Lisa Boucher's career is anything but predictable. After a few short stints training polo horses and working as a flight attendant, a hairdresser, and a bartender, she decided to become a nurse—a profession she's spent the past 29 years in, helping hundreds of people overcome alcoholism. Her fifth book, Raising the Bottom, is her response to traditional healthcare's inability to offer genuine help to most people struggling with addiction.

About Guest/Topic

The first time Lisa encountered betrayal, it took the form of a mother too deep in the bottle to provide guidance or support. Over the course of her life, she would struggle with betrayals as well as the unhealthy things she did to cope: drinking, drugs, and keeping the painfully familiar company of other addicts.

Yet another harsh betrayal—this time from her husband—finally got Lisa to stop sleepwalking through life. In this episode, Lisa talks about how betrayal and addiction beget each other and, more importantly, the principles and methods that helped her break that cycle.

In This Episode

• How betrayal and addiction are linked to each other
• Rethinking what self-care means
• Understanding and avoiding patterns that lead to betrayal and addiction
• Revisiting the twelve principles for overcoming addiction

Quotes

"We feel good about ourselves by doing the next right thing for us. And that is self-care. I kind of get annoyed with the self-care of soaking in a bathtub—that never worked for me. I need to do something." 13:03

"That is the worst thing you can do… To stay in your head. Get out of your head. Get out of yourself. They say depression is anger turned inward."14:34

"Maladjusted emotions are why most people self-medicate… So in order to recover or find other healthier coping skills, you've got to dig deep and find some willingness to learn other coping skills."16:30

"That is what drives behavior: pride, ego, fear. You get rid of those three things and people find a new life." 21:51

Resources Mentioned

Raising the Bottom (Book)

Raising the Bottom (Facebook group)

Post-Betrayal Syndrome QuizThe PBT Institute

Group: Women Hacking Betrayal