Claim OwnershipRecovery Demystified - Secular Addiction Recovery and Harm Reduction for Queers, Neurodivergent People, and Their Allies
Subscribed: 2Played: 35
Subscribe
© 2024
Description
Recovery Demystified is a secular, queer, and neurodivergent-friendly recovery podcast exploring addiction, sobriety, and harm reduction without shame, judgement, or dogma. We tell unheard stories to upend stigma surrounding recovery, provide practical tools, and have honest conversations about navigating life in the process of healing from addiction and trauma.
Each episode is created for folks seeking addiction recovery support from a radical lens, whether you're early in sobriety, exploring alternatives to 12-step programs, or looking for harm-reduction strategies that work in your life. We feature inclusive perspectives from queer and neurodivergent communities, tackling topics like relapse prevention, coping with cravings, mental health, trauma, and identity in recovery.
You can expect:
-Empowerment, encouragement, and a healing environment
-Personal recovery stories from queer, ND, and secular voices
-Practical harm reduction tools and strategies
-Honest discussions about sobriety challenges, relapse, and mental health
-Guidance for secular and alternative recovery paths
-A punk, stigma-free, and inclusive approach to healing
Whether you're looking for a queer recovery podcast, neurodivergent sobriety support, or just want real talk about addiction and harm reduction, Recovery Demystified is here to provide clarity, compassion, and community.
If you have ever felt left behind or pushed to the fringes of society, you are in the right place! Recovery for the rest of us!
Instagram @recoverydemystified
Email info@recoverydemystified.com
Donate to our cause!
Venmo & Paypal @recoverydemystified
https://www.recoverydemystified.com/donations/
Each episode is created for folks seeking addiction recovery support from a radical lens, whether you're early in sobriety, exploring alternatives to 12-step programs, or looking for harm-reduction strategies that work in your life. We feature inclusive perspectives from queer and neurodivergent communities, tackling topics like relapse prevention, coping with cravings, mental health, trauma, and identity in recovery.
You can expect:
-Empowerment, encouragement, and a healing environment
-Personal recovery stories from queer, ND, and secular voices
-Practical harm reduction tools and strategies
-Honest discussions about sobriety challenges, relapse, and mental health
-Guidance for secular and alternative recovery paths
-A punk, stigma-free, and inclusive approach to healing
Whether you're looking for a queer recovery podcast, neurodivergent sobriety support, or just want real talk about addiction and harm reduction, Recovery Demystified is here to provide clarity, compassion, and community.
If you have ever felt left behind or pushed to the fringes of society, you are in the right place! Recovery for the rest of us!
Instagram @recoverydemystified
Email info@recoverydemystified.com
Donate to our cause!
Venmo & Paypal @recoverydemystified
https://www.recoverydemystified.com/donations/
59 Episodes
Reverse
In today's episode, Early and Amber Hollingsworth of popular YouTube channel Put the Shovel Down discuss data-informed methods of how to help our loved ones escape their addiction. Most people accidentally put themselves in the "villian" role in their addicted family member's life, even though their actions are rooted in love. Why is this? What can we do better? How can we use compassionate understanding to help them escape from alcoholism and drug addiction? We also discuss dual diagnosis, and how folks often recieve false bipolar disorder diagnosis and other mental health problems due to exacerbation of their addictions. If you want to know the best way to help an alcoholic or drug addicted loved one, this is the episode for you! Want to support this work? Donations can be made to our Venmo or PayPal @recoverydemystified Want to be interviewed on this podcast? Send an email to info@recoverydemystified.com Connect with us on social media! Instagram & Substack @recoverydemystified Logo: Stevie Petet Theme music: Logan Bragg
Today Early discusses more addiction recovery resources for people in recovery, sober curious folks, and anyone else on a healing journey with their relationship to drugs and/or alcohol. They discuss a book from White Bison Inc about the hundreds of years old Indigenous resistance to alcoholism, and the decolonization movements that heal Native American communities. Next is a book outlining the principals of a unique trauma therapy modality called Internal Family Systems. They also discuss the controversial Dr. Nicole LePera and her book How to Do the Work. They then go over the (also controversial) podcast by Luis Mojica, which covers topics like how we can heal trauma with nutrition and somatics. Last, we've got next week's podcast guest: Amber Hollingsworth of the popular YouTube channel, Put the Shovel Down, and how she teaches family members to support their loved ones with addiction. Books: Alcohol Problems in Native America by Don L. Coyhis and William L. White No Bad Parts by Richard C. Schwartz, PhD How to Do the Work by Dr. Nicole LePera Podcast: The Holistic Life Navigation Podcast by Luis Mojica YouTube Channel: Put the Shovel Down by Amber Hollingsworth In financial hardship, and want one of these books? Want to be interviewed on this podcast? Have other feedback or ideas? Send an email to info@recoverydemystified.com Connect with us! Instagram & Substack @recoverydemystified Want to support this work? Send a donation in any amount to Venmo or PayPal @recoverydemystified Logo: Stevie Petet Theme Music: Logan Bragg
Trigger warning: brief mention of childhood sexual abuse and suicidal thoughts Today we hear Danny's addiction recovery story as a neurodivergent person. He describes himself as being a highly emotional child who cried often. He tried LSD at the age of 11, and promptly changed his world view and became a musician and someone who ditched class. He got kicked out of multiple schools and was sent to a jail-like boarding school. After a bad breakup in early adulthood, opiates started to hit different. He got deeper and deeper into hard drugs until working with plant medicine Ibogaine, which unlocked his creativity and set him free. We explore the topic of harm reduction and kratom in this episode! Want to tell your story on this podcast? Send us an email: info@recoverydemystified.com Want to support this work? Send donations in any amount to Venmo/PayPal @recoverydemystified Connect with us: Instagram and Substack @recoverydemystified Logo: Stevie Petet Theme Music: Logan Bragg
Today Early discusses a bit more about their own story in addiction recovery. They outline the three most important plant medicines they have worked with on their journey: valerian root, kratom, and ayahuasca. What's right for one person may be harmful for another, and the most important thing is learning to listen to your own intuition and find what's right for you. Our relationship to plants, the earth, and each other has been growing further and further apart as our culture becomes more solitary and technological. Some part of us deep down is still drawn to nature and the seasons -- it's why people have the impulse to put pumpkins on their porch. Not long ago we actually grew and harvested our food and medicine, and fostering a new connection to nature can create wholeness and healing in our recovery. We explore the idea of harm reduction with kratom in this episode. Want to tell your story on our podcast? Send an email to info@recoverydemystified.com Want to support this work? Donations in any amount can be sent to our PayPal or Venmo @recoverydemystified Connect with us on Instagram and Substack @recoverydemystified Logo: Stevie Petet Theme Music: Logan Bragg
Trigger warning: mention of child abuse, extensive discussion about suicide Today we hear Kelly's addiction recovery story. Her life started with a complicated childhood: a mix of happiness, love, and abuse. She was tasked with caring for her younger brothers as they suffered from life-threatening health problems, which she later realized was parentification. She had an "aha" moment after her first drink, and soon fell in with a crowd of older kids who were partying with ecstasy and weed. She lived the life of the party girl for a long time, getting heavily into cocaine and kratom, along with a variety of other drugs. She continued to play the role of caretaker in her relationships in adulthood. Eventually she began to isolate and continued to use cocaine in large amounts. She eventually ended up in drug court, which ultimately saved her life. Want to be interviewed on this podcast? Send an email to info@recoverydemystified.com Want to support this work? Send a donation in any amount to our Venmo or PayPal @recoverydemystified Connect with us on Instagram/Substack @recoverydemystified Logo: Stevie Petet Theme Music: Logan Bragg
In today's episode, Early discusses the foundational ideas that the RD secular addiction recovery/sober curious support groups have been built upon. These ideas are a work in progress, but include: -a land & history acknowledgement -viewing oneself as a scientist and a test subject in our recovery -the belief that we are powerful and already whole -a practice of recognizing our addicted voice and distinguishing it from our core self -a practice of reconnecting to our intuition -forgiveness for ourselves instead of shame -safe(r) space dynamic within the group, being grateful for our differences and treating each other with mutual respect -leaning into discomfort and distinguishing the safe zone, growth zone, and panic zone -valuing harm reduction as valid and life saving To follow along with the packet, click here. Want to be a guest on this podcast? email info@recoverydemystified.com to get scheduled! Want to support this work? Donate in any amount to our Venmo or Paypal @recoverydemystified Connect with us! Instagram & Substack @recoverydemystified Logo: Stevie Petet Theme Music: Logan Bragg
Trigger warning: Frank discussions about suicidal thoughts and ambivalence towards life, talk of grief and death. In today's episode, we hear Brittany's addiction recovery/sober curious story. She grew up with parents in active addiction and experienced abandonment and trauma in early childhood. When she had her first drink, fireworks started going off, and she knew that this was the key to feeling better... for now. As she became an adult her drinking got out of control, although she wasn't able to view it that way at the time. She experienced tragedy after tragedy, and as she did, she spiraled further and further with alcohol. No one called her out on it at the time because it's normal in our society to self-medicate grief with booze. As time went on, the death around her never stopped, and neither did the drinking. She reached a breaking point when she had a realization that her drinking was pushing people away, and she decided to change her life. She's currently in the place of trying to quit drinking but not always succeeding. This part of the process is relatable, challenging, and not often talked about. Donate to our cause! Venmo/PayPal @recoverydemystified Want to be on this podcast? Send an email to info@recoverydemystified.com Connect with us! Instagram/Substack @recoverydemystified Logo: Stevie Petet Theme Music: Logan Bragg
In order to rewire our brains, we must feed them new information. Or bathe them in a soup of new information. Today, Early recommends a few books and podcasts to support addiction recovery. They also start the conversation about accountability for harm caused during addiction. Books: How to Eat to Change How You Drink by Brooke Scheller, DCN, CNS Dry by Augusten Burroughs The Places That Scare You by Pema Chodron Podcasts: How We Handle Harm by Punch Up Kick Down Distro (click here) Love in a Fucked Up World by Deane Spade
Trigger warning: Mentions of domestic violence, grooming Today we hear Emily's addiction story and about how she became sober curious. Emily's childhood involved having one parent in severe addiction, and the other parent covering for them. She discusses the complexity of loving someone who is abusing you, and using sex as a young person to seek the approval she wasn't getting at home. She began drinking and smoking pot, and soon began using both quite heavily. Emily reflects on how her upbringing affects her relationships in adulthood. Today she is wondering: what are all these substances really doing for me? Support this work! Donate to our Venmo or PayPal @recoverydemystified Connect with us! Instagram & Substack @recoverydemystified Have a story to tell? Want to be interviewed on this podcast? Send an email to info@recoverydemystified.com Logo: Stevie Petet Theme Music: Logan Bragg
In today's episode, Early discusses the two pivotal mental shifts they made in their life that turned recovery from feeling impossible to being possible. Once they made these mental shifts, they were no longer "trying to quit drinking." Instead, they finally just quit. Want to donate to our nonprofit? Donations in any amount can be sent to our Venmo or PayPal @recoverydemystified Want to be interviewed on this podcast? Send an email to info@recoverydemystified.com Connect with us on Instagram/Substack @recoverydemystified Logo: Stevie Petet Theme Music: Logan Bragg
Trigger warning: brief mention of suicide. Today we hear Bill's addiction recovery story. Bill first saw the destructive powers of alcohol when his dad started drinking a lot after his parents got divorced. His own experimentation with binge drinking led to blackouts early on. In high school, he recognized that his drinking and weed smoking had started messing up his life and he decided to move in with his grandmother. After moving out and going to college, the lack of oversight led to an acceleration in his drinking and he flunked out of college. Working in the restaurant industry normalized this level of drinking and added cocaine to the mix. Multiple DUIs and waking up hungover still laying on his back porch pushed him to get sober during the pandemic, and he has never looked back. Want to be interviewed on this podcast? Send us and email: info@recoverydemystified.com Support our work! Donations can be sent to Venmo or PayPal @recoverydemystified Connect with us on Instagram & Substack: @recoverydemystified Logo: Stevie Petet Theme Music: Logan Bragg
Today we explore more secular addiction recovery resources for sober curious people. What works for you is what works for you! Try everything and see what sticks. Maybe understanding your shadow self will help. Perhaps reading about someone else who has been on a crack bender will make you feel less alone. Maybe the practical tools of Buddhism will soothe your anxious mind. Everything is connected, and perhaps if we can destroy our inner queerphobia/transphobia and start to love the gender diversity inside us, we can create a stronger foundation for recovery! Books: Existential Kink by Carolyn Elliott, PhD Portrait of an Addict as a Young Man by Bill Clegg When Things Fall Apart by Pema Chodron Podcasts: Gender Spiral by Ally Beardsley and Babette Thomas Gender Reveal by Tuck Woodstock Translash Podcast by Imara Jones (RD is featured in S5 Ep147!) Instagram/Substack: @recoverydemystified Support this podcast! Venmo/PayPal: @recoverydemystified Contact us! info@recoverydemystified.com Logo: Stevie Petet Theme Music: Logan Bragg
Today we hear Jonny's addiction recovery story as a neurodivergent veteran. Jonny grew up with a father who drank quite a bit. He made it to the age of 19 without ever drinking or using drugs, and then after signing up for the navy, he started to party. Drinking felt like a better version of himself - at first. After leaving the military he started working at a bar on Dickson Street. The drinking culture of bartenders gave him a free pass to take shots whenever, and to be drunk at work. Eventually things spiraled out of control, and a series of drunken decisions had him kicked out of his favorite bar, lose his car, his glasses, and kicked out of his house. Amazingly, he was able to get sober while continuing to work at that same bar on Dickson Street, where he is still working today. Want to be interviewed on this podcast? Send us an email! info@recoverydemystified.com Want to support this work? Venmo/PayPal @recoverydemystified Connect with us! Instagram/Substack @recoverydemystified Theme music: Logan Bragg Logo: Stevie Petet
In this week's episode, Early shares a bit about addictive cravings and how to survive them for sober curious people or folks in addiction recovery. They also share a few resources of things that have been helpful for them along the way. However, what's most important is to find what works for you. Do you like running? Music so loud your ears bleed? Yoga videos? Do you like calling your mom? Make a list of things that you like, and that you know make you feel better when you're done doing them. Then pull out the list any time you get a craving, do something for twenty minutes, and see if the fleeting feeling has passed you by. This isn't about supressing the feeling, it's about transforming it and surviving! Things Early likes: Alternate Nostril Breathing Sudarshan Kriya Yoga Vagus Nerve Reset Only in Dreams Want to be on this podcast? Send an email! info@recoverydemystified.com Want to donate to our nonprofit? Venmo/Paypal @recoverydemystified Instagram/Substack @recoverydemystified Logo: Stevie Petet Theme Music: Logan Bragg
Trigger warning: brief mentions of sexual assault and self-harm. In today's episode, Early speaks with Hope about their addiction recovery story as a queer and neurodivergent person. They were raised by their grandparents due to their parents being in active addiction. Hope was determined to not be like their parents, but things didn't turn out the way their kid self had planned. They began by smoking weed to alleviate cramps, and later started stealing beer from their grandparent's fridge. Skipping school became the norm, and after getting their GED they started drinking more and more. They watched their friend have a near death experience while using inhalants, went through a xanax phase, and drank often and to excess. The sudden death of their sister propelled them into extreme alcohol addiction, bed rotting, and a state of listlessness. The same grief later propelled them into sobriety, and they have never looked back. We explore the topic of using weed as harm reduction in this episode! Want to be interviewed on this podcast or help us with our fundraising needs? Send an email to info@recoverydemystified.com Want to support this work? Send a donation to our Venmo or PayPal! @recoverydemystified Connect with us! Instagram & Susbstack @recoverydemystified Logo: Stevie Petet Theme Music: Logan Bragg
Let us continue to bathe our brains in a soup of new information. This month's list contains two addiction memoirs and a book on attachment theory, as well as three single-episode recommendations for podcasts on attachment theory. Addiction recovery stories help us feel less alone, and understanding attachment theory can help us lead a healthier sober or sober curious life! Books: I'm Black and I'm Sober by Chaney Allen Pill Head, The Secret Life of a Painkiller Addict by Joshua Lyon Attachment Theory By Thais Gibson Podcasts (single episodes): Mahon McCann - #63, Attachment Adam, How to Fix Your Attachment Issues DharmaPunxNYC - #454, Safe Enough to Love: A Journey From Insecure to Secure Attachment Two Dudes Talkin' Therapy - Healing Anxious Attachment Want to support this work? Venmo & PayPal @recoverydemystified Want to be interviewed on this podcast? Send us an email! info@recoverydemystified.com Connect with us! Instagram & Venmo @recoverydemystified Theme music: Logan Bragg Logo: Stevie Petet
Obsidian returns to discuss their ongoing addiction recovery story as a queer and neurodivergent person! In today's episode, we discuss the complexity of using again after a period of abstinence. Our healing work doesn't just disappear, and it can inform our experience when we use again. Picking back up again can be very different, end quickly, and be a reminder of why we quit in the first place. The danger lives within our perspective, and whether we view ourselves as inherently "bad" for using again. Do we believe that using again means we are a failure, or unintelligent, or a fuck up? Or do we believe that this experience is an opportunity to learn more about ourselves, including perhaps that using still feels like shit? We also discuss the Addicted Voice, how to recognize it, and where it comes from! We uplift harm reduction along the way! Want to be on this podcast? Send an email to info@recoverydemystified.com Instagram/Substack: @recoverydemystified Support this work! Venmo/PayPal: @recoverydemystified Theme music: Logan Bragg Logo: Stevie Petet
Today we hear Randy's addiction recovery story. Randy's life started with tragedy and abandonment trauma; he was the sole survivor of a car wreck that killed his mother and two brothers when he was only 9 months old. Growing up he was always the odd one out until he found drugs and bad kids. He managed to keep his life together for a long time while drinking and using a variety of drugs. Eventually, crack became his downfall. Years of hard drug use landed him in a scientology based rehab, then later, drug court. He decided to go "all-in" and move into a men's sober living facility. Little did he know, he would later revamp, expand, and run Modern Recovery. Want to be on this podcast? Send us an email! info@recoverydemystified.com Support our work! Venmo & PayPal @recoverydemystified Instagram: @recoverydemystified Theme music: Logan Bragg Logo: Stevie Petet
In today's episode Early goes over our inherent need for both community and alone time, why your social anxiety makes you normal, how alcohol advertising targets our "wound of existence", anti-individualism, why normal things don't feel good anymore, and the ultimate question to ask while socializing: "Why am I here??" Follow along with the slideshow: Click here! Johan Hari's Ted Talk: Click here! Want to be interviewed on this podcast? Send us an email: info@recoverydemystified.com Instagram, Substack: @recoverydemystified Donate to our cause! Venmo & Paypal: @recoverydemystified Logo: Stevie Petet Theme Music: Logan Bragg
Trigger warning: graphic descriptions of physical and sexual assault, frank discussions about eating disorder In today's episode, Early talks with their friend Elise about her addiction recovery story. Elise suffered sports concussions as a kid and had to stop playing soccer, which at that time was a huge part of her identity. A resulting change in her body and self-image led to an eating disorder as a teen. During high school she experimented with alcohol with her friends. As an adult she entered into relationships with men who had addictions, and this led to her also drinking more. A relationship with someone who abused her led her to self-medicate to numb the pain. She was able to piece her life back together after that, and is now living a life she no longer needs to escape from. We explore using weed and controlled alcohol use as harm reduction in this episode. Donate to our cause! Venmo & Paypal @recoverydemystified Want to be interviewed on this podcast? Send an email to info@recoverydemystified.com Instagram & Substack: @recoverydemystified Logo: Stevie Petet Theme music: Logan Bragg
Comments
Download from Google Play
Download from App Store
United States