From Sobriety To Recovery: An Addiction Recovery Podcast

Some addictions come from what you ingest. Others come from what you do.

This episode breaks down substance addictions versus process or behavioral addictions through a lens most people miss: the ritual. You'll hear how both types run the same cycle - cue → craving → response → reward - but deliver the "hit" through different routes: consumption and chemistry versus action and stimulation.

You'll also learn the Six P's that make the pattern obvious in real life:

Planning - who, what, when, where, and/or how you're going to do it

Procure - how you...

Ep #322: When the excitement of early sobriety fades, what keeps you moving forward? In this episode, I'll share personal struggles with habit-building and consistency, why excitement isn't enough, and what you can replace it with. You'll learn my Winning Formula for long-term transformation, built on clarity, emotional regulation, internal motivation, and daily systems that actually work. From blocking out time to rewriting limiting beliefs, this episode offers raw reflections and practical tools for those of us navigating sobriety, growth, personal change, and long-term recovery.

Whether you're early in recovery or years in, this conversation will help you...

Ep #321: Nine years ago, I made a decision that changed my life in so many ways I could not have prognosticated this life I live if you had given me a million guesses. The mantra, and there are many, that seems to be ringing the loudest today is, "I can do hard things."

You might have self-doubt. You might feel worthless. You might feel the opposite. One thing I know to be true, even without knowing you, is that you have value. You have worth. You are an amazing person who has experienced many tragedies and traumatic...

Ep 320: 2025 was one heckuva year. In this episode, I will cover how the ideas you have about what you want your life to become can be best achieved by laying out a plan, strategizing your actions, and figuring out the logistics of taking those actions. We will touch on SMART goals, how others' actions are not an attack on you but are done for a positive gain for themselves, how to notice burnout in yourself, what to do when you feel it, and we will close with a cheerleader-esque megaphone encouraging you to push past the difficulties and leave...

Ep #319: Being able to start new things, stop old unwanted behaviors, and change things about yourself is something we are all looping on regularly. In this rather long episode, I am going to break down in depth why you have blocks around stopping, starting, and changing things in your life, and how you can break through those blocks physiologically and psychologically. 

Long-term addiction recovery is everyone's goal. Along the way, there will be identity statements holding you back. Behaviors that are no longer beneficial. Outcomes that we wish we could change. Choosing a life of sobriety is t...

Ep #318: Sold next to candy at gas stations. Marketed as safe. But is kratom really harmless? What happens when a “safe alternative” turns out to be anything but safe?

In this raw and eye-opening conversation, I sit down with Tim, a longtime listener turned client, to share the truth about kratom, from its growing popularity to the devastating consequences it hides. Between crippling withdrawals to unregulated pills laced with fentanyl, this episode shines a light on the dark side of a substance many dismiss as harmless.

Highlights:

The unbearable reality of kratom withdrawals last...

Ep 317: The show is back. I'll be discussing losing faith in myself and how self-doubt can manifest in various forms. We will cover self-care, boundaries, and how to prioritize what you desire in your addiction recovery.

Long-time listeners, you will notice my rambunctious nature here. Newcomers, not all episodes flow like this, and this here is an opportunity to speak raw and real with you all about how my addiction recovery, though 8+ years strong, has its peaks and canyons just like everyone's life has.

As I say in this episode, it's not sobriety that sucks...

Ep #316 - Sobriety and recovery are vast journies apart from one another as sobriety is the decision to no longer use a substance or behavior to reduce, negate, or buffering through your feelings and emotions, and recovery is the journey you make to understand why you needed a behavior or substance to buffer in the first place.

As you begin to adventure within yourself, you are going to uncover many things you didn't even realize are a part of this landscape that you are now face-to-face with.

I wish there were a magic wand that...

Ep #315: My 7 Powerful Principles, the same ones from my College Success Habits book, are the foundation for my lifestyle, let alone my sobriety and recovery. Today, we bring them back and give them a two-episode spotlight. 

Where are you developing your growth mindset in your life? Believing you are courageous starts with the courage to feel emotions. Being decisive and taking action doesn't mean just making the decision and acting upon it. It means staying steadfast in your determination to see the decision through and continuing to take action, even the smallest of steps, so that each a...

Ep #314: Neuro-Linguistic Programming. If you are a mentor, life or addiction recovery coach, and/or sponsor - this episode is the message you have been waiting for. You know how you talk to people and you feel like your message isn't getting across? The main problem is that we can not force someone to act. We can not make that horse drink. We know, deep inside, "You cannot shame someone into action, only inspire them into change" (Aubrie Pohl).

Imagine your leadership, mentorship, sponsorship, and LIFE as guided by your own internal strength toward your life's mission...

Ep #313: Self-awareness is a beautiful thing, but you want to monitor how you experience it: first-person through your own eyes, second-person through another person's eyes, or third-person through that observer's eyes. When we go to make a change, we experience that part of ourselves through one of these points of view. That starting, stopping, and changing we seek in our lives will attach itself to a secondary gain that we may not even be aware of yet - and then we wonder why that thing we desire to release keeps sticking around.

You gotta click play to...

Ep #312: Procrastination will eat alive from the insides. What is it that you are really procrastinating from doing? You might think it is starting the thing, doing the thing, changing the thing, or stopping the thing - but upon further review, there is a lot more at play when we postpone the starting, doing, changing, or stopping the thing that we have been thinking, feeling, and probably ruminating on for quite a bit of time.

In this episode, we are going to dive into what makes me, you, us, procrastinate and how we can identify what is...

Ep #311: This week, I celebrate the conclusion of my 8th year of sobriety and begin to trek into year 9! There are so many topics I want to bring to you over this first stretch of the year, and today's is dear to my heart. 

When are you now willing to risk what is comfortable and known for the uncomfortable and unknown? The comfort zone that was less comfortable than habitual is what led us into this room together.

Whether new to sobriety or an old-timer, you seek to make a change somewhere in your life, a...

Ep #310: Happy New Year. I'm not going to roll out the same "New Year, New You," trope I've done in the past and you've heard before. If you are on Day 1 or some days into your journey, you might be wondering how on earth you will figure out how to create your new life with so many or so few options (all subjective to your mindset and perspective). 

Today, I will iron out the system I created to help me figure out what's important for me to focus on and how you can use this system to t...

Ep #309: We have all lost something. Something that mattered so much to us we thought we could never go on, never be the same, never heal. The agony of defeat when we tried the first time to quit. The disappointment we feel in ourselves when we let people down - ourselves, most importantly. 

Inside all of us are many, many voices that talk to us, tell us what to do, lie to us, support us, and are with us all the time because they are voices, often not our own, that we have picked up on our j...

Ep #308: It's the end of the year, and I'm in the mood to talk recovery. Whether you are seeking to make a massive change, like sobriety, or take another step in your recovery, like physical activity, honest communication, or putting your mind to advancing your career, there are steps you can take and a mindset to cultivate. 

Anyone who has motivated themselves toward massive growth will attest to breaking down larger-than-life goals and dreams into manageable action steps and developing discipline through their daily actions to create the life they desire.

I can not wave a...

Ep #307: You know how you look around and get a bit upset at yourself for the life you have created, the situation you are in, or how you behave? The problem you circle back to again and again and again and again is that you are not happy about certain aspects of your life, and you think that if you beat yourself up enough times, you will FINALLY get it right and start doing the right thing or something else that will change it all. Like you can move all the pieces around over and over and eventually you...

Ep #306: Life is full of choices. You choose what to do. You choose how to react. You choose how to respond. You choose what to do with your time. Sobriety does not promise anything other than an opportunity to better your life without the weight of a hangover, daily addictive behaviors, and the constant rationalizing of your actions as being okay even though you know they are not okay. You can say, "I can't," all you want, and that is still not going to change the fact that bills are due, people are relying on you, and your life...

Ep #305: In this episode, I converse with a dear friend, and we discuss how his rock bottom propelled him through the most challenging parts of his life, how AA and Buddism guided his path, and how he grounds himself as he accepts the consequences of his actions and finds solace in one ending, creating a new beginning.

Just hit play, and let's dive in with open minds and hearts—you are in the right place, at the right time—right now.

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Ep #304: Wasted time or a wasted life? We can often start sobriety with much animosity toward the world and what it did to us that led us down this path of active addiction. As personal responsibility begins to take hold of you, you'll find that you start to accept responsibility for your actions. As that unfolds, you may then get angry with yourself for all the time you wasted being wasted. This energy can destroy your early enthusiasm toward your sobriety as the thoughts that you should have started this sooner or the feelings that you are just never...

Ep #303: Recovery is about balancing the long-term goal of "I'll never use again" with the daily focus of "one day at a time." Focusing on what can be controlled today is crucial, as sobriety is a personal choice only you can make. Every day presents an opportunity to take responsibility for that choice, and that's where real change happens - today. But we want to have our eyes on the future and how our decisions and actions today will guide us in creating the life we desire for ourselves tomorrow.

Sobriety promises nothing. Well, maybe it promises...

Ep #302: Self-doubt, often fueled by past mistakes and negative self-talk, can really mess with your motivation, leading to feelings of anxiety and isolation. When those feelings take over, it’s easy to fall back into old habits, making sobriety even more challenging. We’ll talk about how self-doubt can become a trigger for relapse and, more importantly, how to stop it in its tracks. From shifting your mindset to using positive self-talk, you’ll learn practical tools to build emotional resilience and regain confidence in yourself. We’ll also explore the importance of staying connected with your support network and how...

Ep #301: Today, I'll explore a range of recovery programs and explain how each can help you on your path to sobriety. From the spiritual roots of Alcoholics Anonymous (AA) and Narcotics Anonymous (NA) to the science-based approaches of SMART Recovery and LifeRing, I cover the strengths and benefits of these diverse strategies. I also dive into faith-based options like Celebrate Recovery and mindfulness-focused programs like Refuge Recovery and Recovery Dharma, helping you understand which path might resonate most. Whether you're new to recovery or further along, this episode provides insight into different philosophies and techniques, helping you make an...

Ep #300: Seven years of sobriety and 300 episodes later, I've learned some powerful lessons, and the first one is that it's all about progress, not perfection. We don't need to be perfect; it's the progression we seek, and to manifest progress, we must keep showing up.

Mindset is everything—how you think determines how you live. Shifting from a fixed to a growth mindset changed everything for me, and it can be for you, too.

Emotional resilience? It's your superpower. Life throws challenges, but learning to bounce back without turning to old habits is critical. And sp...

Ep #299: Positivity. We all have a different relationship with this word, with this energy, with this notion that optimism and a positive attitude are the keys to experiencing a life with happiness, contentment, and gratitude. Even those three words can conjure an infinite amount of thoughts, feelings, and actions from each of us. 

So, this week, I am diving into why I have long believed, long felt, and long released positive energy into the world, very much feeling that through this learned behavior, my life will flow. I will teach you how to reframe yourself to experience a...

Ep #298: Is sobriety a punishment? This question was asked of a member of my Wise Mind Empowerment and Recovery Tribe, which meets on Slack. When I read this, my mind swirled with so many topics, as I have been asked this question many times when I speak at addiction recovery centers.

What is the answer? Well, if there were a clearly defined explanation or solution to this thought process, we'd be robots and not the amazingly infinite human creatures we are. By the end of this episode, you will have many things to ponder upon. Is sobriety...

Ep #297: We're diving deep into what it takes to change your life and stay sober. First and foremost, you have to want to change. No one can make you do it but yourself. Most of the hard work happens when nobody's around to cheer you on. It's in those quiet moments that real progress is made.

Remember, you're moving forward even when it feels like you're going backward. Just because others seem to be zooming ahead doesn't mean you're not progressing. Imagine sitting in a car at a standstill while the car next to you moves forward—it...

Ep #296: Long-time listeners will hear a vulnerability in me that I do not often expose while I am still going through emotional turmoil. New listeners, this is not how the show usually goes. Today I am going to use the show as therapy and talk to y'all about sadness and depression I have felt this whole month. Maybe you will hear something that helps. Perhaps I will expose something that helps me. Either way, essential for me to express is that not every day is the happiest day or the most content day just because we wake up sober...

Ep #295: Cultural perspectives and perceptions shape how we think, behave, and view the world, significantly impacting our sobriety and recovery journey. This episode dives into challenging harmful perceptions related to self-worth, health, and capability. We'll explore how culture, media, and personal experiences shape our perceptions, often leading to negative self-views and self-sabotage.

Our behaviors and thoughts are heavily influenced by our environment, including our parents, family, friends, and the broader culture, through imprinting and implanting. We often model the behaviors, thoughts, and feelings we observe growing up, which can result in deeply ingrained negative perceptions. Through self-reflection...

#294: Whether you are new to sobriety or have some time under your belt, your attitude about the world around you and the life you create for yourself is a never-ending journey of self-discovery and evaluation. Circumstances, events, and actions pour at you like Niagra pouring off that cliff - the one constant we can know without a doubt is that everything we experience, and its good, bad, right, and wrong, is strongly influenced by our subjective perspectives. New to sobriety, and you might still find that hopelessness that engulfed you back then enflaming you today - but there is...

Ep #293: June is my 48th birthday month, and I am a Dragon too, so maybe it is my 48th name day - either way, this birth year is shaping up to be wonderous. In this episode, I discuss how to stop giving away the things you love to addiction, how adulting is finding things wonderfully awesome that I once mocked, and why you are capable and stronger than your addiction - no matter what you tell yourself, you are worthy. Yes, it is hard work sometimes. Other times, it's the juicy fruit on the lowest hanging branch.

...

Ep #292: Do you recognize when you shift from one routine into the next? What cues you to change from the work version of yourself to the family, recovery, emotional, or working out versions? Oh, the list goes on. You know how you've looked around and said to yourself, "Well, now what am I going to do?" The main problem in that strategy is that our emotions and mood at the moment can send us back to our default behavior, to habits that are engrained through years of use - and if the habit that pops to mind is using...

Ep #291: Ready to supercharge your sobriety? This episode dives into the battle of morning vs. nighttime routines and their crucial roles in recovery. We'll explore why your morning routine can be a game-changer, setting the tone for a day of success and stability - but also not beholden to the usual workout and meditation advice others accentuate without knowing anything about what puts you into flow. Additionally, we'll uncover the secret powers of a nighttime routine, especially since our nighttime selves were the ones tempting us back to old habits. Both routines are essential, with the morning routine laid...

Ep. #290: Chasing the idea of "making up for lost time" in addiction recovery is a dangerous fallacy. In this episode, let's explore why recovery is a lifelong journey rather than a race against the clock. I'll discuss the unrealistic expectations and pressures this mindset can create, often leading to burnout and relapse. Emphasizing steady, incremental progress, it's critical for you to recognize the importance of self-acceptance and celebrating your small victories - which are probably more so perceived as small to the outside world but are VERY HUGE to you. You'll learn about setting realistic goals, prioritizing self-care, rebuilding...

Ep #289: Regrets from our addiction years can be a heavy burden, but they don't define us. This episode dives into how to acknowledge and transform regrets into opportunities for growth. Learn the importance of self-acceptance and how it plays a crucial role in recovery. Discover practical strategies for self-forgiveness, goal setting, and mindfulness practices to stay present. We'll discuss the significance of building a supportive network and fostering empathy and compassion in our communities. Embrace collective healing by understanding and supporting each other's journeys. Turn past mistakes into stepping stones for a brighter future, and strive to be a...

Ep #288: Have you ever wondered why some people choose not to share their sobriety journey with everyone? It's not about hiding; it's about protecting your truth. Let's explore the importance of setting personal boundaries, avoiding stigma, and maintaining healthy relationships. We'll delve into why focusing on the present and future, avoiding unwanted pity, and controlling your narrative matter. You'll learn how to create safe spaces for sharing and why it's crucial to pick and choose who you speak your truth. Your story is powerful, and not everyone deserves to hear it, let alone have earned the right to hear...

Ep #287: Most of us will not remember today over any other day. Most days are just another day in our lives. When you allow your emotions in the moment to dictate your behaviors, you can betray the promises you've made to yourself. Here's the deal. We forget so much about our lives. It's part of the brain's ability to store things in the unconscious so every little detail of our lives doesn't burden our conscious. So use this to your advantage when your life wants you to make the hard decision. To not use, to not drink, to not...

Ep 286: We all have behaviors that no longer serve us. You might even notice that certain things you do annoy you or give you a result that is not what you really want or intended. I believe that our entire life is built upon habit loops, and the behavioral loops repeat over and over and over again. Today, I will give you my breakdown of how to remedy any behavior and habit you seek to change for the betterment of your life. This will help you in every aspect of your life. The steps are as follows:

1...

Ep #285: Money can be a huge stressor. How much do you make? Where are you spending it? Can you save any, or are you living paycheck to paycheck? Do you have ample funds, yet you find yourself unable to set aside any for retirement, savings, vacations, or other things you want that would add to your life?

I know about debt. I started this year with $30,000 in debt, and I swore to myself that I would not wake up even one dollar in debt on New Year's Day of 2025. I know from having hundreds of conversations with...

Ep #284: Okay, this episode is totally Jesse-isms and pumping you up. From inspirational propaganda to my many voices to diatribes - if you love it when I get all Jesse and excite you, this episode is for you!

I will also delve into the idea that easy decisions often lead to a challenging life, while tough choices can afford us our best future. I toss in the 'crab bucket' phenomenon, where individuals can be pulled down by their environment when attempting to change. We also contrast the temptation of immediate pleasures, like donuts and pizza, with the...