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.

You can also find Julie and Steve on:

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Facebook