Are you tired of getting in your own way on the path to sobriety? It’s often said that we’re our own worst enemy, and that rings especially true when it comes to problematic alcohol use. If you’ve ever found yourself making progress, only to suddenly stumble and fall back into old patterns, self-sabotage could be the culprit. Understanding how self sabotage and addiction recovery are related is the key to overcoming these self destructive behaviors.

In this episode, we’re diving deep into the many faces of self-sabotage—because it comes in more forms than you might think. We’re joined by Sean, Rick, and Leah, who open up about their own struggles with self-sabotage during recovery. Together, we’ll not only share our personal stories but also offer insights and strategies to help you recognize your own self-destructive tendencies and break free from them.

Ready to stop tripping yourself up? Tune in and take the first step toward reclaiming your recovery journey.

In this episode:

• Admitting and accepting that you have a problem with alcohol
• Learning to be honest with yourself
• Uncovering and processing childhood trauma
• Masking, self abandonment, people pleasing and perfectionism
• How to find a community so you can stop trying to overcome addiction alone
• Understanding why we self sabotage
• Lack of vulnerability as self sabotage
• Calling out procrastination and seeing it for what it really is
• The myth of the "high functioning alcoholic"
• Avoiding discomfort as a symptom of self sabotage
• Allowing space for grace and patience in the process of recovery

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Leah lives in Corona Del Mar, CA with her husband “Cheese” and mini labradoodle Coral. She has been alcohol free since 1/1/24 and independent of cannabis since 4/4/24. Leah retired from teaching elementary music and has stepped into the healing world to discover yoga, reiki, meditation and breathwork. Sobriety is her superpower and she is grateful for communities like Through the Glass and I am Sober to provide support in recovery.

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Rick - M.A. and Ph.D. in History and History Education, college and staff advisor for Alcohol Use Disorder. He leads sobriety support meetings for the Luckiest Club, an online group. He has been active in the I am Sober app community for almost five years. Sober date 27 July 2019.

Rick teaches History at Wabash, a small college in Indiana and writes mostly about food in history. His first career was in the kitchen as a professional chef in Vermont and California, and he continues to cook for special events and teaches cooking in his history classes. Hence, he is often seen on The Luckiest Club sobriety meetings meets as "Chef Prof Rick" and his handle on the I Am Sober app is Chef56.

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Sean has been in sustained recovery since the day he blew zeroes in detox on 12-3-21. He has been living in an Oxford House since 12-16-21, began his recovery service work in Chapter and State level officer roles with them, and was hired as an Outreach Worker for Oxford House, Inc. in July of 2023. He currently lives at Oxford House Ashrise in Rifle, CO. He enjoys gaming (both digital and analog), being outdoors in the Colorado mountains, exploring new cities by scooter when he travels, zen Buddhist studies, lounging at home with his murder muffins, and especially cherishes spending time with his daughters.

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Visit our website at throughtheglassrecovery.com to sign up for our weekly newsletter, and to gain access to our FREE weekly recovery meetings.

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You know it's important to keep moving forward in your recovery, keep doing the work. So what do you do when you start to feel stuck? What do you do when it feels like you're just treading water and you really don't know which direction to go next? Lasting sobriety depends on continuous forward momentum.

We've invited TTG regular Matt, sober instagram influencer Katie, and recovery community organizer Johanna to join us in a conversation about how we deal with feeling stuck. No matter where you're at in your sober journey, we know you're going to relate to what you hear.

In this episode:

• Authenticity, and letting life guide personal development instead of trying to force it.
• Self sabotage and how to overcome it
• The need for continuous self-reflection to prevent relapse
• The internet pressure for growth, even when external circumstances remain the same
• Uncertainty about the future, especially during and after big changes in life
• Feeling stuck due to emotional suppression
• Feeling stuck due to unresolved trauma, personal issues, and dissatisfaction with life
• The three reasons for feeling "stuck"

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Hi! I’m Katie and I’m an alcohol free advocate. My goal is to create an alcohol free community locally, as well as building connections online. I want to show people who are struggling with their drinking that living without alcohol can be even more fun and exciting than with it. We’re sober, NOT boring.

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Matt (shamman780), a 39 year old father of two from Burnt Hills, New York is 19 months sober. He always believed he would get sober but at the same time feared it may never come. He spent five and half years stuck in the up and down battle with alcoholism before finding a better way. He wants to thank you everyone for sticking with him through all this.

He’d like people to know that substance abuse and mental health issues do not discriminate and that if you are struggling there are people out there who want to and who will help you. Matthew Perry always said to people who are struggling “It’s not your fault”, but this Matthew believes it’s your responsibility. It’s your responsibility to acknowledge, to accept and to treat it every day, just like you would any other disease.

Be kind to those who are still struggling. Sobriety is hard, but it’s worth it.

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Visit our website at throughtheglassrecovery.com to sign up for our weekly newsletter, and to gain access to our FREE weekly recovery meetings.

You can also find Julie and Steve on:

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When alcohol filled all of your free time, it's hard to find ways to fill that time up, once you remove alcohol from the equation. The result can be some loooong nights, watching the clock and waiting for time to pass, while that little voice in your head pipes up, "I know exactly what you can do to entertain yourself!" Ugh.

For our first episode of Season 3, we've invited some folks we've met in Facebook groups to join us to talk about how they filled their time, once they quit drinking alcohol. Meet Peggi, Ian, and Ben, and listen as they share what it was like for them in their early days and how they dealt with the inevitable boredom of early sobriety.

In this episode:

• Activities to help fill time, including books, podcasts, meetings, and journaling
• The value of time spent with family
• Permission to go to bed early!
• Helping and supporting others in their recovery
• Finding new hobbies
• What to do when you don't feel like doing anything
• Changing mindset and thinking patterns
• Finding purpose and finding yourself
• The feeling of chasing something

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Peggi Cooney is an author, speaker and sobriety advocate. She holds a MSW and has 26 years of experience in Child Welfare and Adult Protective Services. She is currently a social work instructor/coach for UC Davis: Professional and Continuing Education. In 2018, Peggi received an Outstanding instructor Award. Peggi published her first book, This Side of Alcohol: Random Thoughts and Candid Words of Pain, Hope, Humor and Love – and All that is Possible in Sobriety. She is also the Chief Connections Officer for award-winning Zero Proof Experiences/Sober in the City where she partners with founder Susie Streelman to provide alcohol free social experiences all over the world. Peggi is currently working on her next book about work-related stress in the helping and caregiving fields. She resides with her husband Paul in West Sacramento and Lake Almanor, California.

peggicooney@gmail.com

thissideofalcohol@gmail.com

thissideofalcohol.com

IG: @thissideofalcohol

Facebook: Facebook.com/groups/thissideofalcohol

zeroproofexperiences.com

This Side of Alcohol is available wherever books are sold.

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Ben is just a average dude trying to stay sober and help others along the way.

He is starting the process of writing his first book, trying to relaunch and grow FlipSockz with a mission to help support vets and first responders, and starting a sober hiking group. In addition, Ben created a Facebook group called Sober and Loving Life.

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Visit our website at throughtheglassrecovery.com to sign up for our weekly newsletter, and to gain access to our FREE weekly recovery meetings.

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Our final re-release for our summer break is here! This will forever be one of our favorite episodes. It's meaningful, poignant, and you'll never forget these stories.

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Do I really need to stop drinking? Do I really have a problem?

So many people google these questions that there are dozens of quizzes to help you decide whether your drinking is really bad enough that you need to stop. So our conversation today is about exactly that – how did you know that you really needed to stop drinking? And how do you deal with the idea of quitting forever, once you make the decision?

Listen to this gripping and poignant conversation we have with Melissa (aka The Sober New Yorker) and author and motivational speaker Martin Lockett, about how their journeys got them to the point of choosing to stop drinking, and what they wish they had known before they got to that point. Each of them shares their journey to recovery, and while their stories could not be more different, commonality is found beneath the surface, when we realize how important connection and compassion are when it comes to sharing our stories.

This episode is unlike any other we’ve ever recorded. As we end Season 2, we want to thank each of our listeners for sharing this adventure with us. Be sure to follow along on social media as we explore new ways to deepen the sense of community that Through the Glass is fostering, and we’ll be back in September for Season 3, with all new episodes and guests so that we can all continue to grow and learn on this path we call recovery.

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Now released, Lockett continues his mission and message by helping those in need of counseling for mental health and substance use disorders and sharing his powerful story at DUI victim impact panels, high schools, conferences, and highway safety classes across the country.

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Continuing our re-releases for the summer months. This episode was one of our most listened to in Season 2 and for good reason - no one makes it through life without experiencing grief. It's a complicated set of emotions, and moving through grief sober is even more of a challenge.

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Grief and alcohol don’t mix. We all know this… and yet, when grief strikes, it’s hard not to want to numb the pain. We get it.

In this sober podcast episode, we gathered some very special people with poignant stories together to share what they’ve learned about navigating grief sober. Polly has lost not one, but two husbands. Dave’s step daughter passed away suddenly last year when he was 8 months sober. And Corina shares about the grief of divorce, along with the grief of losing loved ones.

Listen as they share their stories in this very honest, open conversation about why grief and alcohol don’t belong together, and how to move through grief in healthier ways instead.

In this episode:

• The fear of facing grief, and how it leads to even more alcohol use
• Everyone experiences grief differently, and that’s okay
• Drinking only postpones the feelings that eventually must be felt
• Allow space for things that make you smile amidst the grief
• Grieving relationships – friendships, divorce
• Dealing with the anger and bitterness that come with grief
• Facing the fear of the unknown after experiencing a loss
• Learning to surf the waves of grief, similar to surfing the waves of cravings
• Using the tools of sobriety to cope with grief in healthy ways

We're continuing to re-release episodes throughout our summer break, choosing our most popular episodes from Season 2 to share with you throughout the months of July and August. If you've got kids, this episode will prove to be invaluable. Be sure to have a listen - or listen again!

Talking to your kids about your addiction is hard and it’s scary, but it’s also necessary. When you’re a parent and you’re working through addiction and recovery, it’s a challenge to know how much to share, and how to share it, with your children. In this groundbreaking episode, we have a conversation with Matt and Rachael about how we’ve approached talking to our own kids – of all ages – about our recovery. This is also a very personal episode, because Julie’s teenage daughter Cora joins us, to share with our listeners what it’s like from her perspective.

If you’ve got kids, this episode is a MUST listen.

In this episode:

• Preparing for the hard questions your kids WILL eventually ask you
• Allowing our kids to share what they experienced, without getting defensive or upset
• The value of letting your kids see your flaws
• Making your kids feel safe enough to ask for help
• Creating a space where families can talk about addiction and recovery without shame or fear
• How sharing our experiences with alcohol can affect the decisions they make when they’re confronted with it
• Co-parenting with different viewpoints
• Resources are available to support your kids, if you don’t feel capable right now\

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Matt, a 39 year old father of two from Burnt Hills, New York is14 and a half months sober. He always believed he would get sober but at the same time feared it may never come. The past five and half years have been a battle with alcohol that he wishes upon no one. Along the way he has had the constant support of his family, friends and so many he has met along the way to help him achieve sobriety. He wants to thank you all for sticking with him through all this.

He’d like people to know that substance abuse and mental health issues do not discriminate and that if you are struggling there are people out there who want to and who will help you. Matthew Perry always said to people who are struggling “It’s not your fault”, but this Matthew believes it’s your responsibility. It’s your responsibility to acknowledge, accept and treat it every day, just like you would any other disease.

Be kind to those who are still struggling. Sobriety is hard, but it’s worth it.

shamman780 – instagram

Ben Meyer Recovery Foundation Youtube Video

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My name is Rachael and I’m a proud to say I’m in long term recovery from both drugs and alcohol. My recovery date is 7/30/2017. I have chosen not to be anonymous and to use my voice and passion to help others like me find a solution. I am a harm reductionist and a certified peer support specialist in 2 states as well as recovery advocate. I am passionate about helping and inspiring others to better themselves which is why I created my page Addict with Purpose. https://www.facebook.com/addictwithpurpose/

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Visit our website at throughtheglassrecovery.com to sign up for our weekly newsletter, and to gain access to our FREE weekly recovery meetings.

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100 episodes! When this journey started, we had no idea where it was going to lead. We just knew we wanted to start sharing these conversations with others, in hopes that they would feel less alone, and a bit inspired.

The result? We've now created an online recovery community with a weekly meeting on Zoom, a Facebook group, and a weekly newsletter. We've become certified as recovery coaches and now offer individualized one-on-one support to anyone seeking a fulfilling, alcohol-free life. And we still produce our Top 5% podcast every Monday - the foundation and core of everything we do.

In this episode, we talk about where we started, how we got to where we are, and where we see Through the Glass Recovery heading as we make our way into Season 3, and into our 4th years of sobriety. We share the wins, the challenges, and the dreams. Our hope is that you'll get a bit of an inside look into what it's like to do what we're doing. So many of you have been listening since we started this podcast in September of 2022, and we want to invite you in and let you know what it's like behind the scenes - what we're excited about, what we're nervous about, and what it's taken to get from where we started to where we are now.

I would love to waltz in here and tell you all your friendships are going to be even better when you get sober. Unfortunately, that's not the case. Losing friends when you quit drinking is one of those challenges that nearly everyone has to learn to cope with, and it can be a very real struggle. It's painful to lose friendships, or even to watch them change as we move into this new, alcohol free phase of our lives.

We've gathered three fantastic guests to join us on this episode, to share what they've experienced and also what they've learned. Jason (Sober Gangster); Lisa (Hart2Heart Coaching); and our good friend Monica get real about how they're navigating a whole new social experience, sans alcohol. Have a listen - you'll walk away knowing you're not alone, and with some new ideas and perspectives to help you on your own journey of sobriety.

In this episode:

• How your circle shrinks as you get older, and especially in recovery - and how that's a natural process
• Exploring how your standards change as you begin the work of emotional sobriety
• Dealing with surface level, superficial friendships
• Being intentional with where you put your energy
• How to be a real friend
• Navigating friendships with people who aren't sober
• How to find people that are on a similar path
• Surprising fact: losing friends who ARE in your recovery circles is quite common
• Grieving lost friendships
• How to build a core community - no matter how long you've been at this
• Understanding that recovery changes us - and our friends have to learn to work through that, too
• How to use the internet to find people to build connections with

Want to hear more about friendships? Check out this episode from last season!

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At 18, I entered prison. At 19, facing a potential 10+ years for parole violation, a pivotal decision changed my life. In a jail cell on October 12, 1996, at 3 a.m., I swore off mind-altering substances. The 21st encounter with handcuffs pushed me to break free. Living clean and sober for 27 years, I’ve found genuine freedom—earned through work, willingness, and honesty. Sobriety, my most gangster feat, opens doors to a life beyond imagination. – Jason Williams aka Sober Gangster

https://www.instagram.com/sober.gangster

https://www.facebook.com/Sobergangster

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Hi, I’m Monica! I’m 54, reside in southern New Jersey, USA, and I am over 3.5 years sober. On Dec. 31, 2019, I woke up with my last hangover. I was finally done making life harder on myself, hurting my relationships, and slowly killing myself. I’ve learned that sobriety is a never-ending journey to becoming the person you were meant to be. It’s been incredibly hard, at times, but the gifts that sobriety have given me are much bigger than any hurdles I’ve overcome. I’ve worked to heal from my past, strengthened my relationships with my kids and husband, built a thriving massage practice, and made forever friends in recovery. I wouldn’t trade my sober life for anything.

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My name is Lisa Hart Anderson. I am a sober woman in her 5th decade reinventing her life in this beautiful world of recovery. I am a Certified Recovery Coach where my passion is to help others stay on the sober path and find joy and fun again in this new life of sobriety. I have been married 33 years, have 3 grown sons, and embracing the empty nester world as I continue to help and encourage others. Throughout my life, I have been an educator, mentor,instructor and coach. It has always been in my heart to teach, guide and inspire with compassion and empathy. Insta and TikTok- hart2heartcoaching Website -harttoheart.coach.

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Visit our website at throughtheglassrecovery.com to sign up for our weekly newsletter, and to gain access to our FREE weekly recovery meetings.

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