickness in the way before I picked up my first drink."[14:20] - “That feeling of self-loathing, and alienation and fear, which are basically the three marks of that soul sick.”[14:39] - “The mark of a spiritual experience is twofold. One, life gets bigger. And number two, we feel like we belong and that there's a union with other people.”[23:26] - “We're not falling apart, when we think we're falling apart, we're actually falling together.”[27:05] - “It's from this sense of destitution, that we rebuild ourselves, and when all the shams and all the lies of dishonesty are peeled away."[30:50] - "We don't go around excusing behavior. We forgive the behavior."[33:57] - “The fundamental point of helping others is self-forgetfulness, and the more that we engage in self-forgetfulness, the better off we are going to be because we get away from that oppressive ego, which wants to reassert itself.”If you really enjoyed this episode, we’ve created a PDF that has all of the key information for you from the episode. Just go to the episode page at www.theaddictedmind.com to download it.Supporting Resources:We Agnostics: How William James, Father of American Psychology, Advanced A Spiritual Solution to Addiction: How a Venerated Harvard Doctor Inspired the 12 Step MovementThe Varieties Of Religious Experience: A Study In Human NatureThe Big BookEpisode CreditsIf you like this podcast and are thinking of creating your own, consider talking to my producer, Danny Ozment.Find out more at https://emeraldcitypro.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoicesSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

On today’s episode, Duane speaks with Michael Anthony, author of Think Unbroken: Understanding and Overcoming Childhood Trauma. When you have a history of childhood trauma, there are things that you just have to unlearn and reframe. But to do that, you have to bring awareness to it. When Michael was four years old, his mother, who was a drug addict and alcoholic, cut off his right index finger. His mother was a victim of abuse and his stepfather was highly abusive. Michael was in and out of the hospital multiple times. For the majority of his childhood, he was homeless and deeply in poverty. By the time he was 12 years old, he had lived with 30 different families. They were always getting bounced around, getting evicted, or getting their water and heat turned off.Michael got high for the first time when he was 12 and drunk when he was 13. At 15 years old, he was expelled from school for selling drugs. He was put into the last chance program and still did not graduate high school on time. Michael thought money was the solution to abuse, homelessness, and poverty. So he decided to chase money – legally. He worked really hard and ended up getting a job with a Fortune 10 company at 20 years old. With no high school diploma and no college education, he started making six figures but his life got so much worse. Heading into 26 years old, he found himself being 350 pounds, smoking two packs a day, drinking himself to sleep, and then attempting suicide for the second time. Money was supposed to solve the problem but he was done. When he woke up the next morning and went to the bathroom, he looked at himself in the mirror and asked himself, “What are you willing to do to have the life that you want to have?” The answer was no excuses, just results. 11 years later, Michael is here talking about his journey. He has done a tremendous amount of work – every modality of therapy, coaching, reading books, and going to seminars. He has dived deep into understanding himself and now has over 30 trauma-informed certifications.In this episode, you will hear: Michael’s journey through addiction and recovery Why being homeless was one of the greatest things that happened to him Why people with trauma lie to therapists The identity crisis Understanding the biology and physiology behind your body’s response The crux of self and putting rational meaning to your behavioral patterns The worst-case scenario and the power of changing your energy What mindset really is Key Quotes:[11:25] - “When you come from a very traumatic background, the opportunity for you to discover who you are is literally stolen from you.”[15:02] - “The key to life is to do what you want to do, and not do what you don't want to do.”[17:55] - “Indecision is a decision. You have to get off the fence about your life. Then you have to put yourself in this position to operate in a way that feels true for you." [22:46] - “When you stop tying your identity to the end goal of everything that you're trying to do in your life, but instead just into the day to day moments in the way that you operate with the effort and energy that you put in, that failure becomes less burdensome."[24:54] - “The longer you wait to be you, the more painful it's going to be to tear the band-aid off.”[25:36] - “The worst-case scenario is death. Outside of that, that means you have an opportunity.”[27:13] - “What you think becomes what you speak, what you speak becomes your actions, and your actions become your reality.”[33:09] - “If you look for joy, you will find it. And if you look for the pain, it'll be there too."Supporting Resources:Think Unbroken: Understanding and Overcoming Childhood TraumaEpisode CreditsIf you like this podcast and are thinking of creating your own, consider talking to my producer, Danny Ozment.Find out more at https://emeraldcitypro.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoicesSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

On today’s episode, Duane speaks with Chris Howard, the founder of Ethos Recovery, a long-term recovery house for men. He’s also the founder of Lifestyle Interventions where he offers family intervention mentoring. Chris shares his journey of addiction and recovery and his experience working with families, helping them deal with addiction, and helping them heal as a whole system. A Los Angeles native, Chris grew up in a home with a schizoaffective mother and ended up in foster care. As a young man, Chris turned to drugs and alcohol to help escape his troubles in life and thought that his rite of passage into adulthood was going to prison. Chris eventually became a drug addict and drug dealer. He was engaging in all this maladaptive behavior without anyone telling him anything. After more than a decade of struggling with addiction, Chris finally decided to change his course and help other people going through the same thing.Now working in a helping field, Chris wants to help people without belittling them or making them feel worse about their suffering. He believes that his job is to help people question their maladaptive belief systems, their coping strategies, and why they (and even their families) are afraid of being honest. During the conversation, Chris explains that we’re now seeing a pendulum shift in treatment and recovery from being a heavily social model – that could be lacking in accountability – into one that is very clinical and lacking in empathy. These two have to meet somewhere in the middle. We must hold people accountable while also having love and compassion as we walk them through their recovery journey. There has to be a balance between both in order to create a potent formula for healing, personal growth, and being your best self. In this episode, you will hear: Chris’ journey through addiction and recovery How he began working with families Understanding the family dynamic Why trauma isn’t always the root cause of addiction Emotional reasoning tied into trauma The accountability perspective with DBT or Dialectical Behavior Therapy If drugs aren’t the problem, what is? The need to balance accountability and empathy How to heal as a family unit Key Quotes:[07:54] - “The group dynamic at times can help elevate your level of consciousness.”[12:30] - "The hardest thing to watch is people who maybe are more personality disordered and the families can't let go... they put themselves through so much pain and suffering as a result of their love for this person who either can't or will not change."[13:28] - “Trauma is the dominant narrative in mental health and substance abuse treatment at this point. It's not that I don't believe in trauma, I just don't believe every addict is a result of trauma.”[20:31] - “Working on mental health and substance abuse problems, it often gets worse before it gets better because you no longer have that to shield you to cope.”[21:14] - “Drugs aren't the problem. They're actually a phenomenal solution for human beings. The problem is they can't cope for some reason.”[24:40] - “The empathy aspect might actually even be one of the most important aspects because a lot of times, the mental state that individuals who struggle with mental health and substance abuse are in, is so deprived as a result of their life experience.”[32:48] - "Families often equate more money with better treatment. And it's not necessarily true."If you really enjoyed this episode, we’ve created a PDF that has all of the key information for you from the episode. Just go to the episode page at www.theaddictedmind.com to download it.Supporting Resources:Ethos Recovery Lifestyle InterventionsEpisode CreditsIf you like this podcast and are thinking of creating your own, consider talking to my producer, Danny Ozment.Find out more at https://emeraldcitypro.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoicesSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

How do you heal from addiction and alcoholism that you created? You may impact others through your addiction but you can also impact them through your recovery and healing. On today’s episode, Duane talks with Wendy Adamson, author of Mother Load and Incorrigible, about intergenerational trauma and how that impacts addiction recovery, getting better, mental health, relationships, and more.  As a teen, Wendy was labeled as incorrigible which is defined as, "not able to be corrected, improved, or reformed.” That's what the justice system called her. They pretty much gave up on her and put her into the system. Wendy was taken away from her father, plucked from her life, and put in a juvenile hall. From there, she went to foster homes with different environments that nobody ever questioned. Nobody was asking about her or what she had been through. She was locked up not just physically but also mentally.Unfortunately, there is still a lack of trauma-informed language for kids going into the system. Saying to a parent that their kid is incorrigible just sounds hopeless. Part of Wendy's desire to write a book is to give other people hope that they are not incorrigible and that they can come out on the other side. Taking her experience and using it as a tool to help others became a transformative experience for her.  Wendy explains that there’s intergenerational trauma being passed on unconsciously through children until somebody wakes up in the family. Wendy’s mother was 38 when she had a psychotic break and killed herself. She lost her mind and never got an opportunity to get it back. Wendy, too, had a drug-induced psychotic break at 38 and ended up shooting her husband's girlfriend in the arm. She didn’t own any responsibility for it. She was blaming others and deflecting as addicts do. When Wendy finally reached a moment of clarity, she realized she was not only breaking her own heart but her children's as well because the trauma was being transmitted to them. It was the same trauma that she had not resolved. As a result, her older son went into the juvenile court system just like she did.In this episode, you will hear: The lack of trauma-informed language in our society evidenced by our justice system labeling teens as incorrigible The shame around mental illness Going from a moment of victimization to a moment of clarity Taking one step in the right direction There’s no defense against kindness How to create a positive feedback loop Understanding the impact of ​​intergenerational trauma Letting go of the outcome We’re always getting opportunities to redeem ourselves. Key Quotes:[03:14] - “You may impact others through your addiction, but you can impact them through your recovery and through your healing.”[12:27] - "When you're level to the point where you're out of ideas, and you surrender, and people are kind to you, you have no defense against kindness."[15:41] - “What we put out there, we get back, the universe responds by corresponding to my nature.”[22:05] - “We have the power to transmute the trauma when one person decides to change, there is a ripple effect within the family system.”[25:28] - "As a parent, you're just throwing information over the wall and you don't know if it's landing and if they're catching it."[31:08] - “There's something that happens and the things are revealed to you that you didn't know through your writing.”[33:42] - "Life is not a snapshot. You know, it's not just one image frozen in time. We get opportunities and we're always getting opportunities to redeem ourselves."Supporting Resources:www.wendyadamson.com Mother Load: A Memoir of Addiction, Gun Violence & Finding a Life of PurposeIncorrigible: A Coming-of-Age Memoir of Loss, Addiction & IncarcerationHav A SoleEpisode CreditsIf you like this podcast and are thinking of creating your own, consider talking to my producer, Danny Ozment.Find out more at https://emeraldcitypro.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoicesSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

On today’s episode, Duane speaks with Mike Grant about his recovery story and how he used running as a tool to help him through his recovery process. Mike currently works in the health care system as a licensed clinical social worker. He primarily works with people stuck in addiction. He’s an alcohol and drug counselor and the author of (Re)Making A Sandwich: An Addiction Case Study. As a lover of ultra marathons, Mike started a local running club for people in recovery and they have organized runs and done races together. Mike grew up with some anger issues as a result of things that happened in his home. He started drinking at 13 years old and thought it would help him for many years. Instead, drinking at such a young age stunted his emotional development. He lacked the emotional skill set he needed to make good decisions in his life.Part of Mike’s story was being a habitual DUI offender. After being placed on county probation due to multiple DUI offenses, Mike finally realized that the consequences of his drinking could negatively affect his son. He got tired of backtracking his life with law issues, financial issues, and everything else he couldn't juggle or keep straight because of his relationship with alcohol. Knowing that he needed mandated treatment for himself, Mike did a three-year diversion program that changed his life and he has been sober ever since. The diversion program was more of a life management program to him than a non-drinking program because he learned how to live life in a lot of ways.Ultimately, working with people in active addiction allows Mike to connect with the rawness of what addiction really is. There's no romanticizing it from the side of recovery because he knows what it's really like. In this episode, you will hear: Mike’s alcohol addiction and recovery journey How he invested in his progress through running How to make the huge mental shift from “I can’t” to “I can” How running helps some people in recovery Why grit is a transferable skill you can bring from addiction to recovery  Key Quotes:[07:02] - "I would make some progress in something and then alcohol would knock me back or my behaviors while drinking would knock me back."[12:04] - "I've shifted this perspective of shame-based thinking where I can't do something to why can't I?"[13:27] - ​​"If you actually enjoy the work that you're doing, it can make a workweek more tolerable."[14:31] - "Running is a metaphor for so many things. You have to do it. No one can do it for you. Set goals. You get out there and do it."[19:01] - "When you're in recovery, building grit is so important because you've got to weather some difficult things."[19:28] - “​​Grit is a transferable skill from your addiction…if you can use those skills that you learned in your addiction and bring to your recovery, that grit will get you far.”[22:33] - “Life doesn't have to be changed overnight. You just do little consistent things and get back to it, and monumental things can happen in 10 years.”[26:09] - “Life is messy and beating yourself up over it isn't going to help.”Supporting Resources:(Re)Making A Sandwich: An Addiction Case StudyEpisode CreditsIf you like this podcast and are thinking of creating your own, consider talking to my producer, Danny Ozment.Find out more at https://emeraldcitypro.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoicesSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

On today’s episode, Duane talks with Justin B. Long about his journey through childhood trauma and how he tried to escape it through alcoholism. We discuss the traps of toxic masculinity, the idea that, as men, we can't share our feelings. We can't be vulnerable. We should be stoic at all times. In the episode, you’ll learn how that idea prevents us from being able to heal from our past wounds. Justin shares his story of hope and healing for everyone else out there who's struggling with the same issues. Justin is the author of The Righteous Rage of a Ten-Year-Old Boy: A Journey of Self-Discovery. In his book, he talks about uncovering our deeper feelings by addressing childhood events and traumas and changing how our emotions are tied to those memories. Justin has poured his deepest, darkest secrets into the book. As he pointed out, the more sunshine gets on those secrets, the less power they have over him.  As he was trying to recover from alcoholism in his mid-30's, Justin had to go back to the beginning of time to understand what drove him to alcoholism. Justin grew up with two very emotionally dysfunctional parents: his dad was a workaholic and a rageaholic and his mom was deep into extreme religiosity and hoped that God would solve her emotional challenges. He found himself in the wrong place at the wrong time. His parents didn't have any emotional tools to support him or help him. Therefore, he grew up in an unhealthy environment. The way his dad treated him taught him that he was a failure no matter what he did. Feeling unworthy, uncomfortable, and untrusting, Justin turned to books as a way to escape reality. Then, as he got older, he discovered alcohol. It made him feel good about himself and he felt accepted for the first time in his life. So, alcohol became his tool to feel good about himself. Justin didn’t realize that it wasn’t a solution or that it was just a band-aid. However, like all external things, it had diminishing returns over time. It worked less and less until it stopped working altogether.In this episode, you will hear: Justin’s childhood trauma What it was like to not know how to handle his feelings  How covering up feelings of shame and guilt through drinking became a cycle How he changed his perspective from being a failure to being okay How a recovery meeting became the first pinprick that showed him reality What his righteous rage looked like and how letting it go allowed him to achieve true freedom What happens when your pain is greater than your fear Why it’s okay to feel your feelings Justin’s motivation to put his book out there Key Quotes:[09:21] - "My biggest problem that made me decide I had to quit drinking was that the more I got drunk around other people, the more I misbehaved and just couldn't seem to control myself."[13:15] - “Everything that I thought I knew about myself to be true was not true. And I get to rewrite that story."[16:12] - "In your formative years, you take everything from around you, and you believe that to be true."[18:33] - “True freedom comes in moving past that and letting go of that rage, even if it's justified.”[21:02] - “The pain has to get greater than the fear. And that's how it was for me. It hurt bad enough that I was willing to step into the fear."[22:14] - “I'm trying to learn how to feel the feelings and be okay with them. And sometimes it hurts, but I've learned that that's okay, too. It's part of it.”[25:17] - “The more sunshine gets on those secrets, the less power they have over me.”Supporting Resources:The Righteous Rage of a Ten-Year-Old Boy: A Journey of Self-DiscoveryEpisode CreditsIf you like this podcast and are thinking of creating your own, consider talking to my producer, Danny Ozment.Find out more at https://emeraldcitypro.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoicesSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.