March 18, 2025

Addiction, Healing & Bhakti: A Deep Dive with Jiva Gwen Hammond | Ep. 171

1 hour 13 minutes

This Podcast was recorded in October 2024 in New Jersey, USA.

JivaG has been in recovery for 35 years. She grew up in NYC, left home at 14, and found the hardcore punk scene in the Lower East Side. By 19, she got addicted to heroin. What followed were years of overdoses, detoxes, homelessness, and the relentless cycle of addiction. At 21, she moved to Berlin, hoping for a fresh start, but instead, she fell even deeper. By 28, she hit a bottom so dark that death felt inevitable.

But instead of dying, she surrendered. She turned her will and life over to God, got clean, and found a 12-step program that saved her life.

For years, she stayed clean and sober, worked through deep trauma, codependency, and explored spirituality, always drawn to Krishna Consciousness. But at 48, she hit another bottom—this time emotional and spiritual. The pain was just as crushing as her drug years, and once again, the only way out was surrender. This time, she gave herself fully to Krishna.

As she deepened her recovery, she saw how many devotees were struggling—trapped in addiction, codependency, and unhealed trauma, with no real solution. That’s when she founded Bhakti Recovery Group (BRG), a nonprofit organization dedicated to bringing 12-step recovery into Bhakti communities. BRG offers daily recovery meetings, retreats, and workshops that integrate 12-step principles with the teachings of Bhakti. It provides a global community where people find real support, accountability, and spiritual connection. More than just a meeting, BRG is a movement—a place where no one has to struggle alone, no matter their past.

Krishna willing, this is JivaG’s life’s service: carrying the message, holding space, and helping others find the freedom she was given.

LINKS:

Jiva's podcast: https://open.spotify.com/show/2ci69OH...

Donate to Jiva's BRG: https://www.paypal.me/jivagwen

https://www.bhaktirecoverygroup.com/

IG: https://www.instagram.com/jivaglife?i...

IG: https://www.instagram.com/bhaktirecov...

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