Living Gratefully: Gratitude Forward, Not Backward

Learning How to Stay Instead of Escape

When life becomes overwhelming, my first instinct used to be escape. Alcohol promised relief, but it only delayed my problems until they returned bigger than before. In this episode, I explore the difference between escaping reality and creating a healthy pause before responding to it. That pause is where wisdom grows.Using the image of a pressure cooker, I share why emotional pressure needs a release valve. Whether it's walking without distractions, prayer, gardening, journaling, or simply resting before reacting, healthy coping lowers the pressure so we can face problems with clarity. Recovery has given me the ability to stay present and move through life's challenges instead of running from them.Listen and subscribe wherever you get your podcasts:Rather listen on Apple Podcasts? https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/recovery-daily-podcast/id1693924779

Relapse: It Takes What It Takes

For me, alcohol guarantees pain, slow physical suicide, and immediate emotional collapse. Bad things didn't happen every time I drank, but every time something bad happened, I was drinking. Every heartbreaking relapse story reminds me how serious our disease is. I wish I could erase it, go back and stand in between them and that drink, and spare them the suffering that follows. But each of us has our own journey. It takes what it takes. My responsibility is to protect my own sobriety, remain available to help others, and remember that today is the only day I have to show up for. Listen and subscribe wherever you get your podcasts: Rather listen on Apple Podcasts? https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/recovery-daily-podcast/id1693924779

Learning How to Stay Instead of Escape

When life becomes overwhelming, my first instinct used to be escape. Alcohol promised relief, but it only delayed my problems until they returned bigger than before. In this episode, I explore the difference between escaping reality and creating a healthy pause before responding to it. That pause is where wisdom grows. Using the image of a pressure cooker, I share why emotional pressure needs a release valve. Whether it's walking without distractions, prayer, gardening, journaling, or simply resting before reacting, healthy coping lowers the pressure so we can face problems with clarity. Recovery has given me the ability to stay present and move through life's challenges instead of running from them. Listen and subscribe wherever you get your podcasts: Rather listen on Apple Podcasts? https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/recovery-daily-podcast/id1693924779

The More We Give, the More We Get

One of the greatest gifts of recovery is the transformation from feeling overwhelmed by life's challenges to becoming someone who can help others through theirs. There was a time when all of my energy was spent simply surviving alcoholism and learning to navigate life after a stroke. Today, recovery has given me the ability to sit with someone in pain and offer hope.  In this episode, I explore the recovery principle that we must give it away to keep it, the wisdom of the corn farmer who shared his best seed with his neighbors, and how helping others often strengthens our own healing. The more we share our experience, strength, and hope, the more we discover that recovery was never meant to stop with us. Listen and subscribe wherever you get your podcasts and YouTube.  Rather listen on Apple Podcasts? https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/recovery-daily-podcast/id1693924779

Romanticizing the Drink, Romanticizing the Past

It's easy to look at someone else's life and think they're happier, healthier, or having more fun. It's easy to romanticize drinking while forgetting the loneliness, fear, and consequences that came with it. It's just as easy to romanticize life before a stroke and focus on what has been lost. In this episode, I explore the danger of not playing the tape forward, the freedom that comes from acceptance, and why the Serenity Prayer helps me let go of wanting things to be different. When I play the tape forward, practice gratitude, and accept life on life's terms, I discover that peace is available right where my feet are. Listen and subscribe wherever you get your podcasts and YouTube.  Rather listen on Apple Podcasts? https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/recovery-daily-podcast/id1693924779