In Recovery, We Find Freedom!

"Looking back, we see that our freedom to choose badly was not, after all, a very real freedom."*

When we romanticize our drinking days, we may feel like they were carefree and we had the freedom to do as we pleased. We liked doing things our way (and we don’t like being told what to do!). Then again....on further reflection, we remember that alcohol didn’t leave us with many choices - no matter how hard we tried, no matter our best intentions, and no matter the consequences, it always called us back. It left us with shame and sadness. And, we see now, drinking was either at the root of or exacerbated all of our problems!

In sobriety, we come to find that life is for living, not enduring! We are no longer burdened with “feeding the beast,” which leaves room for a full life. We make authentic connections with our true selves and with others. We have clear sight about how to show up for our lives, without fear! In recovery, we find freedom!

*reference: The Grapevine, May 1960

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Sober "Firsts" - Part 1

Early recovery is full of “sober firsts”. They seem to come fast and furious in the initial weeks and months, and can be overwhelming at times. Eventually, the “firsts” are fewer and further between, but their infrequency can make them feel more jarring. On this episode of The Bubble Hour we look at “sober firsts” of three major types:

• “Mixing with the Normies” – going back to the places and situations where drinking is part of the milieu, now as a person in recovery
• “Engaging in Recovery” – new places and situations you encounter once you quit drinking
• “Sober and Solo” – the things you go to or through on your own.

Join us and our guests as we talk about what these experiences were like for us and some tips for navigating these challenges of early sobriety.

We had so much to talk about on this show we couldn't get to it all, so stay tuned for Part 2!

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Codependency: Detaching With Love

Have you ever wondered why you can’t seem to maintain a healthy relationship? Do you feel like people take advantage of your kind heart and generosity? Do you feel a sense of responsibility for your loved one's happiness? If any of these questions ring true for you, you may be a codependent.

Codependency is an emotional behavior that affects our ability to have healthy, mutually-satisfying relationships. It is often found in individuals who are in a relationship with an addicted person or someone with a mental illness. Codependents often have low self-esteem and look for anything outside of themselves to make them feel better…including drugs and alcohol or other compulsive behaviors so you can see why this is an important topic for us to understand and address.

On this episode of The Bubble Hour we dig into the nature of a codependency and discuss how we can “detach with love” so that we can enjoy healthy, happy relationships with our loved ones.

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Perfectionism

When we are active in an addiction, we can feel like there is no one else in the whole world like us. “Alcoholics are screw ups and losers,” we tell ourselves, “whereas I seemed to have developed this drinking problem in spite of doing everything else in my life to a high level of excellence. I am the most unlikely alcoholic ever.” In fact, alcoholics share many common personality traits, and surprisingly that includes perfectionism. On this episode we discuss the various ways perfectionism can manifest in our lives, why it is so common to those who struggle with addiction, and some suggestions for easing perfectionist ways.

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Speaker/Discussion "Meeting" with Jo

In recovery meetings it is common practice for one person to share their experience, strength and hope and then to pick a recovery topic for the group to discuss. We thought it would be great to recreate that concept here on The Bubble Hour. Hearing that there are other people just like us with the same experiences, thoughts, feelings is revolutionary.  Tune in to this week's episode to hear our guest's story and topic of discussion. 

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