The Courage to Change: A Recovery Podcast

In this Q and A episode Ashley answers the listener question "How Can I Undo The Things I've Done?" It can feel like it's impossible to put the genie back in the bottle. That the mistakes made are impossible to come back from, but there is reason to hope. Ashley shares stories of how she was able to fix things that she thought were damaged beyond repair. Ashley Loeb Blassingame has been clean and sober for 16 years, she's a drug and alcohol counselor, interventionist, and the co-founder of a telehealth company called Lionrock Recovery that provides substance use disorder treatment.

Dane Ensley grew up in an AA home. His mother and grandmother were sober and among a long line of family members who struggled with alcoholism and addiction. He grew up feeling destined to be an addict and also in recovery. He eventually found sobriety after going to a detox center, but immediately found himself unemployable. It was after he’d exhausted every idea that he walked into a treatment center and asked if they needed anyone to clean the floors. They offered him something much more than that, they paid for him to become a counselor instead.

Stasia Rivera is an expert in the science behind optimized performance; whether it is flying aircraft or building wins in sports or working through a recovery program, the concepts are the same. Stasia developed these processes as a therapist working in trauma, addiction and family systems as well as being a former Division 1 athlete and coach at all levels of competition.

In this Q and A episode Ashley answers the listener question "Why is Resentment So Dangerous?". The listener isn't sure why resentments matter so much. Ashley shares secrets from her own resentments and why they can be so dangerous to sobriety. Ashley Loeb Blassingame has been clean and sober for 16 years, she's a drug and alcohol counselor, interventionist, and the co-founder of a telehealth company called Lionrock Recovery that provides substance use disorder treatment.

In the early 2000s, she decided to pursue a nursing degree despite the hurdles of a colorful criminal record that strongly suggested she was unqualified, untrustworthy, and unethical. Despite the inner voice that whispered she wasn’t capable and with the support of her family and AA community, she walked through those fears in order to become a nurse. Her experience has allowed her to approach addicted patients with empathy and even with all the challenges of her high stress environment, she’s been able to remain sober for 18 years.

Matthew Bocchi’s father was one of the many who lost their lives on September 11th. The news came in a highly censored manner. His mom and uncle told him what they thought was best for his young mind, but it wasn’t enough for him. He wanted to understand all of the story. He became obsessed with the images of people jumping from the building and wondered daily if his father had been one of them. He badgered everyone around him, hoping one of them could tell him the truth. Eventually one person did talk to him, his uncle by marriage, but used it as a means to sexually assault Matthew. And thus began a life of using drugs to cope with devastating loss and psychological trauma.

In this Q and A episode Ashley answers the listener question "Depression is Threatening My Sobriety". The listener is losing their motivation and their feelings are keeping them from doing what they need to do to stay sober. Ashley shares her own story of depression and why it's important to validate feelings even when you feel like you don't have a right to them.

Nathan grew up in southeast LA. His parents wanted a better life for him, and began moving to try to find it but lacked the resources to get him there. The neighborhood they ended up in was nearly as rough as the one he’d come from. Drugs were prevalent in his community. So much so that they were easier to come by than alcohol. After getting clean he worked his way from Home Depot to community college, to UCLA and then becoming a lawyer where he is able to help other people in the profession who came from a similar background to him.

Constance Scharff, PhD is an internationally recognized speaker and author on the topics of addiction and trauma recovery, and mental health. She is founder of the Institute for Complementary and Indigenous Mental Health Research. In the past, she served Rock to Recovery, a music-based addiction and trauma treatment program, as VP Business Development, and Science and Research Chair and was Senior Addiction Research Fellow and Director of Addiction Research for Cliffside Malibu addiction treatment center.

In this Q and A episode Ashley answers the listener question "Why Do I Need To Go To Al-Anon? It's Their Problem." It can be challenging to feel as if you need to do more when you're already sacrificed so much for your loved one. Ashley talks about what you'll gain by attending and why it matters.

Justin White had been using meth for 12 years when tragedy found his family. His son had been playing outside and drowned in an empty pool at age 4. His Meth use accelerated and he introduced Heroin into his daily life. In 23 days he will celebrate a year of sobriety as he honors his son’s life.

Tim Lodgen grew up in Baltimore Maryland where he signed a skateboard contract that had him riding with Bucky Lasek and Brandon Novak. Playing sports kept him away from drugs and alcohol until he enlisted in the Marine Corps as a Senior in High School. He thought he’d let off some steam before he had to enter the highly regimented life of a soldier and during that time he did every drug he could get his hands on.He finally found help 27 years into his addiction after his wife discovered him preparing to take his own life. He has since become the healthiest version of himself, even coming in 3rd place in a Muscle and Fitness bodybuilding contest. Tim now uses his platform to help others through telling his story, working with the homeless and offering addiction and health advice through his Instagram account.

In this Q and A episode Ashley answers the listener question "I’ve Stopped Drinking, Will I Ever Have Fun Again?". It can be hard to feel like you're starting over. In our using, we might have lost the things make us feel happy. We might not have any idea about what we actually enjoy anymore. Ashley talks about her own experience getting sober and what you can do to find fun once again.

Danny was born in New Jersey, but spent most of his childhood moving around the country before finally landing in Orange County. His drinking and using started in high school like so many but quickly got out of hand.At 17 he was caught smoking weed in a grocery store and was given a way to avoid legal trouble. If his parents were willing to send him to outpatient treatment then the charge would be dropped. His parents jumped at the chance and thus began a pattern of 15 years in an out of treatment and sober living communities. Danny was in and out of the rooms of AA for 12 years before he landed on his sobriety date. Danny finally found sobriety in 2016 after reconnecting with his now wife.

Anna Lembke, MD is professor of psychiatry at Stanford University School of Medicine and chief of the Stanford Addiction Medicine Dual Diagnosis Clinic. A clinician scholar, she has published more than a hundred peer-reviewed papers, book chapters, and commentaries. Dr. Lembke recently appeared on the Netflix documentary The Social Dilemma, an unvarnished look at the impact of social media on our lives. Her new book, Dopamine Nation: Finding Balance in the Age of Indulgence (Dutton/Penguin Random House, August 2021), an instant New York Times bestseller, explores moderate compulsive overconsumption in a dopamine-overloaded world.