Courtney's Story

Courtney is someone you wouldn't expect to struggle, but she has. Born with a malformation of her right hand, she always felt flawed and tried to compensate with exacting standards and high levels of acheivement. Her inner pain crept out in other ways, though. This episode is a solid reminder about comparing our insides to others' outsides.

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.

Things We Used To Drink Over, And What We Do Now

On this episode we talk about those moments in recovery when we realize we're doing something (or feeling something) that used to make us want to drink, and yet here we are able to do them sober. Along with special guest, Author Dana Bowman, we talk about what these moments were like for us when we drank, in early recovery, and what they are like for us now. 

Lots of people, when contemplating getting sober, think: "But what about that vacation/wedding/holiday? How will I get through that sober?" It's not always the big events, though, that can be difficult to navigate; sometimes it's just a long, boring day, or a disappointment, or even when things are going really well, that make us think about a drink. Before we get sober, or in early recovery (or heck, sometimes even well into recovery) it can feel like we can't make it through these thoughts/feelings/moments without a drink, an escape or a way to numb. The good news is that in recovery there are so many ways to not only survive these things, but actually learn and grow in life-changing ways.

Dana Bowman is an author and speaker who lives in a sweet small town in the Midwest. She has been published in substance.com, The After Party Magazine, The Fix, and others, and is the proud author at Momsieblog.com. Her book,Bottled: How to Survive Early Recovery, published by Central Recovery Press, is now available on amazon.com and at bookstores.

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Re-Broadcast: 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 rebroadcast 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.

Listen below, or follow the instructions on our website for how to subscribe to our podcast on iTunes: 

Early Sobriety - Am I Ever Going To Feel Better?

For the month of August the co-hosts of The Bubble Hour are taking a break to refresh, renew and focus on our own self-care.  We will be back in mid-September with a fresh new format!  Until then, we are re-broadcasting some of our most popular and informative episodes.

Early sobriety can be challenging in many ways - lots of ups and downs and experiencing emotions for the first time without the numbing effects of alcohol.  On this episode we discuss tools and tips for getting through those first few days, weeks and months of recovery.

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From Self-Medicating to Self-Care

“I need a drink” is a common catch phrase people use to sum up a bad day.  The culture is rife with advice that a “nice glass of wine” is all it will take to feel better about whatever challenges life dishes up.  So, when we are faced with big health issues, like anxiety, depression, and other mental illnesses; physical illness or changes in our physical health; or stress caused by any social or familial changes or losses, it can seem like an easy fix to pick up a drink to “take the edge off.”

As alcoholics, this response becomes our go-to.  We come to depend on alcohol to deal with our problems.  It becomes a vicious cycle as our bodies and brains are stressed from processing the alcohol, as we stuff our emotions deeper and deeper down inside, and as we become dependent on the drink to fix us.

We find great freedom from that dependence in sobriety, but it can be daunting to realize that even though we are now sober, we still have the same issues we had before we sought relief in the bottle - the same anxiety, the same depression, the same hormonal changes, the same trauma.  On this show, our guests share their experiences about how they found new and better ways to deal with their lives.  From menopause to dual diagnoses, we can move from self-medicating to proper self-care!

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A Sober Holiday Is A Happy Holiday!

The holidays can be a joyous and festive time, but there are pressures that come with family and social gatherings, entertaining, and juggling a busy calendar.  These events and stressors can be big triggers for the sober merry-maker!

Listen in as we discuss the anxieties and triggers to watch for and the methods to avoid minefields and old habits, defuse tension, and enjoy the holidays to their fullest potential. 

A sober holiday is a happy holiday. Let's prepare for the festive season together!

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