attraction

Recovered 380 Show Notes – Discipline

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Mark, Russ, Spencer, and Joe discuss the Recovery Topic Discipline.

We interviewed:
Jillian S.
Elaine C.
Dan
Russ shared his vision of being disciplined by contrasting his being undisciplined when he first came into the program.  As a matter of fact, his lack of discipline was a major reason for his coming to the tables.  Russ’ first effort at discipline was to make 90 meetings in 90 days, which he accomplished.  Russ did this as a pain avoidance mechanism.
Spencer shared from his Al-Anon perspective.  Spencer came into the program to get relief from the pain caused by other people’s drinking.  His first act of discipline was to make meetings which was followed by a commitment to a group to work the steps with his AWOL (A Way Of Live) group.  Making a commitment to a group helped keep him accountable and helped him finish what he started.
Joe shared that he come into the program undisciplined.  Joe was happy to hear the slogan “let it go” at first but then learned that discipline was needed to work the steps, get involved in the program, and to become part of the group.

Recovered 375 – Creating a Recovery Environment

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On today’s episode, Mark, Joe, and Russ discus a Recovery Environment. What things attract us to certain meetings? Russ shares that being greeted at a new meeting when he enters a new meeting creates a welcoming environment which makes him feels comfortable.

 Joe shares that as a new guy two people greeted him immediately as he entered the club. Joe thinks it’s important to address anyone who he does not recognize just in case the guy is new. Russ shared that a 90 in 90 was recommended at some of his first meetings. 90 in 90 is making 90 meetings in 90 days. This allowed Russ to find the kind of meetings he felt comfortable.

 Now Russ looks for meetings that have easy parking. Joe shares that today, he looks for meetings that are “step” focused. All of us tend to like meetings toward the end of the day.

Recovered 367 – Recovery 2.0

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Tonight’s Recovery Topic in Recovery 2.0 – The Fellowship Goes Online

With technology, the message of Alcoholics Anonymous can go places it has never gone before; into the privacy of the new guys home at his convenience, not when we might be available.  We have listeners that are afraid to go to their first meting, but they listen to this podcast and are trying to get sober.  There is so much potential for recovery on the internet.

Aaron, Spencer, and Mark all shared the technology they use in their recovery.  Aaron shared that he used 12steps.org early in recovery which helped him overcome his problem with a higher power.  Spencer doesn’t use online resources for recovery but uses current technology as a means to communicate with others in the fellowship.  Spencer uses online resources to locate meetings.

Mark shared that it has been an AA tradition to be open to technology.  When the fellowship started in 1935, face to face communication was the norm, but the fellowship adopted the new technology of land line telephones as a tool in recovery.  In the same tradition, Mark is optimistic about using current technology as a tool in recovery. Texting may now be the norm for communication.

Twitter, Facebook, etc. have great potential to support recovery.  Follow us at  and at facebook.com/recoveredcast.  Aaron shared that he uses the 12 step AA Companion App.

See our website for more links.

Recovered 366 – Barefoot, Podcast History

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Tonight’s Recovery Topic is Barefoot, The History of the Podcast

Since none of our guest hosts were available, Mark decided to publish a solo podcast, the first one in over a year.

In 2007, I first started experimentation with recorded voice in response to an especially difficult sponsee.  I used the podcast as a way to talk to myself and I discovered I didn’t know what to do.  It was good thing that I just recorded these conversations rather than give this advise, since I didn’t know what I was doing.  This was apparent when I listened to the play backs.  These recordings were never published and I destroyed all evidence.

I started the early recordings using the software package: Castblaster.  I purchased an inexpensive dynamic microphone from Radio Shack and I was off and running.  By listening to other podcasts, I learned that Libsyn was the best place to have my audio files hosted.  This is the actual place that stores the audio files and they also established and control my RSS feed.  Libsyn provides a primitive Website and I used that feature to host my website as well at first.  The next step was to improve the website by moving to Blogger.

The next step in the show’s evolution was the upgrade in microphone and the purchase of a mixer.  These improvements made the audio quality better.  Podcasts I was listening to included: Nobody’s Listening, The Cardinal Arize Podcast, Monster Cookies, The Daily Source Code, and No Agenda.

The addition of Bill as Co-Host marked a significant point in the podcast history.  Bill’s presence, his story, his sense of humor, and his microphones all added to an improvement in the show and was reflected in an increase in listeners.

Recovered 364 – Dealing With Loss in Recovery

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Tonight’s Recovery Topic is Dealing With Loss in Recovery

Mark is joined with Guest Hosts Joe and Russ, both members of Canton Candlelight, Mark’s home group.  Russ is Mark’s sponsor.

Joe is 27 years old and has 3 years sobriety.  Mark and Russ both remember Joe coming into the fellowship and they both remember that Joe was “all in” and had a real willingness to work the program.  Even though Joe was suffering from both loss and anger, he was able to put those things into perspective and used the fellowship, the program, and the steps as a means of comfort rather than to use drink.

Joe shared that early in the program he watched the long timers and focused on what they did and did what they did.  Joe also shared that early in sobriety he was just going through the motions of recovery and the thought of drinking returned.  At this moment, Joe received a phone call asking Joe to take him to a meeting.  Joe promptly put the obsession to drink aside and started to give back to the program through the service work of driving members to meetings.  Joe thought this was a coincidence.  Russ commented that coincidence is just God’s way of remaining anonymous.

60 days before Joe came into the fellowship, Joe’s mom passed away and he became angry and suffered all the more by drinking more.  So when Joe first came in, steps 2 and 3 was difficult because he was angry with God.  Joe shared that going to meetings and relying on the fellowship allowed him to heal over time.  Joe also heard other peoples story about how they got throug difficult times without drinking.  This was an inspiration to Joe. Joe learned that you don’t have to drink if you dn’t want to and you don’t have to drink when you do want to drink

Russ first came into the program in 1974 and it stuck in 1979 and he was 30 at that time.  Russ shared that in 2001 both his parents died and it devastated him.  But the fellowship carried him through this difficult time by going to alot of meetings and to step up service work.  Russ is now going through the process of loss because his father in law just decided to go into hospice and will likely leave this world soon.  Mark shared that Russ’ example on how to deal with loss inspired him to emulate Russ’ action and thereby was able to handle the loss of his father.

Recovered 363 – Secondary Addictions

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This Episode is Sponsored by Susan, this show is for you.

The Recovery Topic is Secondary Addictions.

We come into the fellowship unhealthy and some of us develop substitute addictions to fill the void left by alcohol.  Aaron shared that he used food as a source of comfort and the result was weight gain.  After gaining several pounds, he was given a moment of clarity and decided this behavior had to stop.  This resulted in going back into the gym.  However, as Aaron shared, his addictive behavior kicked in a he went too far and injuries started to pile up.  It wasn’t until his doctor reminded him that he wasn’t a young kid any more and that he needed o scale back on the exercise.  Aaron also shared that he found himself spending alot of time at work which may have had some negative impacts on some of his relationships.

Mark shared that he also had food issues coming into the program.  He found that he craved sweets and that was all he wanted to eat.  Mark was told at the time that alcohol is a form of sugar and that his body was craving the sugar.  After a while, Mark balanced his eating habits.  Mark shared that there was a temptation to get medications from his doctor to help with his anxiety but was advised by his sponsor that might not be a good idea.  Since then, Mark is careful around any mood altering substances since it has been his experience by talking with others that it is easier to start drinking again after using prescription drugs.

Mark shared that secondary addictions may not be a relapse but it can be a first step toward relapse.  Mark shared that these bad habits separate him from his higher power and puts him in a vulnerable position.

This Week in Recovery included discussions around our Home Group’s Friday Night Meeting and the tension between our group and the Board of Directors of our Alano Club.  We discussed the fact that we are moving our Friday Night meeting to a off site location and how that’s going to work.

Recovered 362 – Coming Into The Program Young

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Our Recovery Topic is Coming Into The Program Young. Special Guest Host Aaron discusses the challenges of coming into the program young. Aaron also shares his experience, strength and hope relative to working with the young guy. Mark’s specialty is getting fired by the young guy.

 Aaron was 30 years old when he first came into the program. He came into the fellowship when he had a moment of clarity This moment of clarity occurred after Aaron’s girl friend left him, he lost his job, and was notified that he violated his probation again. Aaron shared that he would solve these problems by drinking beer. Then he realized that he was solving his problem with the cause of all his problems. The next day he came to his first meeting at 30 years old. Honest desperation gave him the courage to enter the fellowship. Aaron shared that this was his Higher Power active in his life.

The biggest challenge Aaron experienced being young in the program was giving up his previous life style and previous friends. This was a difficult process for Aaron. He substituted the old using friends with new recovery friends over the first few months of his program. Aaron shared that he was resistant to get a sponsor. But it turns out that the first person who talked to him at his first meeting became Aaron’s sponsor.

Aaron would hang out at our Alano club as a way to get over the lonely and to establish a new social life. Aaron’s sponsor actually asked him to be his sponsee.b Aaron shared that dating someone outside fellowship can work. Aaron sponsors two young guys, the youngest is 16 years old. Sponsorship and chairing meetings have given the opportunity for leadership in the fellowship which has enhanced his recovery.

Recovered 359 – Slogans

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Tonight’s Recovery Topic is Slogans

Click on “Recovered Videos” or use the tab above to see the videos of the stories and the music we cover on this episode.

Mark and Spencer discuss what the slogans mean to them and share some of their most and least favorites. It’s very interesting that the slogans mean very similar things to both Mark and Spencer even though Spencer and Mark attend different 12-step programs.

We discuss the meetings we attended during the week and what’s going on at home. Spencer is sharing his 4th step experience at his home group while Mark is busy signing court slips at his noon meetings. Mark and Anna have discovered the TV program Lost on Netflix. They didn’t get caught up in the phenomena known as Lost when it was in production. But now they are enjoying the series now that it is available by streaming on Netflix. Meanwhile, Spencer goes on the road with a youth group.

Through the generous contributions from our listeners, we were able to purchase a new head phone amplifier. Sound quality should improve now when we all have our own headphone and we can moderate our sound levels.

This is he first podcast where we were streaming live on our website. Although Mark found the chat room to be a bit distracting, but this live stream may be a way for us to build our community.

Recovered 357 – Attraction Not Promotion

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Tonight’s Recovery Topic is Attraction Not Promotion

Caris Severn asks the question, “How were you attracted to your programs, given the de-emphasis on promotion?” Mark, Bill, and Spencer share their experiences.

Tradition 11 reads:

Our public relations policy is based on
attraction rather than promotion; we need
always maintain personal anonymity at
the level of press, radio, films, and TV. We
need guard with special care the anonymity
of all AA members.

We share our AA and Alanon understanding.

Recovered 355 – Step 8 and 9 Part 2 of 2

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Tonight’s Recovery Topic is The Fellowship Versus the Program

Mark Bill and Spencer discuss the difference between meetings and the steps. Meetings will make you feel better but working steps will make you better.