Intimacy & Sex in Recovery

Intimacy…allowing ourselves to be vulnerable with another person, can be very difficult. Many of us have used alcohol or other substances to help remove our fears intimacy so the thought of being intimate while SOBER can be terrifying. Some of us were sexually abused as children. Some of us engaged in unhealthy sexual behaviors as a result of our substance abuse and still hang onto feelings of shame about our sexuality. Some of us were afraid of getting sober because we thought it would be the end of our intimate relationship with our partner. Some of us simply find it hard to let go.  On the other hand, some of us have found intimacy to be much more fulfilling and, well…intimate in sobriety.

We are thrilled to have a very special guest, Tanya Cole-Lesnick, LCSW, life coach and psychotherapist, to help us with this topic. We have four guests joining us on the show to share their experiences with intimacy in sobriety and Tanya will offer insights based on her experience with this topic.

Tanya Cole-Lesnick, LCSW, is a life coach and psychotherapist since 1995, in private practice since 2000. She works with people who are stuck. People who know their lives could have more meaning, ease, excitement, or… something different from the way they’re living at the time they seek out her services. She has also worked in mental health settings over the years with people suffering from various psychiatric diagnoses. With all her clients her approach is the same.  She calls it The One Agreement, which is a commitment she encourages us all to make to show up for ourselves, whatever that means for each of us, no matter what. Her philosophy is that we should always be checking in with ourselves to make sure that how we’re living aligns with who we are and what matters most. She helps her clients to identify where they’re not aligned, then helps them to break down old habits that no longer serve them and build up new habits that do. 

She is also in the process of a new exciting venture—creating weekend retreats in upstate New York where her clients can pamper themselves and do some life-changing emotional work at the same time. 

And, by the way, she has her own personal connection to the topic of Intimacy and Sex in Recovery, with a history of using substances to help remove the fear of intimacy, figuring out the hard way that it’s a problematic approach…

You can find more information about Tanya at: www.tanyacolelesnick.com .You can also find her on Facebook at: https://www.facebook.com/tanyacolelesnickcoaching and Twitter: https://twitter.com/tcolelesnick

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The Power of Gratitude

It seems to us that Gratitude just might be the answer to even the most complex life problems. We know for sure that it keeps us sober by shifting our perspective just enough to get us out of stuck-mode (self-pity, blame, defiance, anger) and into action (service, connection, honesty). Join us on this episode as we share our experiences with the power of gratitude in recovery and offer suggestions on how to build an active gratitude practice. Gratitude just might become the most potent tool in your recovery toolbox!

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Surviving & Striving During The Holidays for Recovering People Pleasers

Are you ready? Because here comes holiday season – the most wonderful time of the year say many and for those of us in recovery, possibly also the most triggering time of the year. There are a lot of contributing factors to the challenges we face over the holidays, but tonight we will zero in on “people pleasing” and how it undermines our ability to enjoy the festivities.

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Understanding PAWS (Post-Acute Withdrawal Syndrome

Most people are aware that alcoholics, whether they are heavy drinkers or not, will experience unpleasant withdrawal symptoms, both physical and emotional, when they first get sober. Some of the more obvious signs of this “acute” or early withdrawal include: shaking, sweating, racing heartbeat, muscle twitches, insomnia and acute anxiety. These symptoms are mostly physical and may last as long as 2 weeks, but we are prepared for them and if we stay sober, most people think it will be smooth sailing going forward. It is true that people may feel better after the first couple of weeks, however it is the sobriety–based symptoms, known as Post-Acute Withdrawal (PAWs) that cause many people to relapse. PAWs may last as long as 2 years, so understanding what it is and learning ways to manage these symptoms is critical to maintaining long-term sobriety. On this episode of The Bubble Hour we will discuss these symptoms are share ways to deal with and relieve the effect of PAWS. Whether you’re just getting sober or have been sober for a while, this is a very important show for YOU. 

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Speaker/Discussion "Meeting" with Lisa

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 and feelings is revolutionary. Tune in to this week's episode to hear our guest Lisa's story and our discussion. 

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