Three Perspectives on Sex Addiction: The Addict, The Partner, and The Therapist

The Future Complex Case Management (Part 1)

Send us Fan Mail [https://www.buzzsprout.com/2221303/fan_mail/new] Complex case management sounds like paperwork until you see what it really is: the difference between a client staying engaged or falling through the cracks. We bring together a roundtable of experienced leaders in addiction treatment and recovery to talk candidly about what “complex” looks like now and why it keeps evolving. We get into whole-person care, family systems, trauma, and the real-world barriers that show up the moment someone tries to step down in the continuum of care.  We also dig into the clinical patterns we’re seeing more often, including bipolar disorder and suicide risk in high-performing clients who have built an identity around holding it all together. The conversation turns to substance trends that are reshaping treatment planning, including high-potency THC and the growing concern about psychosis and repeat episodes, plus kratom and how it’s being marketed as focus and stress relief. These aren’t abstract talking points; they change how we assess risk, stabilize the nervous system, and coordinate longer-term support.  From there, we talk denial as a survival strategy, how stigma keeps people from naming trauma, and why some environments, including parts of church culture, can unintentionally encourage spiritual bypassing instead of honest help-seeking. We close with practical, actionable ways clinicians and programs can improve outcomes now: earlier collaboration, warm handoffs, involving families and outside providers sooner, and building teams that include peer support. If you care about trauma-informed care, co-occurring disorders, and better care coordination in addiction treatment, this conversation will sharpen how you think and how you plan.  Subscribe for future roundtables, share this with a clinician or loved one, and leave a review with the biggest challenge you’re seeing in complex cases. If you or someone you love is struggling with addiction, you don’t have to face it alone. Valiant Living helps men and their families move from crisis to stability through clinically driven care, community, and hope. Learn more about our programs at www.valiantliving.com [https://www.valiantliving.com] or call us confidentially at (720) 796-6885 to speak with someone who can help.

The Lord’s Prayer As A Daily Recovery Framework with Matt Smallbone

Send us Fan Mail [https://www.buzzsprout.com/2221303/fan_mail/new] Prayer can feel like a talent you either have or you don’t. If you’ve ever sat in a 12-step meeting, heard the Lord’s Prayer, and realized you’re just repeating words without connection, you’re not alone. Drew Powell sits down with his close friend Matt Smallbone, a pastor, former touring musician, and the author of The Prayer Experiment: How Praying Like Jesus Realigns Everything, to talk about a surprising path back to honest, grounded prayer. Matt tells the story behind his “experiment”: stepping into a preaching series on the Lord’s Prayer while feeling like an imposter, wrestling with unanswered prayer after miscarriage, and carrying half-formed beliefs about God’s sovereignty that quietly killed his motivation to pray. His response was not a new technique or longer prayers. He committed to praying the Lord’s Prayer every day for a year, then using it as a framework by pausing after each line and speaking plainly, without trying to sound spiritual. We walk through surrender, daily dependence, forgiveness, and how “Our Father” breaks isolation, which is especially powerful in addiction recovery. We also talk candidly about father wounds, shame, triggers, and why “lead us not into temptation” can be prayed as “help me pass the test.” Then we get practical: Matt role-plays how to pray through a gambling addiction spiral and how a betrayed partner can pray through anger, therapy, boundaries, and the slow work of forgiveness. If you’re looking for a simple Christian prayer practice, recovery-friendly spirituality, or a way to pray again without performing, this conversation gives you a clear starting point. Subscribe to the Valiant Living Podcast, share this with someone who needs hope today, and leave a review so more people can find these tools for healing and connection. If you or someone you love is struggling with addiction, you don’t have to face it alone. Valiant Living helps men and their families move from crisis to stability through clinically driven care, community, and hope. Learn more about our programs at www.valiantliving.com [https://www.valiantliving.com] or call us confidentially at (720) 796-6885 to speak with someone who can help.

Recovery On Both Sides: A Mother & Daughter Story Of Healing

Send us Fan Mail [https://www.buzzsprout.com/2221303/fan_mail/new] A mother and daughter getting sober at the same time sounds inspiring, until you hear what it actually takes: naming the family patterns, setting real boundaries, and staying in the room for the hard conversations. I’m joined by Sherry Young and Julie Hurley to talk about how addiction shows up inside a family system and how recovery becomes possible when we stop performing “fine” and start telling the truth. Their story spans early drinking, blackout shame, high-functioning denial, and the moment consequences finally force clarity. We dig into rebuilding trust after addiction, what forgiveness does and does not mean, and why emotional connection matters more than perfect parenting. Julie shares what it looks like to be sober while still repeating old patterns, and Sherry reflects on growing up around alcoholism and how that shaped control, safety, and the hunger for attachment. If you’ve ever felt “manageably unmanageable,” this conversation puts language to that experience and offers a path forward grounded in community and humility. We also talk about the work they do through Right Fit, helping families, therapists, and treatment professionals navigate complex case management, higher levels of care, and the messy reality of crisis. You’ll hear practical guidance for moms who feel lost, including how to get curious, ask for help, and put the oxygen mask on first. If you find this helpful, subscribe, share the episode with someone who needs hope today, and leave a review so more families can find these recovery stories. If you or someone you love is struggling with addiction, you don’t have to face it alone. Valiant Living helps men and their families move from crisis to stability through clinically driven care, community, and hope. Learn more about our programs at www.valiantliving.com [https://www.valiantliving.com] or call us confidentially at (720) 796-6885 to speak with someone who can help.

When Faith Falls Apart: Rebuilding a Relationship with God After Addiction (with Father Chad E. Jarnigan)

Send us Fan Mail [https://www.buzzsprout.com/2221303/fan_mail/new] What happens when faith falls apart in ways sobriety alone cannot fix? In this episode, a former pastor who found himself disqualified and starting over sits down with Anglican priest and author Father Chad Jarnigan for an honest conversation about losing and rediscovering faith. This is not a polished, theological discussion. It is a grounded, real exploration of what it looks like when your relationship with God no longer works the way it used to. Together, they unpack spiritual deconstruction and reconstruction in plain language, especially for those in recovery who feel ashamed, numb, or unsure what they believe anymore. They explore how shame-based religion can distort both your view of God and your view of yourself, and why honesty matters more than certainty when you are trying to rebuild. The conversation also touches on the healing role of confession, the difference between a faith crisis and a necessary clearing, and why belonging often comes before believing when someone is starting over. You will also hear practical ways to begin reconnecting, including contemplative practices like silence, breath, gratitude, and simply learning to notice again. Instead of pressure or performance, this episode points toward a slower, more grounded spirituality built on real experience. For anyone who has ever asked, “Where was God in my suffering?”, this conversation holds that question with care and without easy answers. If you feel spiritually lost, you are not alone. And you are not out of options. Download the free guide:  What Do I Turn To When I Feel Spiritually Lost? www.valiantliving.com/episode62 [http://www.valiantliving.com/episode62] If you or someone you love is struggling with addiction, you don’t have to face it alone. Valiant Living helps men and their families move from crisis to stability through clinically driven care, community, and hope. Learn more about our programs at www.valiantliving.com [https://www.valiantliving.com] or call us confidentially at (720) 796-6885 to speak with someone who can help.

Special Episode: "Loving Leverage", A Live Virtual Clinical Roundtable

Send us Fan Mail [https://www.buzzsprout.com/2221303/fan_mail/new] Most people try to love addiction out of someone, and it quietly turns into enabling. We wanted a more honest approach, so we hosted a live roundtable called Loving Leverage with clinicians, family advocates, and people in recovery to talk about the question families live inside every day: when does support help, and when does it keep someone stuck? We dig into what “loving leverage” actually looks like on the ground, from detox realities to long-term recovery. You’ll hear why repeated threats without follow-through backfire, how “relational influence” differs from control, and why the best boundaries are rooted in safety rather than punishment. We also talk about the practical teamwork piece: aligning spouses, parents, employers, and providers so the addicted person can’t split the system, and so treatment has a real chance to work. For clinicians and helpers, we explore the uncomfortable tension of who the client really is when an addicted partner and a betrayed partner want different things. We discuss why outcomes improve when you treat the whole family system, how families can spot relapse risk and inauthenticity after discharge, and what to do when a professional rejects labels like sex addiction by focusing on trauma and attachment patterns. We close with a message for partners and families who feel stuck: fear can be a signal that it’s time to act. Subscribe for more conversations like this, share the episode with someone supporting a loved one, and leave a review so more families can find the help they need. If you or someone you love is struggling with addiction, you don’t have to face it alone. Valiant Living helps men and their families move from crisis to stability through clinically driven care, community, and hope. Learn more about our programs at www.valiantliving.com [https://www.valiantliving.com] or call us confidentially at (720) 796-6885 to speak with someone who can help.