Real Recovery Podcast

RRP 115 — Jeremiah N.: I Didn't Put Recovery in My Life — I Put My Life Into Recovery

RRP 115 — JEREMIAH N. / I DIDN’T PUT RECOVERY IN MY LIFE — I PUT MY LIFE INTO RECOVERY Presenters: Julie P. Lewis and Peter B. Dowell  |  Episode Length: 1 hour 35 minutes  |  Release Date: May 22, 2026 SUMMARY Jeremiah N. spent years convinced addiction wasn’t shaping him — until his mom died and he lost everything with her: his job, his shop, his house. Nearly a decade of heroin, fentanyl, meth, a tent in Seaside, and county jail followed. A frog necklace at a methadone clinic — tied to his late mother’s FROG acronym, Fully Rely On God — changed his direction. He said “send me to treatment” in a courtroom, got into outpatient at Another Chance [https://anotherchancerehab.com/], and built a recovery life so full he eventually had to step back to protect his mental health. More than two years later, he’s an Oxford House [https://www.oxfordhouse.org/] chapter officer and still moving forward. KEY POINTS * 00:07:00 Jeremiah’s childhood: his mom’s approach was “do it at home, so I know you’re safe” — but addiction didn’t take hold until adulthood. It ran in the family: his mom had done time for drugs; his biological father was absent. * 00:10:00 His mom’s death was the turning point. She was his best friend. When she passed from cancer, he lost his job, his custom truck shop, his tow truck, and every vehicle he owned — and let himself fall fully into addiction. * 00:13:00 Five-year downward spiral: heroin to fentanyl to meth; tent at a Seaside homeless camp alternating with county jail. Every cop in the county knew him by face and name. * 00:16:00 Overdosed at a friend’s house. They almost couldn’t bring him back — and told him he had to leave. * 00:21:00 Walked into the Seaside methadone clinic and found a frog necklace on the counter. Nobody knew where it came from — and his mom loved frogs. Her acronym: FROG, Fully Rely On God. He kept it. He knew he was in the right place. * 00:24:00 January 19, 2024: walking back to his tent, he prayed for a way out. He was arrested that night for something he didn’t do. The case was dropped in court, but his probation officer hit him with six revokes. Jeremiah said: “Send me to treatment.” * 00:38:00 Connected with Sober Housing of Oregon [https://www.soberhousingoregonllc.com/]; moved into sober housing; started outpatient at Another Chance [https://anotherchancerehab.com/]. First meeting: Rule 62 on a Saturday night — Don’t take yourself so seriously. * 00:43:00 Found sponsor Kerry Poorman at Plinky’s and the Men’s SIS meeting. Sponsor’s strategy: agree to one suggestion — “Don’t say no to any unreasonable request.” Jeremiah didn’t realize he’d just agreed to everything at once. * 00:53:00 PTSD since age 14 from childhood abuse by his father — it drove deep social anxiety. He pushed through it by volunteering H&I meetings at City Team [https://www.cityteam.org/] nearly every week for almost two years. * 00:57:00 Started his own meeting at 4D Recovery [https://4drecovery.org/] in Clackamas — Unwasted on the Weekends — and ran it for about six months before passing it to a sponsee. * 01:02:00 Seven months sober: after consulting his sponsor, counselor, and house manager, Rob Blackhouse asked Jeremiah to manage two sober houses. He said yes without hesitation. * 01:28:00 Words of wisdom: no matter what, just keep going forward. Take suggestions one at a time. Sobriety date: January 20, 2024. Currently a chapter officer for Oxford House [https://www.oxfordhouse.org/]. GUEST QUOTE > “I didn’t just put recovery in my life, I put my life into recovery.” — Jeremiah N. LISTEN & CONNECT ▶ Listen Now [https://mdcr1.com/115] 📖 Read the Blog [https://mdcr1.com/115b] ✉ Newsletter [https://mdcr1.com/newsletter] WEBSITES DISCUSSED * Another Chance [https://anotherchancerehab.com/] * 4D Recovery [https://4drecovery.org/] * City Team [https://www.cityteam.org/] * Sober Housing of Oregon [https://www.soberhousingoregonllc.com/] * Alano Club of Portland [https://www.portlandalano.org/] * Oxford House [https://www.oxfordhouse.org/] * Real Recovery Podcast [https://www.realrecoverypodcast.com/] HASHTAGS & MENTIONS #RealRecoveryPodcast #Recovery #AddictionRecovery #OregonRecovery #KeepMovingForward #SoberLiving #ServiceWork #AA @realrecoverypodcast @4drecovery @anotherchancerehab @oxfordhouse Real Recovery Podcast Inc. — 501(c)(3) Nonprofit — EIN: 99-1347297 — www.realrecoverypodcast.com [https://www.realrecoverypodcast.com/]

RRP 114 — Deena Feldes: Trudging the Road with Purpose — From Prison to 30 Locations of Hope

Real Recovery Podcast — Episode 114 RRP 114 — Deena Feldes: Trudging the Road with Purpose — From Prison to 30 Locations of Hope Presenters: Julie P. Lewis and Peter B. Dowell Episode Length: Approximately 1 hour 42 minutes Release Date: May 8, 2026 Deena Feldes grew up in a Pasco, Washington trailer park with easy access to substances and no one watching the door. Today she is Executive Director of , a Portland-area recovery housing nonprofit with 30 locations, 80% fully funded stays, and a 39-unit building under construction in Hillsboro. What happened in between is one of the most honest accounts of addiction, survival, and purpose we’ve heard on this show. Key Points * 00:06:00Deena grew up in a single-parent alcoholic household in Pasco, Washington — stealing marijuana from her older sister and wine from the corner convenience store by elementary school. * 00:14:00Pregnant at 15, she gave birth two weeks before her 16th birthday, got her first welfare apartment at 16, and began blacking out regularly. * 00:18:00A move to Ogden, Utah introduced her to crack cocaine. She later lived with her son in a 10-by-12 room in Oakland with no kitchen and a shared bathroom. * 00:22:00Back in the Tri-Cities, Deena was arrested with nine ounces of cocaine. Her daughter was born at 4 pounds 12 ounces with pneumonia. Deena went to prison, planted trees for 36 cents an hour, and saw her daughter take her first steps during a visit. * 00:30:00Released and attending meetings, she accepted one beer from coworkers — the start of what she calls 10 more years of misery. She moved to Portland in 1996, the year of the floods. * 00:37:00After losing four children to DHS, Deena stood on an overpass near the Lloyd Center and wanted to jump. A stranger on a TriMet bus challenged her: “When am I gonna see you in a meeting?” She found the West Side Service Center in Beaverton. * 00:44:00A nine-and-a-half-year DHS custody battle followed — seven lawyers, CASA, and DHS — all while she stayed sober. A foster parent joined the case and fought her for two of her boys for years after she won at trial. * 00:51:00Outside In [https://outsidein.org/] removed 11 of her tattoos — including a teardrop from her face — through their gang-affiliated tattoo removal program. * 01:07:00At a Jan Pro job interview, the hiring manager turned out to be a friend of Bill’s. He hired Deena despite her record. She worked there 11 years and rose to operations director. * 01:21:00In 2018 she was called in to save a failing recovery housing nonprofit called Fairhaven. On Christmas Day 2019, one of the houses burned down. The board dissolved. She was handed a checkbook in the negative and voted in as executive director. * 01:22:00At the same time, her son was diagnosed with schizophrenia, became addicted to meth laced with fentanyl, and dropped to 86 pounds in the ICU at Providence. Deena obtained medical guardianship and authorized a forced feeding tube to keep him alive. * 01:23:00Today Transcending Hope [https://transcending-hope.com/] operates 30 locations with 80% fully funded stays, serves people with SUD and co-occurring conditions, and has over 50 employees. A 39-unit building is under construction in Hillsboro. * 01:39:00Deena’s closing words: “I’ve been to hell many times. If I wanna go back, I know how to get there. And if I wanna stay out, I know how to do that, too.” “I’ve been to hell many times. If I wanna go back, I know how to get there. And if I wanna stay out, I know how to do that, too.” — Deena Feldes Websites Discussed * Transcending Hope [https://transcending-hope.com/] * Outside In [https://outsidein.org/] * Real Recovery Podcast [https://www.realrecoverypodcast.com/] #RealRecoveryPodcast  #RecoveryIsPossible  #TranscendingHope  #AddictionRecovery  #RecoveryHousing  #SubstanceUseDisorder  #RecoveryCommunity  #DontStopBeforeTheMiracle, @TranscendingHope Real Recovery Podcast Inc. — 501(c)(3) Nonprofit — EIN: 99-1347297 —

RRP 113 — Kathryn L. / Is It Odd or Is It God?: Recovery, Spirituality, and the Long Road to Portland

RRP 113 — Kathryn L. / Is It Odd or Is It God?: Recovery, Spirituality, and the Long Road to PortlandRRP 113 — Kathryn L. / Is It Odd or Is It God?: Recovery, Spirituality, and the Long Road to Portland Presenters: Julie P. Lewis and Peter B. Dowell  |  Episode Length: Approximately 1 hour 47 minutes  |  Release Date: May 8, 2026 Kathryn L. grew up south of Boston in a home where alcohol was always present — a stocked liquor cabinet, homemade sambuca, and big parties that normalized drinking from an early age. By the time she hit her corporate career, she was a blackout drinker trying and failing to control something that was already controlling her. The death of her mother at 25, a tumultuous marriage, and a string of relationships driven more by loneliness than love — none of it stopped the drinking. What finally did was waking up on the bathroom floor on July 29, 2011, physically sick, emotionally sick, and spiritually sick. What followed was a decade-long journey through AA in Boston — the AWOL women’s group, a home group of 200 people in Braintree, and a sponsor named Rita whose son had just died from the disease. Then a career pivot from six-figure sales work to cutting fruit at a deli. Then, in March 2022, an 11-day cross-country drive from Boston to Portland. Halfway across the country, she realized she had everything. Now coming up on 15 years sober, Kathryn lives by one question: is it odd, or is it God? Key Points “I never want to forget what it was like waking up on the bathroom floor, physically sick, emotionally sick, and spiritually sick.” — Kathryn L. Websites Discussed * Sweet and Salty PDX Cookies [https://www.sweetandsaltypdx.com] * 4D Recovery [https://4drecovery.org] * Real Recovery Podcast [https://www.realrecoverypodcast.com] #RealRecovery  #RecoveryPodcast  #SoberLife  #AARecovery  #TwelveSteps  #RecoveryIsPossible  #Sobriety  #IsItOddOrIsItGod  #Portland  #RecoveryCommunity  @realrecoverypodcast Real Recovery Podcast Inc. — A 501(c)(3) Nonprofit Organization — EIN: 99-1347297

RRP 112 — Paul O. / One Burgundy Sock at a Time: Recovery, Service, and the Art of Staying

RRP 112 — Paul O. / One Burgundy Sock at a Time: Recovery, Service, and the Art of Staying Presented by Julie P. Lewis & Peter B. Dowell  •  Release Date: May 1, 2026  •  Runtime: 1 hr 33 min Paul O. showed up at his first AA meeting on October 7, 1991—a lesbian stag meeting in Reno where they welcomed him only as “Pauline.” More than three decades later, he carries a story you won’t forget: how a gentle inner voice once talked him into getting sober one burgundy sock at a time. Paul traces his journey through multiple addictions, a relapse after 13 years, a completed First Step, and the daily practice of mending his net—meeting by meeting, sock by sock. Key Points * 00:04:00Paul’s sobriety date—October 7, 1991, Reno, NV—and his full picture of addiction: alcohol, compulsive sex, overeating, and casino gambling * 00:05:00Standing near a bridge with no money and no hope—and the one thought of his mother that pulled him back * 00:06:30His first meeting: welcomed as “Pauline,” and the Brooklyn woman named Kathy who hugged him and said “you keep coming back” * 00:13:30The Burgundy Sock Story—how one voice negotiated him from “all the clothes” down to just one sock, and the lesson he’s carried for 35 years * 00:17:30Walking near Mount Tabor with suicidal ideation—asking God for 15 seconds of quiet, then 30 minutes, then four days, then gone * 00:38:00Becoming “Coffee Pot Guy”—how service gave him his identity in the rooms and why he calls it magic * 01:11:00New Zealand: 13 years sober, a checklist, and the relapse that finally completed his First Step * 01:22:00The fisherman’s net—Paul’s metaphor for daily meeting attendance and what happens when you stop mending * 01:28:00How Paul learned to love the people who annoyed him most—and the strategy his mother gave him that still works * 01:37:00Noticing resistance, finding a shred of willingness, and the pause between impulse and action “Sometimes when a task feels so overwhelming that you just gotta keep breaking it down to whatever you actually can do.” — Paul O. Websites Discussed * Alcoholics Anonymous — The Big Book — https://www.aa.org/the-big-book [https://www.aa.org/the-big-book] * Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions — https://www.aa.org/twelve-steps-twelve-traditions [https://www.aa.org/twelve-steps-twelve-traditions] * Living Sober — https://www.aa.org/living-sober-book [https://www.aa.org/living-sober-book] * Drop the Rock / Drop the Rock — The Ripple Effect — https://www.hazelden.org/store/item/488137 [https://www.hazelden.org/store/item/488137] * Daily Reflections — https://www.aa.org/daily-reflections [https://www.aa.org/daily-reflections] * Just for Today (pamphlet) — https://onlineliterature.aa.org [https://onlineliterature.aa.org] * Lunch Bunch / Extended Family AA Online — https://sites.google.com/view/lbefaa [https://sites.google.com/view/lbefaa] * Real Recovery Podcast — https://www.realrecoverypodcast.com [https://www.realrecoverypodcast.com] #RealRecoveryPodcast  #Recovery  #Sobriety  #AA  #AlcoholicsAnonymous  #RecoveryIsPossible  #OneDayAtATime  #SoberLife  #MentalHealth  #Podcast Real Recovery Podcast Inc.  •  501(c)(3) Nonprofit  •  EIN: 99-1347297  •

RRP 111 — Tiffany D.; Rejection Is Redirection: One Year Sober and Just Getting Started

RRP 111 — TIFFANY D. Rejection Is Redirection: One Year Sober and Just Getting Started PresentersJulie P. Lewis & Peter B. Dowell Release DateApril 24, 2026 Episode Length1 hour 11 minutes EPISODE SUMMARY Julie and Peter welcome Tiffany D., one year sober, whose story moves from hidden wine bottles and blackout DUIs to a spiritual awakening in a jail cell and a job in recovery services. After 46 days awaiting sentencing, a judge released her to treatment at NARA in Portland. Today she has her kids, her own home, and a clear-eyed philosophy: rejection is redirection, and investing in yourself is the only way forward. KEY POINTS * 00:02Julie introduces Tiffany, met through the nighttime Extended Family AA group, and celebrates her one-year sobriety milestone. * 00:07Drinking started as partying and became a vice over years, with the last five going full throttle — hiding bottles, skipping her kids’ activities, drinking from the moment she woke. * 00:14Root causes: depression, a divorce at 25, and taking guardianship of her younger brother (seventh grade) and sister (a freshman) from her father’s side while he was in prison — all while being a single mom. Capable outwardly; deteriorating inside. * 00:26Multiple DUIs, reckless driving, driving while suspended. Her most serious DUI was on a highway in Klamath County driving back from Arizona. She does not remember passing Las Vegas. * 00:31Sat in jail 46 days before sentencing, facing two simultaneous convictions with a detainer from Klamath Falls. Attended church services, requested pastor visits, and began learning about surrender and faith. That cell became her foundation. * 00:35Sentenced to six months; judge released her to treatment at NARA [https://www.naranorthwest.org] in Portland — something she had never considered. She had never known anyone who went to rehab. Waited 48 more days for a bed and for the Klamath detainer to clear. * 00:41Picked up from jail by a peer mentor she now works alongside, and driven from the Oregon coast to NARA in Portland. Her coworker recently told her she was already “ready to conquer recovery” on that drive, fresh out of jail. * 00:56Tiffany is sober for herself — not her kids or anyone else. When she is alone, she has to stay accountable to herself. Recovery is her first job. * 01:02Chaired her one-year anniversary meeting on “trusting the process.” After treatment: no home, no job, kids not yet with her. Within about a month: housing secured, kids reunited right after, hired two weeks later at the same outpatient program where she received treatment. * 01:06“Rejection is redirection” — shared in the Extended Family meeting — defines this episode. A rejection at a front-office desk job Tiffany believes was tied to disclosing her recovery redirected her into working in recovery services. * 01:10Closing wisdom: take your time healing. Invest in yourself mentally, physically, and spiritually. Feed your soul and your mind. You are not defined by where you’ve been. GUEST QUOTE > “People can’t say anything about me that I don’t already know, already heard — because I know my story and I am not ashamed of it. I own up to it. I take accountability because of the fact that that’s not me anymore.” — Tiffany D. WEBSITES DISCUSSED * NARA — Native American Rehabilitation Association of the Northwest [https://www.naranorthwest.org] * Wellbriety Meetings [https://wellbriety.com/meetings/] * Real Recovery Podcast [https://www.realrecoverypodcast.com] LISTEN & CONNECT Listen to Episode 111 [https://mdcr1.com/111] Read the Blog Post [https://mdcr1.com/111b] Subscribe to Newsletter [https://mdcr1.com/newsletter] HASHTAGS & MENTIONS #RealRecoveryPodcast #Recovery #SobrietyJourney #OneYearSober #AddictionRecovery #RejectionIsRedirection #TrustTheProcess #RecoveryIsPossible #SoberLife #MentalHealthMatters #NARA #Wellbriety #RecoveryPodcast #HopeInRecovery #JustForToday @RealRecoveryPodcast Real Recovery Podcast Inc. — 501(c)(3) Nonprofit — EIN: 99-1347297 www.realrecoverypodcast.com [https://www.realrecoverypodcast.com]