Recovery is a brain thing, according to Dave and Susan Kenney, founders of the Emergo Academy, a recovery treatment and education program who describe themselves as "brain upgraders."

In their conversation with Host Gail Ferguson Jones, the Kenneys describe their trademarked "Actualized Recovery" approach for replacing the temporary pleasure of addictive substances and behaviors with happier and healthier pursuits.

The goal is to help users move beyond sobriety by rewiring the brain to make different choices.

You can learn about the Emergo Academy at: https://www.emergoacademy.com/coming-soon

Learn more about the Buttrfly Effect Peer Recovery Coaching Program or order my book at: https://linktr.ee/GailFergusonJones or contact me at: https://www.buttrflyeffect.com/contact/

Music for The Buttrfly Effect Podcast, "Inspire Me," is by Mixaund Bandcamp at: www.mixaundbandcamp.com  

This holiday season is often the most challenging for those who love someone struggling with addiction and those who are newly sober.

In recovery circles, the celebrations that run from Thanksgiving through Christmas and New Years is referred to as the trifecta of holidays.

In this episode, host Gail Ferguson Jones speaks with Kate Duffy, founder of Tipping Point Recovery Inc. and Recovery Conversations, about how families can best address the unique difficulties that might arise during the Yuletide season.

Kate is a recovery coach and interventionist who guides families and their addicted loved ones through the recovery process. You can learn more about Tipping Point Recovery at: https://www.tippingpointrecovery.com/

You can learn more about the Buttrfly Effect Peer Recovery Coaching Program at: https://linktr.ee/GailFergusonJones

Or contact Gail Ferguson Jones at [email protected]

Music for The Buttrfly Effect Podcast, "Inspire Me," is by mixaundbandcamp at: www.mixaundbandcamp.com 

When it comes to taking that first drink of alcohol, most of us don't expect to get hooked. After all, consuming alcohol is legal and seen as a socially-acceptable way to unwind.

However, It's so easy to depend on that nightly cocktail, beer or glass of wine to relax at the end of the day, unwittingly heading into gray area drinking, a slippery slope toward alcoholism.

In this episode, Host Gail Ferguson Jones speaks with Meg Geisewite, author of "Intoxicating Lies. One Woman's Journey to Freedom from Gray Area Drinking."

She shares how she slipped from normalized drinking to full-blown dependency. 

Meg offers a signed copy of her book and membership to her "Write Back to You" writing program on her website:

https://www.intoxicatinglies.com/

You can learn more about The Buttrfly Effect Peer Recovery Coaching Program, or purchase a copy of my book and get other resources at:

https://linktr.ee/GailFergusonJones

Music for The Buttrfly Effect Podcast, "Inspire Me," by Mixaundbandcamp, at: www.mixaundbandcamp.com 

When loving someone struggling with addiction, it's often hard to see the best in them because of the chaos and confusion they bring into our lives.

The situation may also bring out the worst in us. But Dr. Robert Weiss offers a different perspective on such troubling relationships, which he talks about with host Gail Ferguson Jones.

Dr. Rob, a licensed therapist for nearly 30 years, has coined the term Prodependence, an approach which encourages loving support for addicts, which he says is preferrable to detachment from them and their problem.

He is Chief Clinical Officer of the Seeking Integrity Treatment program, and author of 11 books, including, "Prodependence. Beyond the Myth of Codependency."

He recommends these important steps to help loved ones heal and cope:

1. Don't go it alone. Seek help.
2. Find a source of support.
3. Don't ignore your own self-care.
4. Set boundaries
5. Spirituality/hope/faith

Learn more about Dr. Rob and his books and program at: https://seekingintegrity.com/  

You can also hear more about prodependency on his YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VPZmacFlTtg

Learn more about my Buttrfly Effect Peer Recovery Coaching program at: https://linktr.ee/GailFergusonJones or email me at: [email protected].

Music for the Buttrfly Effect Podcast, "Inspire Me," by Mixaund Bandcamp at: mixaundbandcamp.com.

One of the most disheartening and confusing aspects of a relationship with someone in active addiction is the loneliness and emotional disconnect.

In this episode, Host Gail Ferguson Jones speaks with Marriage and Family Therapist Travis Thompson about the challenges of loving a partner engaged in a "chemical affair" with drugs and alcohol.  

Travis, author of "To Those Left Behind. Helping Partners and Families Understand and Heal from Addiction," describes alcohol and drug abuse as an emotional affair.

He says users tend to engage more with substances than with their partners, just as they might if having an adulterous affair.

"It's safer to drink alcohol than to talk to someone," Travis says. "It's emotionally safer to use heroin than to tell your wife if you're ok or not."

Learn more about Travis Thompson's counseling services or order his book at: https://www.travisthompsoncounseling.com/

Learn more about The Buttrfly Effect Peer Recovery Coaching at: https://linktr.ee/GailFergusonJones

Reach me with comments, concerns or to suggest topics of interest for the podcast at: [email protected].

Music for The Buttrfly Effect Podcast, "Inspire Me," is by Mixaund Bandcamp at: https://mixaundbandcamp.com.

Can chronic pain be treated without the prescription drugs that are leading to an epidemic of addiction and death? Guest Elizabeth Kipp says "Yes."

Kipp is an Addiction Recovery Coach and author of the book, "The Way Through Chronic Pain. Tools To Reclaim Your Healing Power."

In this conversation with host Gail Ferguson Jones, she shares her 40-year struggle with chronic pain and her recovery from pain-pill addiction.

Kipp also talks about the many stressors that cause pain and the traumas that feed it, while telling how she learned to live pain-free and recover from opioid addiction.

Her book is available at: https://elizabethkippcom.simplero.com/page/125986

Learn about Kipp's recovery programs at: https://elizabeth-kipp.com/

Purchase Gail Ferguson Jones's book, "Butterfly Rising. A Journey to Love, Healing and Freedom from the Cocoon of Codependency," and learn learn more about her Certified Peer Recovery Coaching Program at; https://linktr.ee/GailFergusonJones

Music for The Buttrfly Effect Podcast, "Inspire Me," by Mixaund Bandcamp at: www.mixaundbandcamp.com 

There's been a steady climb in addictions since the start of the pandemic in 2020, according to Recovery Coach and Best-Selling Author David Essel, who said studies show alcohol consumption has risen 1,000 percent over the past three years.

While alcoholism tops the list of addictions, porn and sex addictions are a close second, said Essel, who through his coaching program offers permanent solutions to all types of addiction.

"Video game addiction is out of control," he says, noting a direct link between video games and social media to attention deficit among younger generations.

In this conversation with host Gail Ferguson Jones, Essel says that all addictions offer escape and distraction from reality and every day concerns. Families and loved ones should understand that "addiction removes logic."

Get his latest book, "David Essel's Permanent Alcohol and Life Recovery," and learn more about his coaching program, at: https://www.davidessel.com/  

Get a free video, purchase my book, "Butterfly Rising. A Journey to Love, Healing and Freedom from the Cocoon of Codependency," and learn more about the Buttrfly Effect Peer Recovery Coaching Program at: https://linktr.ee/GailFergusonJones

What are the early days of recovery like after long-term active addiction? What does it feel like physically and emotionally to try to live free of substances after self-medicating for so long?

Host Gail Ferguson Jones gets answers to these questions and more in a conversation with Certified Peer Recovery Coach Kirstin Gourlay, a relapse prevention specialist who has been in long-term recovery for 12 years.

Gourlay explains:

• The three stages of recovery - physical, mental and emotional.
• The emotional challenges caused by Post Acute Withdrawal Syndrome (PAWS).
• The importance of having a Relapse Prevention Plan.
• The importance of loved ones pursuing their own recovery through a support community, therapy and peer recovery coaching.

Get a free video, purchase my book and learn more about The Buttrfly Effect Peer Recovery Coaching Program for those who love someone struggling with an addiction at: https://linktr.ee/GailFergusonJones

Music for the Buttrfly Effect Podcast, "Inspire Me," by Mixaundbandcamp at: www.mixaundbandcamp.com.

After a lifetime of casual attitudes toward substance use among baby boomers, their rate of accidential overdoses and alcohol-related deaths are climbing.

In this conversation, researcher Alexis Kuerbis explains why. 

Kuerbis is an Associate Professor at the Silberman School of Social Work at Hunter College. Her research speciality is vlunerable polulations who use substances problematically.

In this conversation with Host Gail Ferguson Jones, she explains that:

• Baby boomers are using drugs and alcohol longer into later life than previous generations.
• Misuse of prescription drugs for pain and other ailments is a growing trend among seniors, leading to addiction later in life, and sometimes accidental overdoses from drug interactions.
• Physical changes that make it harder to metabolize substances as people age are a leading cause of chronic illness and co-morbidity among older adults.
• Alcohol is the most widely-used and socially-acceptable substance and a common killer. It is also often a factor in the development of dementia.
•  Seniors who recognize they have a problem with substance use usually respond well to treatment.
• She shares the signs families may look for to determine if an older loved one is indulging in risky substance use and how to strike up a conversation that could lead them to agree to treatment.

Learn more about getting your loved one sober at: https://www.alcoholscreening.org/#/home

To learn more about The Buttrfly Effect Peer Recovery Program for those who love someone struggling with addiction (and get a free video) at: https://linktr.ee/GailFergusonJones

Music for The Buttrfly Effect Podcast, "Inspire Me," is by Mixaund Bandcamp at: mixaundbandcamp.com  

Did you know marijuana use is a growing cause of suicide among teens?

Guest Laura Stack of Johnny's Ambassadors says as more state's legalize recreational use, the potency is reaching dangerous levels and leading to serious mental health issues, especially among youth.

Stack's son, Johnny, was an honor student with a promising future who suffered a mental break from marijuana use that led to his suicide.

In her conversation with Host Gail Ferguson Jones, Laura explains that:

• Contrary to popular belief, marijuana is more likely to cause anxiety and emotional distress than to calm or cure it
• Dispensaries in Colorado, the first state to legalize recreational use, are legally required to provide written warnings of the mental and emotional dangers.
• The cannabis being sold at dispensaries is often processed into "dabs" or "crystalline," which increases the potency to dangerous levels.
• The American Psychiatric Association is warning that there is no mental or emotional condition that is helped by marijuana use.   

Learn more about the teen prevention work of Johnny's Ambassadors at:  https://johnnysambassadors.org/

Learn more about The Buttrfly Effect Peer Recovery Coaching Program for families at: https://bit.ly/3YXFh1B

Music for The Buttrfly Effect Podcast by Mixaund Bandcamp at: https://www.mixaundbandcamp.com