For 42 years, I sleepwalked through life. My body was present, but my mind was elsewhere replaying yesterday and worrying about tomorrow. Alcohol was my favorite escape, but there are many ways to leave the present moment, like busyness, tv, books, and social media.

In this episode, I discuss what mindfulness actually MEANS to me and the need to pair that with introspection to attain emotional sobriety. The Twelve Steps teach me that recovery is more than putting down the drink. I can show up for my life physically, emotionally, and spiritually. I learn to keep my head where my feet are while also exploring what's happening inside me. Curiosity becomes courage while each decision I make bridges the world outside of me with the world within.

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When life becomes overwhelming, my first instinct used to be escape. Alcohol promised relief, but it only delayed my problems until they returned bigger than before. In this episode, I explore the difference between escaping reality and creating a healthy pause before responding to it. That pause is where wisdom grows.Using the image of a pressure cooker, I share why emotional pressure needs a release valve. Whether it's walking without distractions, prayer, gardening, journaling, or simply resting before reacting, healthy coping lowers the pressure so we can face problems with clarity. Recovery has given me the ability to stay present and move through life's challenges instead of running from them.Listen and subscribe wherever you get your podcasts:Rather listen on Apple Podcasts? https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/recovery-daily-podcast/id1693924779

For me, alcohol guarantees pain, slow physical suicide, and immediate emotional collapse. Bad things didn't happen every time I drank, but every time something bad happened, I was drinking. Every heartbreaking relapse story reminds me how serious our disease is. I wish I could erase it, go back and stand in between them and that drink, and spare them the suffering that follows. But each of us has our own journey. It takes what it takes. My responsibility is to protect my own sobriety, remain available to help others, and remember that today is the only day I have to show up for.

Listen and subscribe wherever you get your podcasts:

Rather listen on Apple Podcasts? https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/recovery-daily-podcast/id1693924779

When life becomes overwhelming, my first instinct used to be escape. Alcohol promised relief, but it only delayed my problems until they returned bigger than before. In this episode, I explore the difference between escaping reality and creating a healthy pause before responding to it. That pause is where wisdom grows.

Using the image of a pressure cooker, I share why emotional pressure needs a release valve. Whether it's walking without distractions, prayer, gardening, journaling, or simply resting before reacting, healthy coping lowers the pressure so we can face problems with clarity. Recovery has given me the ability to stay present and move through life's challenges instead of running from them.

Listen and subscribe wherever you get your podcasts:

Rather listen on Apple Podcasts? https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/recovery-daily-podcast/id1693924779

One of the greatest gifts of recovery is the transformation from feeling overwhelmed by life's challenges to becoming someone who can help others through theirs. There was a time when all of my energy was spent simply surviving alcoholism and learning to navigate life after a stroke. Today, recovery has given me the ability to sit with someone in pain and offer hope.

In this episode, I explore the recovery principle that we must give it away to keep it, the wisdom of the corn farmer who shared his best seed with his neighbors, and how helping others often strengthens our own healing. The more we share our experience, strength, and hope, the more we discover that recovery was never meant to stop with us.

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It's easy to look at someone else's life and think they're happier, healthier, or having more fun. It's easy to romanticize drinking while forgetting the loneliness, fear, and consequences that came with it. It's just as easy to romanticize life before a stroke and focus on what has been lost. In this episode, I explore the danger of not playing the tape forward, the freedom that comes from acceptance, and why the Serenity Prayer helps me let go of wanting things to be different. When I play the tape forward, practice gratitude, and accept life on life's terms, I discover that peace is available right where my feet are.

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Much of my discomfort comes from fear about the future and that I won't be able to handle it. In recovery sometimes I wish things were different than they are. In both sobriety and stroke recovery, I've discovered that serenity is found by trusting that I have the tools to face whatever comes and accepting life as it is today. In this episode, I explore freedom from fear, freedom from want, the power of "even if" over "what if," and why prayer helps me change my perspective rather than trying to change God's mind.

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Rather listen on Apple Podcasts? https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/recovery-daily-podcast/id1693924779

What is the difference between justified and unjustified anger through the lens of emotional sobriety and stroke recovery. Healthy anger alerts us to injustice, boundary violations, and unmet needs. But even justified anger can become resentment when we replay it, nurture it, and allow it to take up permanent residence in our minds.

Unjustified anger is fueled by fear, pride, expectations, and the need for control. Step 4 teaches me to look beyond what is happening, examine the real source, learn from it, and release it. The goal is to stop feeding the fire and start tending the light.

Listen and subscribe wherever you get your podcasts and YouTube.

Rather listen on Apple Podcasts? https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/recovery-daily-podcast/id1693924779