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.

Gaby's Story: Back from the Edge...Twice

Gaby had it all...until it disappeared overnight. Alcohol was a comfort through the difficult years that followed...until it nearly took her life. You might think this would convince her to never drink again, yet she chose to try moderating after regaining her health and was soon back in care fighting to stay alive. Today she is thriving in sobriety and hopes her story will convince others to stay alcohol-free in recovery.

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.

The First Year (Guest: Robin)

Milestones are an opportunity to take stock of how far we have come, and to celebrate the way that day by day, time adds up! Jean welcomes guest Robin, who recently celebrated one year alcohol-free, to share her experiences and insights. When asked what made her decide to quit drinking, Robin said (in her charming accent), "Well it was bad enough that I was getting old, I didn't want to be old and pathetic!" It is that kind of plain-spoken wisdom you can expect from this interview. Enjoy.

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: 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. 

Rebroadcast: Sober Firsts, Part 2

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.

This rebroadcast episode is a continuation of an earlier show called, Sober "Firsts” - Part 1, which turned out to be such a rich subject that we continued the discussion. We cover everything from going to meetings to going to work and we will even be talking about sober s-e-x.

Sober In The Summer

Summer is an amazing time to be sober and fully present in our lives.  However, for many people - especially those in early recovery - summertime can be full of triggers.  Cook-outs, beaches and fun with friends can still be a ton of fun, but it is best to be prepared so you can enjoy yourself AND stay sober! 

On this episode all four co-hosts will share their experiences with summertime triggers and what we do to stay sober in the summer AND have a great time! 

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Feeling Our Feelings: A Brave New World

While we are active in our addictions, we are numbing all of our feelings.  Although the initial impulse might be to dull the hard emotions - fear, anger, hurt - the actual result is that we dull of our emotions, limiting our experience of joy, contentment, and connection.  When we get sober, we find a crazy new rush of feelings - good and bad - that can be overwhelming.
 
On this episode, we discussed our experiences with our emotions and techniques for processing them.  Sobriety is a brave new world, which includes the full range of human feelings.  We're glad to be showing up for them all! 
 
Listen through the widget below, or go to the tab at the top of the page to learn how to subscribe to our podcast!

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Sober Fun - "We Are Not a Glum Lot!"

A common fear of getting sober is that we won't ever have fun again. Our memories of celebrations, nights out, socializing with friends typically include alcohol, so we can't imagine what we will do without it. Will our friends still want to hang out with us? Will we still laugh? What on earth will we DO now that we don't drink? Join us for a discussion that will quell those fears! Sober life opens the door to a life of fun and laughter that we never contemplated. As a famous recovery saying goes, "we are not a glum lot"! Come have some Sober Fun with us!

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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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Sober On Stage

Many people share a common fear of standing before an audience . Whether giving a wedding toast, a sales pitch or a musical performance, alcohol is a frequent antidote for the jitters. Does sobriety make taking centre-stage harder or easier? Are we doomed to sweat and stammer without the use of liquid courage? Must we stay out of the limelight, or does sobriety make us perform better in other ways? Join us as we discuss our experiences in front of an audience, both before and after recovery.

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Special Guest: Lotta Dann of “Mrs D is Going Without”

Lotta Dann aka Mrs. D

Lotta Dann’s readers know her best as “Mrs. D”: the formerly anonymous sobriety blogger (Blog: Mrs. D Is Going Without) who stepped forward as a recovery advocate with the recent New Zealand release of her book, “Mrs D is Going Without”. Lotta shares her story and chats with us about life before and after she found her way to living alcohol free.

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Re-Broadcast: As They Say - A Grateful Heart Will Never Drink

Google the phrase 'the power of gratitude' and you'll find many links to articles and research that show how living a life in gratitude can increase our sense of well-being and optimism and can decrease our levels of stress, anxiety and depression.

Those benefits alone would make this a worthy topic - who doesn't want to feel happier? - but for the alcoholic and addict, an active gratitude practice can be a game changer. Alcoholism and addiction are characterized by a mental obsession. Our behaviors and thought patterns can defy logic, such as when we drink or use despite consequences or vows to stop. We may feel justified in our drinking or using by anxiety, worry, anger, depression. We may get stuck in this thinking with self-pity, shame, and blame, and the painful cycle continues.

Gratitude is the fastest way out of the despair caused by this cycle! This is why many people in long term recovery subscribe to the notion that an active gratitude practice is an essential part of their sobriety. Join us as we discuss with our guests the ins and outs of a gratitude practice - the ways it helps them stay sober, examples of its benefits, and how to build a practice. In sobriety, we can have Thanksgiving every day!"

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What Do I Drink If I No Longer Drink?

Julie Elsdon-Height

It's a simple question that can cause a person in recovery to stammer incoherently: "What would you like to drink?" After years of ordering a go-to favorite that is now forbidden, it can be hard to answer that question truthfully. What DO people in recovery drink on social occasions? In restaurants?  At parties?  At home after a hard day? Can anything bring the same satisfaction that alcohol once did???

Julie Elsdon-Height, author the recipe book "Mocktails and More" and the blog www.SoberJulie.com will join us as we discuss practical answers to the much asked question, "What do I drink if I no longer drink??!"

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