RRP 123 — Jen L / When the Light Found Her, Part 2: Nothing Wasted, Not Even the Hard Parts

RRP 123 — Jen L / When the Light Found Her, Part 2: Nothing Wasted, Not Even the Hard Parts

RRP 123 — Jen L / When the Light Found Her, Part 2 Real Recovery Podcast — Episode 123 WHEN THE LIGHT FOUND HER, PART 2: NOTHING WASTED, NOT EVEN THE HARD PARTS July 17, 2026  |  Hosts: Julie P. Lewis & Peter B. Dowell  |  Runtime: 1:07:00 Timecodes approximate — pending final edit > “I found a sister. I didn’t grow up with a sister, but I have a sister now. And every time I refer to you, it’s, ‘You’re my sister. You’re my spiritual sister,’ and that is everything to me.” — Jen L. ---------------------------------------- KEY POINTS * 00:01 Jen spent six months in IOP without once telling her family she had stopped drinking. Recovery was her private project first. * 00:02 Her dad was dying of cancer. At 18 months sober, he waved a glass of whiskey in her face. She didn’t take it. She also never told him she’d stopped. * 00:05 At age 12, Jen discovered her grandmother Lois in Reno was biological. She found the branch of the family where the disease ran — and finally had a name for it. * 00:07 In her first five years of sobriety, Jen walked through what she calls a suicidal depression. She kept showing up anyway. * 00:14 Dr. Angela, a Cherokee elder and professor at Reed College, gave eagle feathers at every AA birthday she attended. Jen and Julie both carry one. * 00:35 Recovery League Softball: Jen joined five teams and averaged 12 games a week. The obsession for more doesn’t disappear in sobriety. It just finds new rooms. * 00:39 Jen met Mickey through softball. She walked into a friend’s house and found a gun and a badge on the kitchen table. Mickey was a parole officer. Jen didn’t run. * 00:45 When Peter was going through cancer, the fellowship showed up. What the tools of the program carry people through that willpower alone never could. * 00:47 Tammy’s third step gift: “If it adds to you spiritually, it’s God’s will for you. If it takes from you in any way, it’s not God’s will.” Jen still uses it. * 00:48 Jen’s higher power: driving into the woods alone. What she finds when she breathes in the wind on her face. * 01:01 Jen and Julie have been riding this train together for 29 years. What it means to call someone your spiritual sister — and what Jen says at the end about nothing going to waste. Not the grief, not the hard years, not even the parts she’d trade if she could. ---------------------------------------- WEBSITES DISCUSSED * The Grotto [https://thegrotto.org/] — National Sanctuary of Our Sorrowful Mother, Portland * Recovery League Softball [http://tsrlpdx.org/] * Real Recovery Podcast [https://www.realrecoverypodcast.com/] Listen [https://mdcr1.com/123] Blog Post [https://mdcr1.com/123b] Newsletter [https://mdcr1.com/newsletter] #RealRecoveryPodcast  #RecoveryIsPossible  #AddictionRecovery  #SoberLife  #LGBTQRecovery  #AA Real Recovery Podcast is a production of Real Recovery Podcast Inc., a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization.

RRP 122 — Jen L / When the Light Found Her, Part 1: From Bucking Hay to Finding Her People

RRP 122 — Jen L / When the Light Found Her, Part 1 RRP 122 — JEN L / WHEN THE LIGHT FOUND HER, PART 1: FROM BUCKING HAY TO FINDING HER PEOPLE Presenters: Julie P. Lewis and Peter B. Dowell • Length: 1:18:00 • Release: July 10, 2026 Jen L. grew up on a cattle ranch in Roseburg, Oregon, bucking hay and worming cows. She was a science nerd, a jock, and by 15, a blackout drinker buying liquor in small-town stores. By 17, she came out to her mom and left home in the middle of the night. In Part 1 of this two-part conversation, Jen traces the arc from a rural childhood full of secrets to the kitchen window where a 150-foot cross started shining through — and the recovery that began on the other side of it. * 00:00 Jen arrives with a broken leg and ice on her foot — "If she can make it, you all can" — as Julie introduces the friend she's known since Lunch Bunch / Extended Family [https://sites.google.com/view/lbefaa] in August 1997 * 00:08 "I found my people" — the group conscience that keeps showing up, and the diversity that's grown over nearly three decades * 00:17 Growing up on the family cattle ranch: bucking hay, worming cows, and hiding from the bull named Caesar in a crabapple tree * 00:22 Costa Rican exchange student at 15: blackout drinking, discotheques, and Kahlua on the porch with fireflies * 00:25 Buying liquor at 15 in small-town stores; the party where Michelle got alcohol poisoning — and making amends years later in a Fred Meyer aisle * 00:31 Coming out at 17, leaving home in the middle of the night, and Auntie Bev: "We love your friend, and she's welcome here any time" * 00:35 The Chemeketa paramedic program; Embers at 16; and Corey's recovery coin in a cigar box by the river * 00:39 Kathy's basement ultimatum: "I'm not gonna sit around and watch you kill yourself" — the moment that sent Jen to treatment * 00:43 The 150-foot Grotto cross shining through her kitchen; Gregorian chants drifting into her yard; her first sober house * 00:47 First AA meeting: the smoking meeting at the Grotto, the priest who ignored her, and the room of people she didn't believe * 00:49 James at the gay meeting: "Will I see you tomorrow?" — five words that kept both Jen and Julie coming back * 00:53 Sixty days sober, furious, "coming around those corners hot" — the parking spot at the rock shop that changed everything * 00:56 Julie's Friday meltdown that brought Tammy into the meeting — the woman who became Jen's sponsor for 26 years * 01:01 Tammy's story; the Linda Neely connection; and "Two years ago on Wednesday, Tammy died" * 01:10 Driving Fred to Yreka for his amends; finding an AA meeting through the Yellow Pages on a payphone * 01:15 "Once the drugs and alcohol got set down, I was still left with the obsession" — replacing substances with more * 01:17 Dad dying of cancer at 18 months sober; the whiskey waved in her face — and the family she never told > "We'd moved into a different house, and it was finally a house I hadn't used in. That's just what I wanted — a house I hadn't used in." > — Jen L. Websites Discussed:The Grotto [https://thegrotto.org/] •Chemeketa Community College [https://www.chemeketa.edu/] •East County Alano Club [https://eastcountyalanoclub.com/] •Alcoholics Anonymous [https://www.aa.org/] •Real Recovery Podcast [https://www.realrecoverypodcast.com/] ▶ Listen [https://mdcr1.com/122]✎ Read the Blog [https://mdcr1.com/122b]✉ Newsletter [https://mdcr1.com/newsletter] #RealRecoveryPodcast, #RecoveryIsPossible, #AddictionRecovery, #SoberLife, #LGBTQRecovery, #AA, #TwelveSteps, @realrecoverypodcast The Real Recovery Podcast is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization. EIN: 99-1347297.

RRP 121 — Devlin F / Burying Bradley: Dropping the Shovel on Addiction, One Day at a Time

RRP 121 — Devlin F / Burying Bradley: Dropping the Shovel on Addiction, One Day at a Time RRP 121 — DEVLIN F / BURYING BRADLEY: DROPPING THE SHOVEL ON ADDICTION, ONE DAY AT A TIME Presenters: Julie P. Lewis and Peter B. Dowell Episode Length: 1 hour 41 minutes Release Date: July 3, 2026 Devlin F.'s addiction began at six years old when his father gave him a sip of beer while he was choking. What followed was decades of trauma, meth use, street survival in San Francisco's Tenderloin, and a quarter-million-dollar inheritance that nearly killed him. After years of IV drug use and a moment in August 2023 when he saw only two choices — “find a new way to live or jump off a bridge” — Devlin walked into Another Chance. Today he works there as a certified recovery mentor, sponsors others, and has done something remarkable: he gave his addiction a name and buried it. Julie opens up about why she was genuinely scared of him during his active addiction — and why watching his transformation has been one of the greatest gifts of her own recovery. KEY POINTS * 00:04 Fred Meyer Community Rewards and Bottle Drop — two easy ways to support the podcast without spending extra * 00:08 Julie refused Devlin a hug during active addiction — she was genuinely scared he wouldn't survive * 00:12 First sip of beer at age six from his alcoholic father; first drink and marijuana at 14 after witnessing domestic violence between his parents * 00:15 Childhood trauma: sexual abuse at age 4 by a family member, massive stroke at age 10 * 00:27 First hit of meth at 24 — instantly hooked after burning out from 150-hour workweeks as a caregiver * 00:29 Life on the streets of San Francisco's Tenderloin — 11-day benders and a system built around the drug * 00:33 Father died from alcoholism on January 5, 2015 — Devlin didn't make it in time to say goodbye * 00:35 A quarter-million-dollar inheritance fueled four years in Mill City and even deeper addiction * 00:37 IV drug use — “the final frontier” — and suicidal despair in August 2023 * 00:38 Entered treatment September 23, 2023; Jessica Anderson gave him “the first taste of compassion in a long time” * 00:42 Extended Family meeting — Colette told him “You're gonna be back here tomorrow” — and he came back * 00:59 April 28, 2024 — sober date begins. “I had another relapse in me. I didn't have another recovery in me.” * 01:05 Fourth step at a creek with his sponsor — five to six hours — “the weight of the world came off my shoulders” * 01:12 Started sponsoring at steps six and seven — his first sponsee now has seven months sober in Arizona * 01:33 Named his disease “Bradley” and buried him: “I dropped the shovel. He's still buried.” WEBSITES DISCUSSED Fred Meyer Community Rewards: fredmeyer.com/community-rewards [https://www.fredmeyer.com/i/community/community-rewards] Another Chance treatment center: anotherchancerehab.com [https://anotherchancerehab.com] Sober Housing Oregon: facebook.com/soberhousingoregon [https://www.facebook.com/soberhousingoregon] Crystal Meth Anonymous (CMA): crystalmeth.org [https://www.crystalmeth.org] East County Alano Club: pdxaa.org/venue/east-county-alano-club [https://www.pdxaa.org/index.php/venue/east-county-alano-club] Real Recovery Podcast: realrecoverypodcast.com [https://www.realrecoverypodcast.com/] Listen: mdcr1.com/121 [https://mdcr1.com/121] Blog: mdcr1.com/121b [https://mdcr1.com/121b] > “I got the inspiration to name my disease. The name of my disease is Bradley, which is my first name. Devlin is my middle name. Bradley was the person that loved sticking a needle into his arm. That was the only thing that he wanted to do. Devlin buried Bradley.” > — Devlin F. Listen [https://mdcr1.com/121]Blog [https://mdcr1.com/121b]Newsletter [https://mdcr1.com/newsletter] #RealRecoveryPodcast, #Recovery, #Sobriety, #AddictionRecovery, #OneDayAtATime, #12Steps, #RecoveryPodcast, @realrecoverypodcast Real Recovery Podcast is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization. EIN: 99-1347297.

RRP 120 — Hope Dealers: A Peer Services Round Table with Luciano, Ebony & Jack

RRP 120 — Luciano, Ebony & Jack / Hope Dealers: Peer Services — We’re Here to Love You Until You Can Love Yourself Presenter: Peter B. and Julie L.  | Length: 1:18:00  | Release Date: June 26, 2026 Recorded live at True Colors Recovery [https://www.truecolorsrecovery.org] in Portland, three returning guests — Luciano Nicolas (Atlas Treatment Center [https://www.atlastreatmentcenter.com]), Ebony Brawley (4D Recovery [https://4drecovery.org]), and Jack Taylor (True Colors Recovery) — join Peter and Julie to break down peer services: what they are, how they differ from sponsorship, and what it looks like when someone meets you exactly where you are — on the streets, in jail, or in a tent with a dog you won’t leave behind. Key Points * 00:04:00 Jack introduces True Colors Recovery [https://www.truecolorsrecovery.org] — a drop-in community center for the LGBTQ+ community, with AA, Dharma, and SAA meetings. Walk-in hours: 12:00 PM–8:00 PM, Sunday–Friday. Peer mentors Mordecai and Leo support transgender members through sobriety and the affirmation journey. * 00:08:30 Ebony describes her outreach role with 4D Recovery [https://4drecovery.org]: teams reach the houseless population in East County and near the Central Library with supplies, wound care, and same-day assessments. “We’re like little hope dealers out there.” * 00:11:30 Luciano introduces Atlas Treatment Center [https://www.atlastreatmentcenter.com] — PHP, IOP, OP, and DUI program — and the peer and housing partners they work with: The Peer Company [https://thepeercompany.org], Sober Housing Oregon [https://www.soberhousingoregonllc.com], Sober Living PDX [https://www.soberlivingpdx.com], Galia Recovery [https://www.galiarecovery.org], and Northwest Recovery Homes [https://www.nwrecoveryhomes.com]. * 00:13:00 Peter asks the group to define peer services. Ebony: “A peer has lived experience with substance use disorder — they help navigate recovery and reintegration.” Peer mentors differ from sponsors: professional, no 12-step work, focused on removing barriers. * 00:19:00 Luciano shares how peer mentorship changed his own life — connecting with a peer specialist at a True Colors meeting and getting into detox that same day. On July 3rd, his peer mentor said the sentence that kept him in: “In reality, if you leave now, you may not come back.” * 00:21:00 Jack describes the True Colors intake process — answering every call, even from jail — listening without judgment and connecting people with peer mentors. “I’m the glue.” No one is turned away. * 00:26:00 Ebony on outreach: building trust over months, visiting the same person many times before they say yes. The story of two brothers who took nearly a year to go into detox — and what happened when one left early. * 00:44:00 Common barriers: losing belongings, not being ready, court dates, and pets. Galia Recovery [https://www.galiarecovery.org] offers dog-friendly housing. Ebony finds fosters through anonymous Facebook posts. The Pathway Center [https://multco.us/info/deflection-services-coordinated-care-pathway-center] stores belongings while someone sobers up. * 00:57:00 Jack’s story: homeless at the Holgate MAX station in 2015, soaking wet in the rain, he passed out and woke up to find a warm coat zipped around him by a stranger never identified. “When I think about it, it stirs something in me.” * 01:06:00 “If you can get one month, you can get two. Sky’s the limit — you don’t have to be broken. You can become whole.” Jack is celebrating ten years of continuous sobriety. * 01:13:00 Closing statements — Jack: “If you don’t fit in somewhere, go somewhere else.” Ebony: “You’re worth it. If you are alive, you matter.” Luciano: “We’re not here to judge you. We’re here to help you, guide you, and love you until you can love yourself.” “We’re not here to judge you. We’re here to help you. We’re here to guide you, and we’re here to love you until you can love yourself.” — Luciano Nicolas Websites Discussed * True Colors Recovery [https://www.truecolorsrecovery.org] * 4D Recovery [https://4drecovery.org] * Atlas Treatment Center [https://www.atlastreatmentcenter.com] * Galia Recovery [https://www.galiarecovery.org] * The Peer Company [https://thepeercompany.org] * Pathway Center [https://multco.us/info/deflection-services-coordinated-care-pathway-center] * Sober Housing Oregon [https://www.soberhousingoregonllc.com] * Sober Living PDX [https://www.soberlivingpdx.com] * Northwest Recovery Homes [https://www.nwrecoveryhomes.com] * Oxford House [https://www.oxfordhouse.org] * SnowCap Community Services [https://www.snowcap.org] * Real Recovery Podcast [https://www.realrecoverypodcast.com] #RealRecoveryPodcast, #Recovery, #PeerServices, #HopeDealers, #RecoveryCommunity, #TrueColors, #4DRecovery, #AtlasTreatment, #SoberLife, #RecoveryPodcast, @realrecoverypodcast Real Recovery Podcast is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization. EIN: 99-1347297

RRP 119 — Cassandra P. / Love Wasn't Enough, Part 2: Finding Her People, Setting Boundaries, and the Life Recovery Actually Built

RRP 119 — Cassandra P. / Love Wasn’t Enough, Part 2 RRP 119 — CASSANDRA P. / LOVE WASN’T ENOUGH, PART 2: FINDING HER PEOPLE, SETTING BOUNDARIES, AND THE LIFE RECOVERY ACTUALLY BUILT Presenter: Peter B. and Julie L.  |  Length: 1:05:00  |  Release Date: June 19, 2026 In Part 2 of this mother–daughter conversation, Cassandra P. picks up where she left off — walking through the doors of Another Chance [https://www.anotherchancerehab.com] treatment center in May 2024 not fully convinced she had a problem, and walking out six months later with something she didn’t expect: her people. Cassandra shares what the IOP structure gave her, how she navigated early sobriety while still living with her ex, and what it finally felt like to be in a healthy relationship. She also opens up about her two-year sobriety milestone, the morning routine that’s changing how she starts her days, and the Jersey Shore quote she keeps coming back to. KEY POINTS * 00:03:00 The Another Chance philosophy in Cassandra’s own words: “Recovery’s new to me. Whatever someone suggests, I’m gonna do it.” IOP ran Monday–Friday, 9 AM–3 PM, with drug testing three times per week. * 00:06:00 Cassandra didn’t graduate until November 2024 — heavy marijuana use before treatment kept showing in her system. She also admits she used cocaine and drank the night before admission to be sure she’d test positive. * 00:08:00 DBT (Dialectical Behavior Therapy) was her favorite class at Another Chance, run by her favorite person, Julia. The program also included a free MUV Fitness [https://portlandgyms.muvfitness.com] gym membership, with an affordable rate post-graduation. * 00:11:30 The bond she built with classmates brought back the feeling of high school friendships. Jerry said it best at her graduation: “Another Chance has been good for you, but you’ve been good for Another Chance.” * 00:19:00 The moment she knew she was an addict: “The answer is when I had to go without it.” Still living with her ex during early IOP, she set hard limits — boundaries broken within days. * 00:22:00 Meeting partner John at Another Chance — friendship that became the healthiest relationship she’s ever had. “I didn’t realize how shitty my previous relationships were until you actually have one that’s good and healthy.” * 00:32:00 A candid admission: stopped going to meetings for two months. “If you make your recovery a priority, you’ll find the time.” Now attending Extended Family Saturday and doing secretariat for the first time. * 00:34:00 On complacency — and Tristan’s quote: “Recovery is your first job. Your second job pays your bills.” * 00:47:00 Morning routine built around the SAVERS framework from The Miracle Morning [https://www.miraclemorning.com] by Hal Elrod — Silence, Affirmations, Visualization, Exercise, Reading, Scribing — plus a guided journal and affirmation playlist for the commute. * 00:55:00 Just hit her two-year sobriety mark. Looking at CNA certification starting late June and exploring peer support specialist credentials to test whether a career in recovery is the right path. * 01:00:00 Parting words: Mike “The Situation” Sorrentino’s quote — “The comeback is greater than the setback” — and the reminder: “There’s no one-size-fits-all hat that we wear.” > “I never wanna get complacent, and I never wanna take for granted the things that sobriety and recovery has given me thus far, like in my two years.” — Cassandra P. WEBSITES DISCUSSED * Another Chance [https://www.anotherchancerehab.com] * MUV Fitness [https://portlandgyms.muvfitness.com] * Alcoholics Anonymous [https://www.aa.org] * SMART Recovery [https://www.smartrecovery.org] * Wellbriety [https://wellbrietymovement.com] * The Miracle Morning — Hal Elrod [https://www.miraclemorning.com] * Real Recovery Podcast [https://www.realrecoverypodcast.com] Listen Now [https://mdcr1.com/119] Read the Blog [https://mdcr1.com/119b] Newsletter [https://mdcr1.com/newsletter] #RealRecoveryPodcast, #Recovery, #Sobriety, #AnotherChance, #FindingYourPeople, #MorningRoutine, #TheMiracleMorning, #SAVERS, #TwoYearsSober, #AA, #SoberLife, #RecoveryPodcast, @realrecoverypodcast Real Recovery Podcast is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization. EIN: 99-1347297