Straight stuff on addictions

Could a disorganized desk, a disorganized room or house be a symptom of a disorganized head? Are you holding on to THINGS as an emotional suppport or because you can't let go of other things?  Let's find out about the addictive side of messy.  Le's talk to our guest Jane Caroo, owner and operator of Clutter Coach Company and a self described "recovering clutter bug" In Jane's words,"In the processof my recovery, I learned more about the connection between physical clutter and emotional/mental well-being than I would have ever dreamed."  

If sustaining a relationship isn't hard enough these days throw in the need to recover from both sides of the addictive disease.  Our guests are John and Lori, a "recovering couple" who've been together many years and have been in recovery a long time as well.  They'll share how they have come to terms not only with their own addictions but each other, how they've faced individual growth, adversities and changes.  They'll share how they've "worked the program" in their marriage.  

How far down do I have to go?  Will I ever be able to get it?  When will the light finally come on? Am I one of those who are constitutionally incapable of grasping these concepts. Am I a hopeless case? Has everyone given up on me? These are the feelings and questions that surround and pervade the life of the relapsing alcoholic and those around her.  Filled with indescribable dread and darkness, unable to imagine a life of health and joy she continued to struggle. With nowhere left to turn she became willing to go to any lengths to stay sober. Join us to say hello to Tammy C. with a message of hope for the hopeless and enough joy and gratitude to fill an auditorium.    

Recovery Internet Radio "Straight Stuff on Addictions" Sunday September 16th 8PM This is a story from the other side of the disease; a story of the journey from fear and misunderstanding through guilt and shame to love and acceptance.  This is a family's struggle to come to grips with heroin addiction, the emotional rollercoaster, the dashed hopes and dreams and the battle to understand and come to terms with addiction at its very worst.  What pain could be worse for a mother than the thought of losing her son, yet this family; this mom survived and thrived. This isn't a story you'll want to miss.  Join us to celebrate this family's recovery.   As always you can go to our website recoveryinternetradio.com to download podcasts or link to all of our archived shows. Our call in number is 323-792-2977.   Remember; September is National Recovery month.

Who is the first person on your way to treatment with whom you would have a real interaction?  That would be a person like Dee.Who would answer your questions, motivate you to consider making a change, hold your hand and listen to your fears?That would be Dee. We'll take a front line look at a life and death business, at the passion it takes to do the job, how and why our guest manages to stay committed and inspired; how she got there and why she stays. Dee's the real deal. We hope you can stop by and visit with us this Sunday night.

She managed the last three of her four college years sober; managed a career, sober; met her husband, sober, had kids and becamne a stay-at-home Mom, sober.  The transitions were huge, the emotional cost, including a struggle with post partum depression, enormous.  The struggle to fit in, to maintain self esteem and avoid judgement, difficult; the payoff, incalculable. Join us Sunday night in welcoming a courageous young woman, Jennifer S.

How many parents have agonized about how their own addictive genetics will affect their kids?  Parents in recovery face an especially frightening prospect since they can see it happening but can't "do the recovering" for them. Meet Howard and Max, an entertaining and heartwarming Father-Son recovery duo.  We haven't decided if these two are more Batman and Robin or the Odd Couple, never-the-less, join us on their rollercoaster recovery ride.  We'll travel from relief that "Max made it into recovery" to the day-to-day collision of wills as these two characters try to stay sober, have a family life and avoid strangling each other.

This is an unusual story of blending migraine headaches, prescription medication, over the counter drugs and a search for God.  This is a story of deep physical and emotional pain leading to an equally deep spiritual awakening.  Moe’s story leads us from the tight environment of academia to the silence and space of the desert, from hiding, and shame to the miracle of love and recovery.  Join us to meet a miracle and maybe find one of your own.  Please join us to meet one of the most healing spirits I know

 Recovering alcohoilic gets family issues in perspective.  To say that alcoholism affects families is a bit of an understatement.  Alcoholism actually re- writes the operating system of the family hard drive.  Recovery needs to encompass not only the substance but the emotions and the thinking processes. Tonight’s guest John D. has a unique perspective on personal and family recovery.  He’s responded to his family issues with love, laughter and a few tears.  Let’s follow John through the “Stages of Crazy.” 

  Why can't you, "just let it go"? Not as easy as it sounds, is it?    Why is releasing hatred so hard?  Let's talk about the antidote to the poison of resentment...forgiveness.    Our long-time friend Arn Schaper, an ordained minister and counselor will be our guest to talk about the real life spiritual struggle to forgive.     For recovering people letting go of anger is a matter of life and death, let's talk about how to go about it.

Drug abuse and addiction isn't just a personal problem, it's a medical problem, a family problem, a social problem, a financial problem and increasingly a legal problem. The legal system is stretched to the limit to a large extent by drug related cases and the legal system is being asked to solve not only legal problems but all the problems. Enter Drug Courts, a national movement that has had great success in dealing with many facets of the drug problem.  More than a few recoveries have started with the firm insistence of enlightened judges and the court services acting on their behalf.  Sometimes a dirty drop and a threat of jail just isn't enough.  Join us in welcoming Judge Michael Feeterer who will give us an inside view of the how's and why's  of Drug Courts.

Why do you think they call heroin "junk"?  We'll leave you to think about that but in the meantime... A friend of mine talked to a police officer the other day about a young man who had recently died of an heroin overdose.  The friend shared that he was a recovering heroin addict.;  the police officer looked puzzled and said she'd never met one.  We're here to tell you that people do recover from heroin addiction and parents do survive their kids addiction problems.  Join us to here for a message of hope from Tommy, a recovering addict and Linda, a recovering parent.  We're looking forward to some vocals by Maggie, a girlband singer witha voice like the grand canyon..you'll love her.  

Avoid the prescription opiate addictionmerry-go-round.  The use of opoid analgestics is at an all time high.  One of the most alarming national trends is an  exponential increase in the need for neonatal detox from prescription pain medication due to the mother's addiction.  We've invited our friend Dr. Jim kearns to talk about methods to avoid use or over-use of narcotic painkillers.  We also invited our friend "Mr. Drughead" to talk to us about the prevalence, availabiltiy and the how's and why's of "script" opiates on the street. Music this week will be from "Athena and Lamont"a young and talented country duo.

With Alcoholism in the familyhe never thought it would happen to him....after all...he was the helper...the good kid.  He finally surrendered to the booze problem at the end of his first marriage and was a "good" recovering alcoholic, doing the right things but always a little distant.  He always felt as if something was missing.  As time went on his weight climbed, diets failed, feelings numbed, hope disolved and finally the light came on.  His family intervened and  insisted that he address his compulsive overeating and he did. He finally found the missing piece.

Who talks about drug rehab?  Do you ask your neighbor where the best place is, do you consult Google or the yellow pages?  Finding quality substance abuse treatment really isn't like finding a handyman or even a dentist.  We'll explore with our guest, Chris G. what rehab really is.  What makes a good program and how to find one.  Chris has been involved with inpatient and outpatient programs, hospitals, administration and treatment. I couldn't think of a more knowledgable guy when it comes to issues of how its done, why its done and where it should be done.  Chris can also talk to us about how and why he got started , training required to be a substance abuse counselor and what the substance abuse treatment of the future might look like.