Kirsten's Story

Still waters run deep. Kirsten was a quiet, thoughtful child who kept a lot in. She learned to be an outgoing, independent woman who moved through the world with competence and yet, the feelings and thoughts she kept to herself were eating away at her from the inside. Here is her story of pausing to turn inward and heal herself from the inside out.

Sober Mom, Grateful Daughter: Leslie and Amy

The mother and daughter relationship can be complicated under the best of circumstances. Many times more so when addiction comes into play. Mom Leslie recently celebrated one year of sobriety. She and her daughter Amy share their individual perspectives on life before and after Leslie quit drinking.

Express Yourself (Guest: Julie)

Many of us spend our time in active addiction keeping secrets and staying silent. We feel like the WORST thing that could happen would be to tell someone, only to find in recovery that it feels GREAT to talk to others about the things we kept locked away. Guest Julie has been recovering on her own and recently connected with a group of other sober women. She has also discovered the joys of writing funny pieces about her experiences and observations.

Karlyn Pipes: "The Do Over"

An Olympic hopeful whose dreams were cut short by addiction, Karlyn explains how sobriety gave her a second chance at athletic success and at personal happiness. But neither of those achievements came quickly or easily. Karlyn speaks frankly about her addiction to alcohol, and the many ways that affected her life. Her book, "The Do-Over" will have readers moving from tears to cheers to nods of understanding, and is a great read for people in recovery as well as those who long to understand addiction from the inside.

Who Am I Now? (Guest: Margaret)

If we define ourselves by what we do, it can be hard to remain stable when a big change comes along. For Margaret, retirement could have left her searching for meaning and purpose. Instead, she is looking forward to the freedom to fully be herself. Join us for a discussion about knowing ourselves from within, instead of that which others say we are.

Listener Letters and Questions August 2016

Jean answers your questions about everything from skin picking to song writing with so much honesty she makes herself cry, and shares the feedback from our recent episode about perfectionism and motherhood ("Karen's Story"). Also covered is the meaning of the words "sobriety" and "recovery" - at least what we mean here on The Bubble Hour.

Karen's Story

Karen's story will resonate with anyone who has ever drank to numb feelings of inadequacy or depression. Karen was a hard-working high-achiever with everything under control until she embarked on a challenge she didn't feel she could master to her usual standards: motherhood. What she believed should be the happiest time of her life instead spiralled in a very different direction. Karen looks back on these low times and reflects on how far she has since come as a woman in recovery.

Sobriety and Borderline Personality Disorder (Guest: Michelle)

It's not necessarily common for alcoholics to have Borderline Personality Disorder, but it is quite common for people with BPD to struggle with addiction. Jean welcomes Michelle to explain her experiences with BPD as a person in successful long term recovery.

Update from Jean

Wondering where we've been? You are not alone.

Jean drops by with a quick update on what is happening with The Bubble Hour - where we have been and what is happening with the show.

Our mailbox is full of messages from listeners and we have heard you, loud and clear! You have missed us as much as we have missed you.

Listen to this update to find out what to expect in the weeks to come.

Re-Broadcast: Adult Children of Alcoholics

Did you grow up in a home with a problem drinker? If you did, you may have been impacted more than you know. Adult Children of Alcoholics share several common characteristics. They tend to feel different or isolated and uneasy with other people. They are intimidated by authority figures or people who are angry. They seek approval from others and lose themselves in the process. They are people-pleasers.

They feel responsible for other people and put their needs before their own. They are terrified of abandonment, and will do almost anything to maintain a relationship even (or especially) if it is unhealthy. They tend to hide their feelings both as children and as adults. They often confuse love with pity and tend to love people they can rescue. They thrive on drama rather than healthy relationships because that is what they grew up with. They often become alcoholics, marry alcoholics or both. The list goes on.

On this episode of The Bubble Hour our guests will share their experience both with growing up in an alcoholic home and in a home with someone in recovery. 

Re-Broadcast: SPECIAL GUEST - Dawn Nickel from She Recovers

Dawn has been in recovery from addiction to drugs and alcohol since 1989 and is well-qualified to work with women who want to recover their lives and pursue their passions.

What started out as a daily meditation practice using social media coupled with a heartfelt belief in her own life's purpose has since turned into a business called She Recovers that, at the present time, offers yoga retreats and workshops for women in recovery.

We are so excited to have Dawn as a guest on our show, where we'll talk all things recovery - including different pathways to recovery, recovering online and off, and share Dawn's inspiring story!

Re-Broadcast: Denial Equals Death

There is an epidemic of addiction in our country, especially among younger people, and it is EVERYWHERE.

In this show will talk with Jeff Bertolet, a father who is in recovery himself and whose daughter Morgan is recovering from a nearly fatal drug overdose.  His heartbreaking and hopeful story will amaze you.

We will also talk with Dr. Mark Libon, Chief Clinical Officer at Gosnold, Inc. - a treatment center in Cape Cod, Massachusetts - about his experiences talking with both young people and communities about how they feel about drug use and addiction in their communities.  What he has to say will startle you, and hopefully call you to action in helping to speak out about this deadly epidemic.

We will also talk about ways to help people struggling with addiction and what you can do within your community to help.

Please tune in to this very important show!

Re-Broadcast: Other Addictions

We here at The Bubble Hour recognize that our friends and family members may be suffering from a more diverse array of addictions than alcoholism and drug addiction.

The Canadian Centre for Addiction and Mental Health offers this definition of addiction:

“A primary, chronic, neurobiologic disease, with genetic, psychosocial, and environmental factors. . . . It is characterized by behaviors that include one or more of the following: impaired control... compulsive use, continued use despite harm, and craving” (Savage et al., 2003)

And every addict knows the pain of being separated from his or her ideal self by this complex web.

Join us as our guests share how the compulsive use of gambling and food can lead into darkness followed by recovery. We will discuss how these addictions share roots, characteristics, triggers, and recovery methods. As complicated an issue as addiction is, the faith and hope of recovery exists for everyone.

Re-Broadcast: Speaker/Discussion "Meeting" with Lisa N. (Co-Founder & former Co-Host of TBH)

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.  Our featured guest on this show is a voice many of you will recognize - Lisa N., one of the founders and former Co-Host of The Bubble Hour. Tune in to this week's episode to hear our guest Lisa N's story and our discussion. 

Re-Broadcast: Motherhood & Recovery: Perspectives on Telling our Kids

Although there are many common truths and shared experiences in addiction and recovery, family dynamics may differ from person to person. When it comes to motherhood, there is no magic formula or handbook for anything including talking to our kids about recovery. What we can do is share our experiences and perspectives with one another, and be willing to thoughtfully consider the best fit for our family. This episode explores a variety of positions, from being completely open to selectively shielding our children from our experiences, and why those choices make sense.

Re-Broadcast: Beyond Our Best Thinking: Surrendering the Ego in Recovery

We all want to be individuals and to present an image to the world that we are capable, in control, and essentially put together.  Besides, the world is a scary place:  vulnerability and honesty might put us in danger if people really knew us. Our egos say, “I am responsible for your survival.  Trust me.  I’m in control.”  

This is our best thinking.  

We hang on to it even though our Egos can lead us to feel angry, resentful, defensive, frightened.  Or completely alone and fraudulent, afraid that people will find out who we really are at our core.  We scramble to maintain the image that we’re in control.  We want to do things our way, on our own steam.  We are still cautious about letting people in.

This kind of thinking can persist even in sobriety and can present a danger to our recovery.  Join us as we talk about how Ego-thinking contributed to our drinking and disturbed our peace of mind, and how connection, compassion, and authenticity  brought us serenity and keeps us sober.

Re-Broadcast: Early Sobriety - Am I Ever Going To Feel Better?

When we stop drinking most people experience physical withdrawal symptoms (acute) which can last anywhere from a few days to a few weeks. It's not fun, but most people expect it and are rewarded with immediate physical benefits once the alcohol or drug is purged from their system. Our lives begin to improve and we are happy, BUT then there are other things that seem to be getting worse - mood swings, anxiety, irregular sleep, etc. - and we want to scream, "I did NOT get sober for this!"  

The good news and bad news is this is completely normal. What we are experiencing is called PAWS or Post Acute Withdrawal Syndrome, which feels like an emotional roller coaster. PAWS can be very difficult to deal with and is a huge trigger for relapse, but drinking will only make the process start all over again and who wants to do that?!!!  So how do we get through it? How do  we manage the roller coaster ride of early sobriety? 

Join us on this episode of The Bubble Hour as we talk to our guests about their experience with early sobriety and the tools they used to alleviate PAWS symptoms. 

Re-Broadcast: Strength in Numbers: How Community Helps Us Stay Sober

When we find we have the desire to stop drinking, we may have the urge to get sober alone. "I can do this by myself" is a common refrain in early recovery. But the solo route is a difficult trek through the thickets of recovery. At worst, it may set us up for relapse; at best, it's a lonely row to hoe. Connection with other sober people creates a safe landing place where we can wiggle out of isolation and fear and into a community where we are loved and supported. Building a network of sober friends is one of the great joys of recovery. Community helps us stay sober, as we learn from each other: we learn about the disease of alcoholism, about how to stay sober, about being of service. On this episode of The Bubble Hour, we talk about how to build and belong to a sober network - from the "new kid" jitters, to the anniversary celebrations, to the gifts of sober meet-ups. Join our podcast community, and let's stay sober together!

Re-Broadcast: Dr. John Kelly-Changing the Stigma of Addiction Through Science

Many people think that recovery from drug and alcohol addiction is a lost cause when in reality there are approximately 25-40 million people who consider themselves to be in active, stable long-term recovery. Based on those numbers, most people probably interact with someone in recovery on a daily basis, but they don't even know it because it's not talked about openly. Dr. Kelly and the Recovery Research Institute's mission is change that stigma and show people, through science, that recovery is not only possible, but it is the likely outcome.

On this episode we will talk to Dr. Kelly about addiction, stigma and recovery and how understanding the neuroscience of addiction will help alleviate that stigma.

For more information about Dr. Kelly and the Recovery Research Institute, please visit:http://www.recoveryanswers.org/.

Speaker/Discussion "Meeting" With Tammy L.

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 have recreated 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 episode to hear our guest Tammy L. share her story and our discussion following her share. 

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