A2D - From Addict to Disciple

Enjoy as you listen to our group of six guys in recovery from Australia, South Africa and the US as they react to the following quote by Mother Theresa "We think sometimes that poverty is only being hungry, naked and homeless. The poverty of being unwanted, unloved and uncared for is the greatest poverty." I'm sure they will touch your memories and your hearts as they describe their greatest poverty, how they number the pain and how they found healing.

Do you find yourself slipping and stumbling in your recovery? Today we look at what causes us to lose our footing in recovery. AND then we discuss four things we can do to get our foundation established and have strong and stable footing in recovery. We don't have to live in fear of slippery floors or road surfaces as we travel our journey of recovery.

What is the damage done by your years in addiction? In this episode we look at many areas of damage and how we learn to accept them with grace in our recovery. How do we find grace when we're battling so much grief for all that we lost because of our addiction? One of the keys is realizing that in our addiction we knew the price of everything and the value of nothing! In recovery we begin to find the splendor of the value of things by gracefully accepting the damage done.

Today's group episode looks at the necessity of learning to manage the triggers that you cannot avoid. This includes people like friends and family, places like work situations and family gatherings, and things like money or thoughts that tempt us. Our guys in recovery share the things they employ to help them manage their triggers like pictures of their new life, honesty about how we can be our own worst trigger, scripture verses and song lyrics. If you want to join a group to help you Manage Your Triggers please message me.

Are you stuck in mediocrity? Do you struggle to keep your momentum going as you walk in recovery? In this episode we look at things that slow down our momentum, drain our energy or sap our enthusiasm. How can we get our momentum back when we find ourselves sliding into that same old level of mediocrity? I believe a key is in the choices we make every day. Choices in the moment have enormous weight when they become momentum!

Today's group episode looks at books or quotes that are precious to each of us in our recovery. The guys in the group react to this quote by Wilferd Peterson "It is time to browse through the precious books that have meant the most to you, that you may rediscover illuminating phrases and sentences to light your pathway to the future." I hope as you listen to this episode you will be motivated to "rediscover" your previous books and hold them close.

The old proverb says that opportunity knocks but once. This has led to that "seize the day" mantra. In today's episode we look at what keeps us from seizing an opportunity and how we prepare to know if the opportunity is the right one for us. We're challenged with the thought of opportunities seeking you rather than you chasing after them. And what we think about squandered opportunities. Enjoy, listen and share with your friends.

Today's episode deals with making amends. Got other episodes on this topic check out #44 and #131. In this episode we look at our hopes as a result of making amends. Do you hope for reconciliation in your marriage, in the lives of your children, etc? Do you hope to have your status as head of the household and your respect and dignity restored? Are these hopes even realistic? Listen to this episode and see.

This episode is another group session with my friends in recovery from the US, South Africa and Australia. I'm sure you will be motivated as you listen to their answers to this question: One issue in recovery is developing compassion for those parts of ourselves that are unwanted or ignored or misunderstood by those we care about. Can you share one part of yourself that is important to you but not so much to others?

What keeps you strong in recovery? Is it stuff like meetings, programs, or a good job? Today we look at the importance of learning how to be resilient in the midst of all the burdens, demands, expectations, pressures and stressors we gave every day in recovery. How do we bounce back from life's situations and circumstances before they knock us down emotionally? Before we turn to our old comforters to numb the pain? The answer is resilience!

What does "catch you on the flip side" mean? Where did that phrase come from? Today we look at writing our flip side of life. A chance to start over and to turn from our past vices to tomorrow's virtues. What have we learned from the past? What good aspects of our past can we hold onto in our recovery? I hope you enjoy today's episode.

In today's group session episode we look at this question. People say we all have 3 versions of ourselves: 1) the person you think you are 2) the person other people see and 3) the person you really are. What does it mean to be the best version of yourself? How do you live that out or walk in it? Listen as our guys in recovery reflect on this questions.

Are you someone who always says the grass is greener on the other side of the fence? Do you find yourself hesitant at new opportunities in recovery? Are you focused on and always talking about the things you can't do? If so, then this episode is for you. Remember "There is no flak jacket against self sabotage!" See episode #120 for more on Self Sabotage.

This episode is another group meeting with guys in recovery from the US, Australia and South Africa. Listen to their ideas on the differences between the world view of being identified because of our past behaviors vs the kingdom view of finding your identity in your faith. Hear how each guy looks at his past, finds strength and safety in the present, and has hope for the future.

In this episode we take a look at what we do in From A2D. How we are motivated by all three: passion, purpose and compassion to walk in living what we do and sitting love for people caught in the snare of addiction. Not simply focused on fixing them or having them come right, but helping them find healing and wholeness. We do this by meeting them where they are at and listening to their feelings, not judging their behavior. The quote by Rumi has become our focus "Let yourself be silently drawn by the strange pull of what you really love. It will not lead you astray."

Let's look at those situations and relationships we get ourselves into where we feel like we're stuck in quicksand and it's going to swallow us up. Why do we keep running back to the same people and situations that are quicksand to us? We need to not just deal with it, but to process it and feel it so that we can find our second wind which will carry us through to better days ahead.

We all need to develop a lifestyle of course correction to keep us focused on our destination. It's normal to get distracted, side-tracked or to veer off course every now and then. The key is to continue the journey, not stop and wallow in the shame of our mistake or the self-pity of the unfair thing that happened to us. Winds change and we need to learn how to keep sailing regardless. A good tool would be to develop your own "course correction inventory" AND begin to use it!

Today's episode is a group session as our guys in recovery from Australia, South Africa and the US share their feelings from episode # 173. Listen to their just of complicated grief in seeing the hurt their children carry, in stab wounds from the church, in physical and mental Spectra that make us feel like we're 70 even though we're 40, and in more aspects of grief. Listen, share with a few friends and help each other find healing and wholeness.

Today's episode is a walkabout on last week's Complicated Grief episode. We'll look at four listeners' comments as they reached out to me with their issues of grief. Maybe you feel like everyone is ready to throw stones of condemnation at you. Or you now realize that you have glossed over many things that you should have processed earlier in life. Perhaps you were an introvert in a family of extroverts and still feel the pain of being an embarrassment to your family. Or maybe you're dealing with the pain of not being trusted, even by the church that you have turned to for strength and support in your recovery. If any of this sounds like you, then this episode is for you!

Today's episode is about an often overlooked aspect of recovery, Complicated Grief. Specifically we'll be discussing the grief about the things we lost as consequences of our addiction. This includes things like: the loss of your marriage, the ability to see or maintain a relationship with your kids, loss of your career, your house, etc. This grief can settle in as our new core value AFTER we have started recovery. If so the result is relapse!

This is a group session podcast as the guys share what they would plant in their garden that would be a good reminder in their journey of recovery. What trees, bushes, tall grasses, short grasses, teas, herbs and flowers would you plant AND why? Listen as the guys share their thoughts and share this episode with friends.

This episode is a group meeting with the guys in recovery from the US, Australia and South Africa. The discussion question is "How do you deal with being hurt by the church (people in your church and other believers) when they judge where you're at in your recovery from the world's perspective? Listen to advice from "stay in your lane" to "draw close to the ones you trust." You'll also hear the journey to becoming unoffendable and the painful walk of hurt from church leadership. We end by saying "I'm not Humpty Dumpty!" Listen to find out why.

In this episode we look at the belief that we have time to change and we can wait until we're ready. But before we know a decade has gone by and we're still caught up in pornography, drugs or alcohol addiction. When asked what's the biggest mistake we make in life the Buddha replied, "The biggest mistake is you think you have time." Yes time is free, but it's priceless. Don't squander your time and waste the hours away until one day you wake up and tell years have gone by and you're still stuck. I like the anonymous quote "You can't give your life more time, do give the time you have left more life."

Are you tempted by forbidden fruit? Is it because you're rebellious? Or maybe you're innocently curious because it's "forbidden". In today's episode we look at why we want to grab ahold of forbidden fruit and how we can get empowered to break free from that temptation. Share it with two friends and chat with each other about your journey in this area.

This is a walkabout episode where I "meet" four people and ask for their thoughts about Father's Day. Listen to how they are handling not seeing dad on Father's Day. One young man never met his dad and now he's deceased. Another who never met his dad is dealing with the fact that now that he's 25 his dad wants to meet him. The third is an elderly man who could never live up to his dad's expectations. The fourth is a mom who will not allow her dad to be part of her childrens' lives. Listen and share with a friend, or maybe your dad.

We take a walkabout on "Motivation Mountain" for today's episode and look at questions like: Are you always trying to take the easy way out? Looking for shortcuts? Sliding through life without facing challenges or handling consequences? If the answer is yes, you may be a day tripper! As we walkabout we look at motivational quotes feeling with adversity, pushing through, believing in yourself, staying optimistic and making every day count. Join me on this walkabout and share with your friends.

We've heard about the opioid epidemic in the US for years. Are you aware that we're hearing more about it as more overdoses occur? And that the spike in annual overdoses is directly related to the introduction of fentanyl as a profit making additive into many illicit street drugs. In today's episode we'll look at what fentanyl is and why dealers would sell drugs laced with fentanyl if so many people are dying of overdose. This is a "must listen" episode. Please share it with your friends and neighbors.

Dr. Fred Luskin said, "There is a season for our suffering and regret. We have to have that. But the season ends; the world moves on. And we need to move on with it." In today's episode we look at the need to forgive yourself as the wise choice to move on from pain and suffering. Can you believe in yourself enough to forgive and love yourself?

In this episode we look at the voices in our head that often prod us to use or act out in our addiction. How do we silence these voices? Do they only go silent when we take them to their "home" in addiction? The key to silence those voices is to stay in the present. I hope you find the tip of how to stay connected to your five senses as an effective way to silence those voices.

Today we'll look at the things that we hold on to or cling to so tightly that they begin to redefine us. We stay focused on the thought that everything happens for a purpose, that it has come to pass, like a natural flow of events. How can we learn that the only constant in life is change? The best way to embrace change is to allow all things to pass.

Today's episode is a walkabout where I share feedback from four listeners. They each talked about how they feel disrespected. Has being disrespected become your normal, your comfort zone? How do you handle it when someone actually accepts you? What boundaries have you learned to put up over the years of disrespect? Well, the best boundary is learning to speak up and tell people what you like and don't like. Don't let anyone get comfortable with disrespecting you!

This episode is in response to comments and questions from listeners to episode # 158 "Victims of Violence." The listeners said they don't struggle with violence but paralysis caused by fears. Fear of getting hurt again. Fear of trusting anyone. Feeling that everyone has and will always be against them. One listener shared their struggle to learn to be grateful for what they have instead of hateful for what they lost. I want to encourage you to listen and share this episode with two friends and then sit down with them, talk about your fears and learn the secret of life in conquering fears everyday.

Today's walkabout looks at how the pain we have felt as a victim of violence can live on inside of us for a long, long time. This can be true whether the violence that we felt was physical, sexual, emotional, psychological or economic. Chris Hedges an American journalist said "Violence is a disease, a disease that corrupts all who use it regardless of the cause." Please listen and share this poignant episode with your friends and family.

Today's episode of a walkabout through Old City Philadelphia where I come across historical signs with quotes from Poor Richard's Almanack written by Benjamin Franklin between 1733 and 1758. Join me as we pause, read and reflect on the wisdom for recovery in these proverbs written to readers in colonial America.

In today's walkabout episode we Mark Twain's quote "History never repeats itself, but it does often rhyme." Have you been blindsided in the past when you were vigilant in avoiding your triggers, but didn't see the patterns that were the rhymes? Often the patterns are hard to identify because they feel familiar but they are packaged differently. I invite you to walk with me, to journey together, as I go on a walkabout to see how history rhymes.

This episode is in response to a Listener's feedback from episode #152. They shared their struggle to take their negative thoughts captive as they've been stuck in a dark place for two decades. In today's episode I take a new approach on things, I'm calling in a walkabout. You know how it feels good to just go for a walk to sort out our thoughts? So there will be no five step plan on how to get out of a dark place. Just thoughts as I meander on my walkabout with this topic. I hope you like it.

Do you find yourself seeking approval, affirmation or validation from others everyday? Is that how you define your self worth? Simply seeing yourself as others see you, or based on what they think or say about you? Well it's time to admit your approval addiction and seek to change. Approval and affirmation should not be your seratonin rush to regulate your emotions. Look inside to find happiness, purpose and meaning, then find the strength to pursue it.

Are you feeling weary or dissatisfied with where you're at in life? Does boredom end up fueling your isolation, being a loner, turning to drugs, alcohol or porn for some ecstacy in life? Do you find it difficult to control your anger because you are always frustrated with situations, circumstances or relationships in your life? Well if any of this describes you or someone you know, this episode is for you!

It only takes one to know that you are loved. Too many guys in recovery stay focused on the love they lost. They feel that the only way to be whole again is to restore that broken relationship. As a result they don't see the love that is right next to them in their new friend, coach, mentor. These are people who know the real you and always have your back.

Today's group episode looks at three more signs they would place at the entrance of a recovery house to plant seeds in new inductees into the program. The quotes are about: 1) it's not easy but it's worth it, 2) recovery must come first and 3) why would anyone want to return to the hell of addiction? I'm sure all of my listeners will be encouraged by the words of my friend on recovery from Australia, South Africa and the United States.

In this group session, our guys in recovery chose one of three quotes that they would put up as signs on the wall if they opened a new sober living house. Here's what the quotes are about: 1) it's okay to go slow, 2) learn to love yourself and 3) recovery opened the gates of hell and let me out. I hope you enjoy their ideas.

Do you remember when Mom would kiss your boo boo and make the pain go away? Why did that work? How did you handle pain when you were too old to get your boo boos kissed? How did you feel when Mom no longer provided the comfort you needed? Could this be a seed that fueled your search to self medicate to numb your pain? Maybe you learned that no one cared anymore so you just began to repress your poison and emotions. If this is you, now is the time to tell someone how you feel!

When you drive a car are you focused on the rest view mirror or do you look in front of you through the windshield? Obviously we all look in front and only glance back! So why do we tend to keep looking in the rear view mirror of our life? Why do we focus on our past mistakes to the point that we limit our ability to move forward? This episode reminds us to start a lifestyle of letting go just as the trees let go of their leaves every year.

Pink Cloud Syndrome is the sense of euphoria that many recovering addicts experience early in recovery. It typically includes a feeling of overconfidence and is referred to as the "honeymoon phase." In today's episode we look at the characteristics of the Pink Cloud Syndrome and how they can negatively affect our walk if we begin seeing the world through rose colored glasses and all of the clouds look pink!

What obstacles do you have in your life or recovery? How are they keeping you from reaching your goals? How can you learn to view these obstacles like hurdles to jump over or puzzles to solve? In this episode we look at those questions and see that obstacles are normal in life. Even if they seem unfair, we have choices on how we handle them. Remember, break through your obstacles before they break you!

They say the things we escape start pursuing us and this pursuit can become relentless! So we need to begin to push back so our pursuer gives up. In today's episode our group of guys in recovery discuss the thing that pursued them the most and how they pushed it away.