Addiction Unlimited Podcast

By Angela PughHealth & Fitness Mental Health Education Self-Improvement

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Addiction Unlimited Podcast episodes

December 05, 2025 From Alcohol to Sugar: Understanding Food Addiction in Recovery
You Put Down the Drink, But Now You Can't Stop Thinking About Food. Here's Why.
If you've traded your nightly wine for nightly ice cream binges, you're not alone.
And no, it's not just about willpower or "getting your act together."
In this episode, I sit down with Ali Shapiro, creator of the Truce with Food methodology, to unpack the real reasons we turn to food and sugar in recovery—and it goes way deeper than you think.
Ali shares her personal journey from childhood cancer and pesticide exposure to developing a complicated relationship with food that mirrored so many of the patterns we see in addiction.
We dive into the difference between food addiction and disordered eating, why belonging (not hunger) drives most of our food choices, and the four emotional triggers that send us straight to the pantry.
This conversation will change how you think about food forever.
We talk about the TAIL framework (Tiredness, Anxiety, Inadequacy, Loneliness), why protein is your secret weapon against sugar cravings, and how self-trust—not perfection—is the real foundation of recovery from any substance.
If you've ever felt crazy around food, ashamed of your eating habits, or wondered why you can't just "eat normal," this episode is for you.
HERE ARE THE 3 KEY TAKEAWAYS FROM THIS EPISODE:
1️⃣ Food Isn't the Problem—Belonging Is — Understanding this invisible string changes everything.
2️⃣ The TAIL Framework Reveals Your True Triggers — When you can identify what job food is doing for you, you can address the real need underneath.
3️⃣ Protein Is Your Anti-Craving Superpower — It's not about willpower—it's about physiology.

Resources Mentioned in This Episode:
Ready to get serious about transformation? Book a free consultation call to explore how we can work together.
Join the Addiction Unlimited Facebook Community — facebook.com/groups/addictionunlimited
Explore Angela's Programs + Tools — From courses to coaching, find the right support for your recovery journey.
Related Episode: What No One Tells You About Your Eating Habits — Food and fitness expert, Adam Gilbert, sets the record straight on the most common pitfalls of making lifestyle changes and how to overcome them.
1 hr 1 min
December 03, 2025 How to Stay Sober When You Can’t Control Your Family: 8 Radical Shifts for the Holidays
How to Stay Sober When You Can’t Control Your Family
The holidays don’t threaten your sobriety. Your addiction to control does.
In this episode, we’re tossing out the traditional holiday survival guides — no more tips about mocktails or leaving early. Instead, we’re talking about the real threat to your peace: the compulsive need to manage everything and everyone around you.
Because if you're honest, it's not just Uncle Bob at the punch bowl stressing you out — it’s your internal pressure to make everything go just right.
This isn’t about avoiding triggers. It’s about mastering yourself.You’ll learn 8 things you need to STOP trying to control this season — and the ONE thing you can control that changes everything.
If you’re ready to protect your peace and stop abandoning yourself in the name of keeping the peace, this is your guide.
🎯 In this episode:
• How trying to control others' drinking is still an addiction behavior• The emotional cost of managing everyone’s comfort but your own• How to set boundaries without apologizing or backtracking• Why “perfect holidays” are a trap — and what success actually looks like• The ONE thing you can control that makes sobriety sustainable
This is your permission slip to let go of chaos and reclaim your sanity.You don’t need a strategy. You need ownership.
🎁 Free Resource:Grab the Sober Holiday Podcast Playlist — your go-to episodes on cravings, boundaries, family dynamics, and sober socializing.👉 addictionunlimited.com/holidayplaylist
👥 Join the Facebook Group:A private space for high-level support, real conversations, and structure after sobriety.👉 https://www.facebook.com/groups/addictionunlimited
📞 Book a Free Call with Angela:Ready to stop starting over and get serious about relief and recovery? Let’s talk about your next best step.👉 addictionunlimited.com/call
🚨 BONUS: Don’t miss this Friday’s drop from The Unlimited Life™ Starter Series — 10 powerful episodes to rebuild your rhythm, structure, and emotional peace before the New Year.
42 min
November 28, 2025 6 Sobriety Traps That Trigger Relapse in Early Recovery
Avoid these traps so your recovery doesn’t become a revolving door.
Sobriety is just the beginning… and these 6 traps are the exact reason why so many people relapse even when they’re trying to stay sober.
In this episode, Angela Pugh breaks down the most common early recovery mistakes that sabotage your progress, wreck your structure, and chip away at your confidence. You’ll learn how to shift from barely hanging on to leading yourself with clarity, consistency, and personal power.
Whether you’re 2 weeks in or 2 years sober — this is a must-listen if you want long-term peace without chaos.
🔑 HERE ARE THE 3 KEY TAKEAWAYS:
1️⃣ Recovery Is Biological — Not Just EmotionalPAWS (Post-Acute Withdrawal Symptoms) can hijack your energy, mood, and motivation for months. Learn how to support your brain and body so you stop spiraling and start stabilizing.
2️⃣ Bartering = Relapse in DisguiseThat inner voice that says “just one won’t hurt”? That’s not logic — that’s addiction bartering. You’ll learn exactly how to shut it down with truth and structure.
3️⃣ Fun Isn’t a Luxury — It’s a RequirementYou won’t stay sober if you hate your life. This episode gives you permission (and strategy) to build joy into your routine — so recovery feels rewarding, not restrictive.
💡 Resources Mentioned in This Episode:
🎁 Free Recovery Recipe™Your personal structure for strong sobriety — built around life domains.Download here → addictionunlimited.com/recipe
🗂️ The 90-Day Focus PlannerBuilt on the life domain structure you heard in this episode — this is your tool for clarity, consistency, and follow-through in sobriety and life.👉 Grab your planner → addictionunlimited.com/planner
🎧 Related Episode:Are You Being Private About Your Recovery… or Keeping It a Secret?Learn the difference between protecting your peace and hiding your truth — and how secrecy can sabotage your growth.👉 Listen here → addictionunlimited.com/are-you-being-private-about-your-recovery-or-keeping-it-a-secret
🧠 Google This Term:Anhedonia — the inability to feel pleasure after quitting drinking. Knowing this one word could explain everything you’re experiencing.
🛠️ Want Support?Book a call with me for private coaching, check out my online course or join the Sober Society community.Learn more → addictionunlimited.com/coaching

🔁 More from Angela:
Follow Angela on Instagram → @addictionunlimited
Listen to more episodes → addictionunlimited.com/episodes
35 min
November 26, 2025 Stop Waiting to Feel Ready — Start Living Now
Waiting to Feel Ready? Why Confidence Follows Action — Not the Other Way Around
Still waiting to feel ready before you take that next step?Spoiler alert: that moment may never come — and that’s exactly why this episode is here to shake you out of hesitation and into momentum.
Inside this powerful episode of Addiction Unlimited, we'll break down:
Why readiness is a myth (and how to stop waiting for it),
How confidence is built through action, not preparation,
And the daily discipline of doing what needs to be done — even when you don’t feel like it.
You’ll walk away with clarity, practical tools, and a renewed sense of ownership over your goals, your emotions, and your next move.
This episode is your call to stop waiting, start building, and trust that the path reveals itself as you move.
💡 3 Key Takeaways:
1️⃣ Readiness is Built, Not FoundIf you’re waiting to feel ready — for sobriety, a hard conversation, or your next big step — you’re stuck in a cycle that won’t break itself. Readiness comes after action, not before.
2️⃣ Confidence Follows ActionConfidence doesn’t come from thinking. It comes from doing. And the only way to feel more capable is to show up and prove it to yourself, one action at a time.
3️⃣ Discipline is the BridgeMotivation is fleeting. Discipline is how you stay consistent. Angela shares how to build the muscle of follow-through — even when your brain is throwing every excuse in the book.
💬 Mentioned In This Episode:
Book a Coaching Call – In honor of Black Friday, I'm offering exclusive bonuses for those ready for serious transformation.🎁 Mention “Black Friday Bonuses” when we talk!👉 addictionunlimited.com/call
Cozy Earth Holiday Picks – Use code ANGELA to stack up to 40% off the world’s softest pajamas, blankets, and gifts.👉 Shop Now
🎧 Bonus Drop This Friday:Don’t miss the next drop from the Unlimited Life Starter Series — 10 powerhouse episodes to rebuild rhythm, structure, and emotional peace.
25 min
November 21, 2025 Why Emotional Intelligence Is Your Secret Weapon After Sobriety
Sobriety gets you stable — emotional intelligence gets you unstoppable.
If you’ve ever felt like you got sober… then life got louder, messier, and more emotionally demanding — this episode is your roadmap.
I’m joined by my friend and emotional intelligence powerhouse, Noble Gibbens, to break down why EQ isn’t a nice-to-have in recovery — it’s the foundation of building a life you’re actually proud to live.
Noble’s story is wild: military, high performer, “business cult,” decades of people-pleasing… and then a full-blown wake-up call that forced him to confront emotional immaturity head-on. What he learned rebuilt his marriage, rewired his relationships, reshaped his career, and transformed his entire identity.
And listen — if you’re sober, even for a day, you know exactly why this matters.Alcohol numbed everything. Sobriety brings all of it back.EQ is how you handle it.
This episode is loaded with tools, book recommendations, emotional vocabulary tips, and straight-up truth bombs to help you grow stronger, calmer, and more resilient in your day-to-day life.
Plus, I created a full companion guide for you — every resource mentioned in this episode is inside it.
Here are 3 Key Takeaways From This Episode:
1️⃣ Emotional Intelligence Is a Skill — Not a Personality Trait
You weren’t born knowing how to navigate emotions. No one handed you a manual. EQ is learned, practiced, strengthened, and refined over time — and it becomes your competitive advantage in sobriety and in life.
2️⃣ Self-Awareness Is the First Step (and It’s Usually the Hardest)
Most people think they’re self-aware… until they start naming their emotions, tracking their triggers, and seeing how much of their behavior is fueled by fear, people-pleasing, or old survival patterns. Awareness is the doorway to freedom.
3️⃣ Growth Requires Discomfort — But Discomfort Builds Power
You can’t emotionally mature without running straight into the stuff you’ve been avoiding for years. But the moment you start doing the work, everything shifts — your relationships, your confidence, your boundaries, your entire sense of self.
LINKS MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE:
Download the EQ Resource Guide: addictionunlimited.com/eq
Book a Free Call with Angela: addictionunlimited.com/call
Join the Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/addictionunlimited
47 min
November 19, 2025 Codependency, Control, and the Illusion of Being Needed
The Hard Truth About Being "The Helper" (And Why It's Keeping You Stuck)
In this episode, I'm pulling back the curtain on one of the most misunderstood patterns in relationships: codependency.
If you've ever felt exhausted from being "the strong one," guilty when you prioritize yourself, or frustrated when someone doesn't take your advice, this conversation is for you.
I break down how codependency masquerades as love but is actually a hidden form of control—and how the need to be needed keeps both you and the people you care about stuck.
You'll learn to recognize the subtle daily patterns that signal codependency, from checking your phone for someone else's emotional weather to canceling your own plans when someone seems "off."
Then, I walk you through the practice of detachment with love—caring deeply while releasing your grip on outcomes.
This isn't about being cold or distant. It's about trusting that others have their own path, their own lessons, and their own capacity to grow.
I share practical steps like setting real boundaries (yes, you can not respond to every text), tolerating discomfort, and offering support without attachment.
Finally, we dive into personal responsibility and emotional independence.
You'll discover how to build your own sense of meaning that doesn't depend on being needed, practice self-compassion with the same kindness you give others, and reclaim the energy you've been pouring into everyone else's lives.
🔗 Links Mentioned in This Episode
🎧 Related Episode: Why Your Inner Voice Is So Mean — And How It Affects Your Recovery
💬 Coaching with Angela: Book a Free Solution Call
👥 Community: Join us in the Facebook group
34 min
November 14, 2025 The One Tool That Transformed My Sobriety (and Still Does)
The Same Tool Used by Olympic Athletes & Top Performers to Change Your Life
If you’ve ever wondered how elite athletes, top entrepreneurs, and high-performers create insane results… this is it.
And no — it’s not woo, it’s not wishful thinking, and it’s not pretending life is perfect.
It’s science.
And when you learn to use it to rewire your subconscious, override old limiting beliefs, and shift the way you feel about your life… everything changes.
Here’s the wild part:
Science says 95% of your brain activity is unconscious.
That means almost everything you do — your habits, reactions, decisions, fears, beliefs — is driven by the part of your mind you don’t even realize is in control.
It’s running old programs.Old stories.Old beliefs you didn’t choose.
So the question becomes:
How do you work with your subconscious mind to rewrite those stories so you can get MORE of what you want in life… and LESS of what you don’t?
This episode breaks the whole thing down for you.
You’ll learn:
👉 The neuroscience behind why visualization works(And why your brain treats imagined events like real ones)
👉 How your Reticular Activating System filters your entire life(And how to reprogram it so it works for you)
👉 Why fear + anxiety are just negative visualizations(and how to interrupt that pattern instantly)
👉 A super-simple visualization process you can start todayNo crystals. No chanting. No drama. Just actual science you can use right now.
If you’ve been stuck in the start–stop cycle… doubting yourself… or fighting the same old patterns over and over…
This tool changes everything.
Grab your headphones and let’s dive in, my friend — you’re going to love this one.
🔗 Links Mentioned
Book a Call With Angela: https://addictionunlimited.com/call
Join the Private Facebook Group: https://facebook.com/groups/addictionunlimited
Grab the Daily Plan Worksheet: https://addictionunlimited.com/plan
35 min
November 12, 2025 Perfectionism, Procrastination, and Anxiety: The Patterns Keeping You Stuck After Sobriety
You Might Be a Perfectionist (And It’s Stealing Your Peace)
If you’re constantly overthinking, procrastinating, or beating yourself up for not doing “enough” — this episode is going to hit home.
Because perfectionism isn’t about having high standards.It’s about control, fear, and anxiety — and it’s quietly running your life behind the scenes.
In this episode, we’re exposing how perfectionism shows up in real life (even if you don’t think you’re a perfectionist), where it really comes from, and how to start breaking the cycle.
If you’ve ever said:
“I just want it to be good…”
“I’ll start when I feel ready…”
“I can’t screw this up…”
…then this one’s for you.
🔥 What You’ll Learn:
Why perfectionism is actually a coping mechanism for anxiety
How it shows up as procrastination, irritability, people-pleasing, and control
Why so many high-functioning sober people feel stuck — even years into recovery
How to spot the perfectionist pattern before it steals your peace
6 powerful mindset and structure shifts to move forward without the shame spiral
You’ll also hear a personal story from me that cracked this wide open — and gave me a whole new lens on my own fear and vulnerability.
If this episode called you out in the best way, share it with a friend, and DM me on Instagram!
💥 Mentioned in this Episode:
🔥 Book a Free Call with Angela --> addictionunlimited.com/call
👉 The Daily Plan to Stay SoberYour daily structure to regulate anxiety, create momentum, and keep your head clear — one page, five minutes, every day.
🛍️ Cozy Earth — Early Black Friday Sale!Get up to 40% off sitewide + stack my code ANGELA at checkout.Shop now at CozyEarth.com
24 min
November 07, 2025 Why You Keep Making Bad Decisions (Even When You Know Better)
You already know better.So why do you keep saying yes to what you’ll regret tomorrow?
In this episode, Angela gets brutally honest about why you keep making decisions that don’t align with who you want to be — and how instant gratification is keeping you stuck in the cycle.
This isn’t just about drinking.It’s about how you handle discomfort.Fear, frustration, boredom, anxiety — you’ve trained your brain to escape instead of lead.
And that habit?It’s wrecking your confidence, your progress, and your peace.
Inside this episode:
How instant gratification fuels bad decisions (even sober ones)
Why your “first thought” is often the wrong one — and what to do instead
What real commitment looks like when you want to protect your peace
The power of delayed gratification — and how it builds self-trust
You don’t need more willpower.You need structure, discipline, and the courage to lead yourself differently.
🔗 Links List
📅 Book a Free Consultation Callhttps://addictionunlimited.com/call
💬 Join the Facebook Group (Sober Society)https://www.facebook.com/groups/addictionunlimited
📝 Download my Free Daily Planhttps://addictionunlimited.com/plan
29 min
November 05, 2025 If You’re Wondering “Can I Drink Again?”… Listen to This First
If you're thinking about drinking again — that's the clearest sign you still can't.
Maybe you’ve been sober for a while… and you’re starting to wonder if you could handle drinking again.If that thought has crossed your mind — I want you to pause right here and hit play on this episode.
We’re talking about the subtle signs that tell you everything you need to know about your relationship with alcohol — even now.
In this episode, I’m sharing the addict traits that still show up in my life after almost 20 years sober — and how they confirm, without a doubt, that I’m not someone who can ever drink normally.
We’ll talk about:
The "more" mentality — when enough is never enough
Overthinking and rumination (AKA emotional avoidance)
Feeling “less than” no matter how much you accomplish
Being extra in everyday ways (and what that really means)
Why avoiding hard things in sobriety is just as dangerous as numbing them
And we’ll bring it all back to the biggest red flag of all:Just how much mental energy you’re spending thinking about alcohol.
You’ll hear the truth about the addict personality: how it still shows up in overthinking, overdoing, compulsive patterns, and that constant hunger for “more.”
Because if you’re fantasizing, negotiating, or justifying a future where you might drink again... that’s not healing. That’s the addiction, whispering in a different voice.
🔗 Links List
📅 Book a Free Consultation Callhttps://addictionunlimited.com/call
💬 Join the Facebook Group (Sober Society)https://www.facebook.com/groups/addictionunlimited
📝 Download the Free Daily Planhttps://addictionunlimited.com/plan
25 min

About Addiction Unlimited Podcast

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Are you ready to ditch daily drinking, reclaim your confidence, and create a life of freedom? Each week, Angela combines no-nonsense advice, personal stories, and science-backed strategies to tackle…