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Call In and Contribute to the Show

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On Monday, March 23, our recovery topic is “Attitudes”

Call in and add to the show


Call in and let us know about your program.  Call in and answer the following question:

How has your program helped your attitudes?

Join us live at 6:30 pm EDT

The following link is the 4th step check list provided by Chrissy.

http://ec.libsyn.com/p/0/5/1/0517aabdb7422be5/4thStepChecklist1.pdf?d13a76d516d9dec20c3d276ce028ed5089ab1ce3dae902ea1d06ca8332d2ca582188&c_id=8402124

Am I an Alcoholic?

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There’s a list I keep on my hard drive: “Things I’ve regretted doing while drunk.” Every entry causes me to cringe; some make me cry. I’ve broken five iPhones. Irrevocably damaged two “best” friendships. The worst: One time, when I was 24, I woke up from a blackout naked and in an unfamiliar van. A man I didn’t know was lying on top of me.
The therapist I began seeing after that incident started asking whether I had an alcohol problem. At the time I was stressing out at work, panicking as friends began settling down, and grieving the recent deaths of my mother and grandmother. But the therapist focused on my alcohol use.
“How much did you drink?” she asked.
“Three or four vodka sodas?” I shrugged. Whatever I’d had wasn’t wildly out of sync with what everyone else was drinking.
“Three or four?” she asked. “You could buy a penthouse for that money!”
No, I could not. I rarely ever paid for my drinks. Alcohol was everywhere, from first dates to work-related open-bar events. In fact, the alcohol I had purchased was gathering dust on top of my fridge.
My therapist said she couldn’t continue to see me unless I joined a 12-step program.
So I left therapy.
To read the rest of the article, click here

Students in Recovery on NPR

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In murder mystery novels, when the hero, a private detective or homicide cop, drops by a late-night Alcoholics Anonymous meeting to stave off a sudden craving for a beer or two or 20, it’s usually in some dingy church basement or dilapidated storefront on the seedier side of town. There’s a pot of burnt coffee and a few stale doughnuts on a back table.
The Center for Students in Recovery at the University of Texas could not be more different.
In a bit of inspiration, UT located the center inside the luxurious athletic facilities attached to the university’s football stadium. There are martial arts and dance studios; fencing, squash and steam rooms. It means the students in recovery are rubbing shoulders with UT’s many student-athletes — another group with priorities besides partying. The scholarship athletes and the recovering addicts make for an interesting mix.
Twenty-three-year-old Lizette Smith, a member of the latter group, was born into a well-to-do family in a small town in Alabama. She was smart, popular, got good grades — even had a job. Her parents were largely absent, she says, busy with their own lives and their own demons. By 14, she was abusing Adderall, and as she grew older, she abused illegal drugs and alcohol.
To read complete article, click here

Call In and Contribute to the Show

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On Tuesday, March 17, our recovery topic is “Gratitude”

Call in and add to the show

Call in and let us know about your program.  Call in and answer the following question:
What are you grateful for?
Join us live at 6:30 pm EDT
The following link is the 4th step check list provided by Chrissy.

http://ec.libsyn.com/p/0/5/1/0517aabdb7422be5/4thStepChecklist1.pdf?d13a76d516d9dec20c3d276ce028ed5089ab1ce3dae902ea1d06ca8332d2ca582188&c_id=8402124

Benefits of Gratitude

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This is an article from

http://alcoholrehab.com/addiction-recovery/benefits-of-a-gratitude-list/

Gratitude List ExplainedBenefits of Keeping a Gratitude List* It is highly beneficial for people to keep a positive attitude in their recovery. Those who regularly think about the good things in their life will be able to maintain a positive attitude.* Somebody is less likely to relapse if they are grateful for what they currently have.* If the individual is having thoughts of relapse they will be able to read their gratitude list and be reminded of what they have to lose.* It is easy for people to miss all the things they have to feel good about. A gratitude list will be a good reminder.* This type of journaling can also be a good way for the individual to gauge their progress in recovery.Dangers of Taking Recovery for GrantedGrateful People in Recovery Never RelapseDangers of Stinking Thinking* Ill-will towards other people.* Experiencing pleasure upon hearing about other people’s failures – this is usually referred to asSchadenfruede.* Holding an overly pessimistic view of life.* Feeling superior to everyone else.* Feeling inferior to everyone else.* Making mountains out of molehills. The individual will blow any problems out of proportion.* They will tend to view the world in black or white with things either right or wrong. This is not a good way to look at life because there can be so many gray areas and uncertainties.* This type of thinking involves spending too much time focused on the faults of other people.* They will be self-obsessed and behave in a grandiose manner.Journaling in Recovery* In a stream of consciousness diary the individual just writes down everything that comes into their heads. They make no attempt to edit their writing in any way.* People in recovery can also start a spiritual diary where they record their experiences and thoughts while trying to develop their spirituality.* A health/exercise journal is where the individual records their efforts to get physically back in shape.How to Create a Gratitude List* It is also possible for people to write a gratitude list in a longer form. Here they can describe in more detail each of the things they feel grateful about.* In order for it to be effective the gratitude list is not something that people do once and then forget about. It should be updated regularly – at least once a week but many people will try to add to this list daily.* It is a good idea to buy a nice notebook for these gratitude notes. It is likely going to be something that the individual will want to cherish.* If people are having thoughts of drinking or using drugs again they should read back on their gratitude lists as parts of their relapse prevention plan.* Modern technology means that there are now many options for people who want to create an electronic gratitude list.* If people are unsure about what they should feel grateful about they will find plenty of examples of gratitude lists online.


Those who manage to give up any type of substance abuse will usually have a great deal to be grateful for. They have just escaped a possible death sentence and can now look forward to another chance in life. It is possible for people in recovery to completely turn their life around and live their dreams. Those who manage to remain grateful are likely to be the most successful.
Gratitude can be defined as a feeling of thankfulness for a benefit that an individual has received. It is not the same as indebtedness where the individual feels that they owe something to somebody else and are therefore under obligation to repay them. People can experience gratitude towards other people or just the events in their life. The individual who manages to escape an addiction is likely to feel grateful for their new freedom.
The aim of a gratitude list if help people focus on the good things that are in their life. Humans have a tendency to take the good stuff for granted, but this type of journaling can prevent this from happening. By keeping a record of the things that they feel grateful for it will ensure a positive outlook on life. This can be particularly important for people who are in recovery from an addiction. It is when people take their recovery for granted that they are most likely to lose it.
There are some definite benefits of keeping a gratitude list in recovery including:
* It is easy for people to begin taking their recovery for granted. A gratitude list will prevent this from happening.
When people first become sober they are likely to experience a great deal of relief. Their years of suffering have come to an end, and they are understandably going to feel highly grateful for this. It seems to be human nature to take the familiar for granted, and this is what happens with people and their recovery. When they first become sober it all feels so new and exciting but eventually it just becomes normal. No matter how good things get they will become normal and taken for granted after a bit of time.
If people take their recovery too much for granted it can lead to problems. It may mean that they are not willing to fight hard to keep their sobriety. As soon as they hit a rocky patch in their recovery they may decide to relapse because they don’t believe that they have that much to lose.
It is suggested that those individuals who continue to feel grateful for their recovery will never relapse. This is because their gratitude will keep them motivated to do the right things to keep them sober. They never really take their sobriety for granted and so it continues to be something precious and worth fighting for. Those individuals who slip towards relapse will have forgotten how much better their life has become – they are no longer grateful.
Stinking thinking refers to a situation where people are full of negativity. They have a pessimistic outlook about their future in recovery, and may also be full of anger and resentment. They have reverted to their old patterns of thinking that they used in the midst of their addiction. Stinking thinking can involve:
* Bitterness about things that happened in the past.
Stinking thinking is a dangerous state of mind that can put the individual on a path to relapse or dry drunk syndrome. Those people who deliberately try to cultivate gratitude will be less likely to suffer from stinking thinking.
* A daily diary journal is where people just document the notable things that happen to them each day.


All of these different types of journals can be of benefit to people in recovery. Most individuals will find that certain types are more suitable for specific periods in their sobriety. The daily diary and gratitude list are probably the most effective type of journaling for people in early recovery.
Creating a gratitude list does not have to be too much of a chore. There are no exact rules for how people do this. When creating a gratitude list it may be helpful to:



* The usual way to create a gratitude list is to just right down things in list form. This way the individual might only use one or two words to describe each thing they are grateful for.

12 Step Under the Microscope

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The 12 Steps, under the Microscope
Twelve-Step treatment and recovery support likely will never be able to shed all criticisms directed its way. But one clinical psychologist and retired college instructor believes no one should be able to argue successfully that Alcoholics Anonymous (AA) and its principles have not undergone rigorous research.

That certainly had been true in the late 1980s when the Institute of Medicine (IOM) pointed out the lack of an evidence base for 12-Step approaches, but Joseph Nowinski, PhD, says that analysis fueled substantial research that now forms the content of his new book, If You Work It, It Works! The Science Behind 12-Step Recovery.

The Hazelden Publishing book is targeted largely to a general-interest readership, but Nowinski believes its straightforward accounting of major studies will prove useful to addiction professionals as well.

“It can help them to understand why they are sending someone to AA,” says Nowinski, who operates a private practice near Hartford, Conn. “I don’t like to go to a doctor who wants to give me a particular treatment and can’t explain why he thinks it’s going to work.”

Nowinski himself played an integral role in one of the most prominent studies comparing 12-Step and other approaches in the treatment of addiction. Yale University researchers in 1990 asked Nowinski to design an alcohol treatment program based on the 12-Step model. His “12-Step facilitation” intervention would be used in one of the three treatment arms in Project MATCH, a highly cited study in which nearly 2,000 individuals with an alcohol use disorder received either 12-Step facilitation, cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) or motivational enhancement therapy (MET).

The researchers found that all three treatments succeeded in promoting abstinence and reducing overall drinking at periods from three to 12 months post-treatment. In addition, 12-Step facilitation was reported to be as helpful to persons with an alcohol abuse problem as it was for those with more severe alcohol dependence.

Nowinski’s book focuses on crucial elements that enhance the success of 12-Step treatment and/or support once an individual decides to pursue that route. He considers these factors particularly critical:

• Consistent attendance at some 12-Step meetings. Research has shown that attending two to three meetings a week will yield a 70% probability of maintaining long-term sobriety five years post-treatment.

• Having a 12-Step sponsor, with particular importance on securing one in the first few months of recovery.

• One’s perception of one’s place in the 12-Step group. Research has indicated that the most actively engaged members who truly identify as being part of the group tend to have the best outcomes.

Nowinski, who also pens a blog for Psychology Today, says he becomes the target of criticism on many occasions when he writes about the 12 Steps. He sees several reasons why this remains such an incendiary topic.

“One is that AA has grown and grown—it is ubiquitous,” he says. “Anybody who feels they have a different approach sees it as competition.”

Another reason involves AA’s practice never to respond directly to criticism, based on its traditions that reinforce anonymity. “AA does not have a public relations office,” Nowinski says. “It is an easy target.”

Please Vote For Us In The Podcast Awards

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Thank you for your support, we are a finalist in the Health and Fitness category for Best Podcast 2015!   We need your support! If you could take a minute and vote for us every day until March 24 when the voting time comes to a close, that would be fantastic.

 Our friend, and Award Winning Podcaster, Daniel J. Lewis at The Noodle.mx Network has kindly endorsed our podcast. Please take a moment and watch Daniel’s video on how to vote. Please vote for all of Daniel’s shows as well.

 

 For more information on Daniel’s shows and how to vote, go to
Daniel J. Lewis

To vote:
1.  Go to Podcast Awards
2.  Select The Recovered Podcast along with Daniel’s recommended picks.
3.  Enter you name, email address, select whether you are a listener, podcaster, or both.
4.  Click Submit
5.  Check your email, you may have to verify your vote.

That is it!

We Have Been Nominated Best Podcast!

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Thanks to your support, we have been nominated for:

Best Podcast in the Health and Fitness Category
Only 220 podcasts out of thousands cleared this nomination process.  
Now we move to elections!
The winner will be determined by popular vote.  You can vote for us every day starting March 3.  Just go to:
and vote for the Recovered Podcast in the Health and Fitness category.
The winner will be announced at The 10th Annual Podcast Awards Ceremony.

The 10th Annual Podcast Awards Ceremony will be Held at New Media Expo in Las Vegas on Tuesday April 14, 2015!

This nomination will bring us great exposure so that the new guy will more easily find us.  Please consider voting to be 12th step work and be assured that all of our efforts are reaching the new guy who still suffers.

4th Step Checklist Now Available

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Thanks to Chrissy, this 4th Step Checklist is now available to all our Recovered listeners.  This can be a useful tool for both Sponsor and Sponsee alike!

4th Step Checklist

Enter the iTunes Soberlife Raffle!

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We are starting a new raffle and you can be the winner!

This one is called the iTunes Soberlife Raffle.
Just go to the iTunes music store.


Then, subscribe to the Recovered Podcast and then
Leave a review.
After you do this, just email me and I will enter your name into the iTunes Raffle!
On March 17, my sobriety date,
we will draw the winner.
The winner will receive
a bottle of sober life mouthwash delivered to your door!

Thanks for your continued support.