The Way Out | A Sobriety and Recovery Podcast

John Machado shares his passion for the 12 steps with us and talked about a wide array of topics such as emotional maturity in early recovery, communication skills, and learning what true intimacy in a relationship is. The first step towards learning any hard lesson is always the hardest, and nothing that’s worth it is going to come easy! This was John’s first ever podcast appearance and he's got a great voice for radio so #ListenUp https://buff.ly/3AIoRBc   Contact info: johnallenmachado.com      johnallenmachado@gmail.com Instagram: @johnallenmachado   Recovery literature (quit-lit) recommendation: The Four Agreements by Don Miguel Ruiz - https://a.co/d/4dE1Jzr   Best piece of Recovery advice: You don't want to have “meeting” recovery ( Do the work).   Song that symbolizes recovery to John: Wondering Why by The Red Clay Strays - https://youtu.be/GhcMmaUPtrk?si=kCQz7vGo6p04Jx8s   Don’t forget to check out “The Way Out Playlist” available only on Spotify. Curated by all our wonderful guests on the podcast!   https://open.spotify.com/playlist/6HNQyyjlFBrDbOUADgw1Sz?si=3c5c5bb2ba0e4064   (c) 2015 - 2024 The Way Out Podcast | All Rights Reserved Theme Music: “all clear” (https://ketsa.uk/browse-music/) by Ketsa (https://ketsa.uk) licensed under CC BY-NC-ND 4.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd)

Food can be an issue for those of us in Recovery. Maybe it was always an issue, maybe it's become one. Ali Shapiro is a Holistic Nutritionist, host of the wildly popular Podcast insatiable and Founder and Creator of Truce with Food. Ali shares her journey to a healthy relationship with food with us and how you too can make a truce with food by starting with one simple and powerful question: Why does this make sense? #ListenUp. Reach out to Ali Shapiro Holistic Nutritionist, Host of the wildly popular Podcast insatiable, Founder and Creator of Truce with Food: https://alishapiro.com/ Recovery literature (quit-lit) recommendations: The Myth of Normal: Trauma, Illness & Healing in a Toxic Culture by Gabor Maté - https://a.co/d/cbylXv3 Nourished: Connection, Food, and Caring for Our Kids (And Everyone Else We Love) – by Deborah MacNamara PhD - https://a.co/d/dfjRm9V Best piece of advice for folks struggling with food - Why does it makes sense? Trust Fall by Pink - https://youtu.be/D2KE2a5qo0g?si=U4UhyJ45QojDLgla Edge of Glory by Lady Gaga - https://youtu.be/QeWBS0JBNzQ?si=Bjdy2op3bV2YNuRk Don’t forget to check out “The Way Out Playlist” available only on Spotify. Curated by all our wonderful guests on the podcast! https://open.spotify.com/playlist/6HNQyyjlFBrDbOUADgw1Sz (c) 2015 - 2024 The Way Out Podcast | All Rights Reserved Theme Music: “all clear” (https://ketsa.uk/browse-music/) by Ketsa (https://ketsa.uk) licensed under CC BY-NC-ND 4.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd)

This week we’re breaking down the oft overlooked and perhaps even more so dreaded 12-Step concept of Character Defects in recovery. In short order, you’ll get a practical definition of what Character Defects are and why we want to shed their dominance over our day to day thoughts, actions, and interactions with others. Understanding the what and how of it will lead is into what actions we can take in order to free ourselves from the stronghold character defects such as fear, anger, selfishness, control, among many others, have on us. Plus we share feedback from the Sober & Serious community and take your calls so Listen Up. Drop the Rock: https://www.hazelden.org/OA_HTML/item/6666?Drop-the-Rock-Second-Edition&utm_source=hbf&utm_medium=blog&utm_campaign=droptherock Drop the Rock...The Ripple Effect https://www.hazelden.org/OA_HTML/item/367136?Drop-the-Rock-The-Ripple-Effect&src_url=itemquest&utm_source=hbf&utm_medium=blog&utm_campaign=droptherock

We’re talking relapse and recovery. Relapse often can be a loaded term; often bandied about in discussion on recovery spurring heated debates on whether relapse is a part of recovery or if it is the antithesis of what we’re trying to achieve in recovery. Make no mistake, relapse can be and is a part of many of our journeys to long term and meaningful recovery and assinging shame or judgement on those who experience relapse has no place in recovery. That said, relapse is NOT a part of recovery itself – no relapse is fundamentally the total absence of recovery and is antithetical to everything we’re seeking in recovery. We take a closer look at the stages of relapse, what behaviors mark each stage, and what we can do to thwart the onset of relapse thinking and behavior. Whether you’re new in recovery or been around a few 24 hours, you’ll get a mega dose of relapse defying insight and practical tools you can apply to your recovery. Plus, we hear what the Sober & Serious community has to say on the topic and take calls from The Way Out Podcast Listeners. Listen Up.

I’m Charlie and this week I’m bringing you a special presentation of perhaps one of the if not the most influential talks in modern 12-Step recovery. We’re bringing you this in lieu of our regularly scheduled podcast on relapse in Recovery. We had a bit of a technical snafu causing us to push our weekly recording to Wednesday. Parenthetically that caused me to work through some character defects like perfectionism, pride, and ego which I’ll talk more about in the Recover Revealed segment later in the podcast. Nevertheless, stay tuned for Wednesday’s episode on Relapse in Recovery as I am SUPER excited about what we’ve got in store for you in that episode. I’ve isolated the audio of Fred Holmquist’s lecture on the Big Book of Alcoholics Anonymous and the 12-Step program it outlines for all of you to easily listen and take in as you would with any other podcast you might listen to. Fred distills the quintessential dilemma of the addict and alcoholic in such a way that cuts straight to the heart of the matter which then sets up his distillation of the solution perfectly, which is a program of action as outlined in the Big Book of Alcoholics Anonymous. Perhaps nobody has done a better job than that of Fred Holmquist relating our core problem and the solution contained in the 12-Steps since Joe & Charlie’s talks entitled “The Big Book Comes Alive”. My hope is that you will find this talk as enlightening and as useful as I did when I watched the videos while in treatment at Hazelden more than 4 years ago, but even if you only find them a fraction as useful that would still be a tremendous addition to your recovery. 

This week we’re talking Complacency in Recovery. Complacency can be a formidable and subtle foe in maintaining meaningful and lasting recovery. It is without question quite human to experience complacency in any number of facets in our lives; and recovery is no exception. For those of us in Recovery however, complacency often can and indeed does precede relapse.  We’re going to discuss what complacency in recovery means; how to detect it, where it stems from, and what practical action we can take to ensure we’re not falling victim to this all too common pitfall in Recovery. Plus we share comments on this topic from Sober & Serious AND take your calls! Listen Up!

This week we’re talking right to and all about the Newcomer to recovery. It’s often said the newcomer is the most important person in a 12-Step meeting, though it doesn’t necessarily feel that way when you are first entering a program of Recovery. We give you, the newcomer, straight forward, practical actions you can implement straight away that will yield remarkable results as well as helpful insights into why these actions make such a big difference in Recovery. For the person in long term recovery, we remind you of how vitally important it is to your own recovery to reach out and help the newcomer in any way you can. Plus we take calls from the Way Out Podcast listeners. Listen Up.

This week we’ve got a fantastic discussion on tap for you with Mr. Mike Govoni. Mike has been in long term recovery from addiction and alcoholism to the tune of 14 years, works on the front line in emergency rooms on the opioid & addiction crisis, and is the founder of Breath by Breath Wellness – where mindfulness and breath are cornerstones of his approach to total wellness coaching. Mike has one amazing Recovery story to share, along with incredibly insightful lessons he’s learned on his journey to wellness. He speaks of ACE’s – or adverse childhood experiences, a topic we’ll dive into in greater depth in our Recovery Revealed segment, as well as what he learned from each of the TWO bottoms he’s hit in his Journey to recovery; one of these bottoms while in sobriety. You won’t want to miss a minute of this gem of an interview so Listen UP. Mike can be reached here: Website: www.breathbybreathwellness.com  Instagram : mikegovoni Facebook: mike govoni  Adverse Childhood Experience Test (you'll need to find it in the article): https://www.npr.org/sections/health-shots/2015/03/02/387007941/take-the-ace-quiz-and-learn-what-it-does-and-doesnt-mean

This week we’re discussing the importance of and how to inject perseverance into recovery. Without question any meaningful and lasting recovery must have some measure of perseverance as a foundational and defining characteristic. Perseverance is often the key ingredient that separates those who succeed in any endeavor, and Recovery is no exception. A cursory Google search on the word perseverance will yield countless quotes from some of history’s most influential people, waxing poetic on the virtues of hard work, determination, and a never say die attitude. You’ll get the low down on perseverance in Recovery and how to apply it to your own recovery as well as why the goal might actually be to have to persevere LESS. Plus we take calls from The Way Out Podcast Audience. One note before we kick the show off – I humbly ask that you persevere through a less than ideal audio experience as the studio equipment was adjusted by a 17 year old boy whom shall remain nameless while he was recording piano samples with Dad’s podcast studio gear, thus the gain on the channel my vocals are recorded on was up WAY too high. I did my level best to clean up a very HOT signal, so without further ado – Listen Up.

The Dash: http://www.nightingale.com/articles/the-dash/   These instructions are for the below prayer (Big Book, Freedom from Bondage, p. 552): ‘If you have a resentment you want to be free of, if you will pray for the person or the thing that you resent, you will be free. If you will ask in prayer for everything you want for yourself to be given to them, you will be free…Even when you don’t really want it for them, and your prayers are only words and you don’t mean it, go ahead and do it anyway. Do it every day for two weeks and you will find you have come to mean it and to want it for them, and you will realize that where you used to feel bitterness and resentment and hatred, you now feel compassionate understanding and love.’ This week we’re taking on the number one offender in preventing recovery from taking root and often a major contributor to relapse – Resentments. We shed light on what resentments actually are, how to detect if you have them, why it’s so important to move past them, and how to actually live a life that is free of the devastating effects of resentment. Plus we take calls from The Way Out Podcast listeners – Listen Up.

This week I’ve got a down right remarkable story to share with you; a story not often heard on The Way Out Podcast airwaves. Melinda’s story is marked by a tumultuous and chaotic childhood providing the fertile soil for dysfunction and addiction to take root as she began to traverse the uncharted territory of adulthood. The sentinel moment that marked the beginning of Melinda’s Recovery is ultra-relatable and provides the compelling catalyst for her finding Recovery in various programs, not the least of which included the 12-Steps in Adult Children of Alcoholics. Melinda’s perspective on Recovery is on point; astute, and nuanced, and quite refreshing. To that end, and without further ado, I give you Melinda in unadulterated and totally uninterrupted fashion – Listen Up.

We’ve got a phenomenal interview for you with Stephen Daniels, who is in long term recovery from both gambling and porn addiction. Stephen shares his 15 plus year battle with these addictions in an honest and authentic way, looking to smash the stigma and shame that’s so often attached to addiction, especially society’s awkward relationship to porn and the deafening silence and lack of conversation surrounding porn addiction. Stephen’s story affirms that despite how our primary addictions manifest, whether it be drugs, alcohol, gambling, or porn – the root cause and the solution is universal. Stephen’s mission to break the silence and smash the stigma of porn and gambling addiction starts right now. Listen Up. Stephen D. Daniels Motivational Speaker Email: stephendreport@gmail.com Social Media Handles twitter.com/stephendSKPL instagram.com/stephendSKPL facebook.com/stephendSKPL linkedin.com/in/stephenddaniels/

The Problem & Solution by Fred Holmquist Videos: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nMtTfUBTes8 (Part 1 of 5) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=crP10-oqzHo (Part 2 of 5) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o9ot0QCHzXk (Part 3 of 5) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tUsSarmLKtY (Part 4 of 5) https://youtu.be/rEO6fbfm1sg (Part 5 of 5) Staying Sober: A Guide for Relapse Prevention: https://www.amazon.com/Staying-Sober-Guide-Relapse-Prevention/dp/083090459X We’re addressing a common struggle many of us have faced on our recovery journeys – the process of facing and overcoming barriers to recovery. We’ve talked at length on various important and impactful elements of recovery and this week we’re helping demystify common barriers we often face before lasting and meaningful recovery can be achieved. Learning what these barriers are, and how to overcome them is paramount if we want to achieve rewarding & enduring recovery. All this, plus we take calls from The Way Out Podcast listeners – Listen Up! 

We’ve got an outstanding final episode of 2018 for you to enjoy. Jared is coming back into Recovery after a near fatal overdose and shares very candidly and openly about his struggle with alcoholism and heroin addiction. Jared’s journey dovetails splendidly with our ensuing discussion on Community in Recovery. It’s often said in all walks of life, regardless of the situation, that “it takes a village” and that is no truer than in Recovery. Community in so many ways provides the antidote to addiction and alcoholism. We give you the big wins that come from connecting with your recovery community & even more helpful, we give you practical ways you can make that life giving community connection. Plus, we take calls from The Way Out Podcast listeners. Listen Up.   Here's the link to the video we talked about on the show! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ao8L-0nSYzg&feature=share&fbclid=IwAR1izEg5L_ypvQDdBLvJ4HljtUiVpVM1l4SmroeqPskaP87mkdnktsIJeuQ

This week we’ll be exploring an often treacherous dynamic in recovery – relationships. Many of us have endured unhealthy and even toxic relationships during our active addiction and alcoholism. Navigating relationships, especially in early recovery; whether you’re currently in a committed relationship or contemplating entering a relationship, can be difficult and complex at best and down right risky and dangerous at worst. A toxic relationship in recovery can threaten your sobriety and even the very safety of yourself, your children, and your family. We discuss in very practical and useful terms how to navigate these turbulent waters and share how our programs of Recovery helped us be better friends, sponsors, sponsees, and mates as well as how our pickers done got fixed. Listen Up. 

Sometimes in Recovery we have to adapt & overcome unforeseen obstacles that stand in our way; or as the Serenity Prayer elegantly states – Change the things we can. Our recording session for this week’s podcast was stopped before it started when we had a key piece of equipment fail – preventing us from being able to record any audio. For your audio tech nerds out there, it was my trusty and yes kind of dusty Alesis iO2 audio interface that went belly up. With any hopes of a studio session dashed I was faced with two choices; either skip this week’s podcast all together or try to put something out myself. Just as I was attempting to lie down for a sleep last night an idea popped into my head – what if I could get folks to call in to the show and share whatever was on their heart or mind regarding recovery? An all caller based show! Ladies and germs, that’s exactly what we have for your this week. We’re often faced with a choice to do something or nothing; and this week is the result of a decision to give you all something special, straight from our listeners. Thank you so much AnneMarie, Big Jim, Buddy, Chris, and Michelle – each and every one of you most certainly made this possible. Listen Up.

Contact Tyler on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61557112647258   Recovery literature (quit-lit) recommendation: Finding Your Moral Compass: Transformative Principles to Guide You In Recovery and Life by Craig Nakken - https://a.co/d/9lNbd8v   Best piece of Recovery advice: "Its OK to not be OK, it's just not ok to stay that way"   Song that symbolizes recovery: Be Alright by Nappy Roots - https://youtu.be/P614pRLZWWU   Don’t forget to check out “The Way Out Playlist” available only on Spotify. Curated by all our wonderful guests on the podcast! https://open.spotify.com?episode/07lvzwUq1L6VQGnZuH6OLz?si=3eyd3PxVRWCKz4pTurLcmA   (c) 2015 - 2025 The Way Out Podcast | All Rights Reserved Theme Music: “all clear” (https://ketsa.uk/browse-music/) by Ketsa(https://ketsa.uk) licensed under CC BY-NC-ND 4.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd)

Learn more about Musician and person in long term recovery Hana Piranha: https://www.hanapiranha.com/   Recovery literature (quit-lit) recommendation: Quit Like a Woman: The Radical Choice to Not Drink in a Culture Obsessed with Alcohol by Holly Whitaker - https://a.co/d/hz7qTM1   Best piece of Recovery advice: Never question your decision to get sober   The Devil Always Pulls Through by Hana Piranha: https://youtu.be/LKojaqN5TQI   Don’t forget to check out “The Way Out Playlist” available only on Spotify. Curated by all our wonderful guests on the podcast! https://open.spotify.com?episode/07lvzwUq1L6VQGnZuH6OLz?si=3eyd3PxVRWCKz4pTurLcmA   (c) 2015 - 2025 The Way Out Podcast | All Rights Reserved Theme Music: “all clear” (https://ketsa.uk/browse-music/) by Ketsa(https://ketsa.uk) licensed under CC BY-NC-ND 4.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd)

Learn more about Mishkin Fitzgerald and her projects: Lead Singer of CRIMSON VEIL on the major label Reigning Phoenix Bass Player in Hana Piranha https://www.notsaints.co.uk/ https://reigningphoenixmusic.com/news/crimson-veil-release-debut-album-hex-tomorrow-launch-title-track-music-video   Recovery literature (quit-lit) recommendations: Quit Like a Woman: The Radical Choice to Not Drink in a Culture Obsessed with Alcohol by Holly Whitaker - https://a.co/d/bFoLFcl The Sober Diaries: How one woman stopped drinking and started living by Clare Pooley - https://a.co/d/1AwB4qt   Best Piece of Recovery Advice: Forgive yourself   Song that symbolizes Recovery to Mishkin: Eleventh Hour by Lamb of God - https://youtu.be/beltaLLilj4   Charlie’s guilty Christian Rock Song: Flood by Jars of Clay - https://youtu.be/EfAhpX_wIBk   Don’t forget to check out “The Way Out Playlist” available only on Spotify. Curated by all our wonderful guests on the podcast! https://open.spotify.com?episode/07lvzwUq1L6VQGnZuH6OLz?si=3eyd3PxVRWCKz4pTurLcmA (c) 2015 - 2024 The Way Out Podcast | All Rights Reserved Theme Music: “all clear” (https://ketsa.uk/browse-music/) by Ketsa(https://ketsa.uk) licensed under CC BY-NC-ND 4.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd)

Reach out to Chris De Banks Founder of Not Saints and learn more about Not Saints: https://www.notsaints.co.uk/   Recover literature (quit-lit) recommendation: Big Book A Vision for You - https://www.aa.org/sites/default/files/2021-11/en_bigbook_chapt11.pdf   Best piece of Recovery advice: Accept your imperfection and your humanity, we are not Saints!   Song that symbolizes Recovery to Chris: Ghost by Ella Henderson - https://youtu.be/tA8AfQaUnXM   Don’t forget to check out “The Way Out Playlist” available only on Spotify. Curated by all our wonderful guests on the podcast! https://open.spotify.com?episode/07lvzwUq1L6VQGnZuH6OLz?si=3eyd3PxVRWCKz4pTurLcmA   (c) 2015 - 2024 The Way Out Podcast | All Rights Reserved Theme Music: “all clear” (https://ketsa.uk/browse-music/) by Ketsa(https://ketsa.uk) licensed under CC BY-NC-ND 4.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd)