Families Navigating Addiction & Recovery

“So much of what we do perpetuates problems, not by intent, but by a lack of understanding.” -Dr. Mike Barnes

The main focus of the recovery process is often given to the addict in the family and there’s nothing wrong with that. It is out of genuine love that they go to great lengths to make sure the needs of their loved one are well provided for. But for family recovery to be realized in its entirety, they must look into the often undermined effects of addiction: trauma. Family members don’t realize that they are traumatized until they start prioritizing their own needs. Hence today’s episode homes in on how to help family members realize that they are traumatized and help them recover from it. Our guest, Dr. Mike Barnes also talks about the biology of how we cope with problems and the epigenetics of addiction and trauma. This understanding will greatly help in the treatment and recovery process that families may choose along their journey. He also differentiates between problem and crisis and how our stories create an impact on the decisions we make. Dr. Barnes also gives some suggestions in making the paradigm shift in family recovery even more effective. It only takes one or two members to spark the change. The question now lies on who’s going to take that privilege.

Get the show notes, transcription and resources mentioned at http://thefamilyrecoverysolution.com/

Highlights:

03:47 Serving Families With Addiction 

10:47 Living in Recovery Together

18:32 Coping Begins With Family Goals and Values

23:48 Helping Families To Understand That They Are Traumatized

31:53 The Epigenetics of Addiction and Trauma

38:13 Understanding The Biology of How We Cope To And Solve Problems

44:50 3 Rules of an Alcoholic Family And How to Challenge Them

54:55 A Shift In Recovery Processes Needed

“We need to communalize rather than individualize. And we need to normalize rather than pathologize.”  - Ed Tick

The society we’re living in today has forced veterans to carry the moral and social burdens of warfare alone. As a result, their unspoken pain and sorrows evolved into trauma and addiction problems which also affect the family unit that they belong to. From this, societal issues increase and communities sink into decay. To address this problem, Dr. Ed Tick and Denise Klein join the platform to share their wisdom. They impress on seeing beyond the surface recovery and diving deeper into the feelings associated with addiction rather than just the cessation of visible symptoms. They also expound on how to spark significant cultural changes as opposed to smaller individual changes and how to build communities through visualization, open communication, and creating opportunities. They also highlight the need to normalize rather than pathologize.  Individual empowerment is the key to strengthen the family and eventually the whole community. Tune in and join the healing movement!

Get the show notes, transcription and resources mentioned at http://thefamilyrecoverysolution.com/

Highlights:

04:00 Veteran Experience Help Heal Addiction

13:30 Symptoms That Causes Breakdown In Families

16:34 Trauma As Normative Part Of Experience

18:13 Educating People About Trauma

30:08  Everyone Gets Traumatized Everyday

35:45 Making Trauma More Visible

40:18  Move Into Normalization And Communalization

45:31 Warriors Return

48:07 Empowerment And Being Authentic

“The idea behind sex addiction is not to stop having sex entirely and remove sex from your life. The idea is to develop a healthy sexuality.” - Joshua Shea

The desire for love and pleasure is innate to all humans. However, as the world evolved, activities that were traditionally regarded as private and conservative are gradually becoming acceptable with the general public. Pornography is one of the industries that has dominated the web and access to it has become easier. As a result, even school-aged children are at risk of developing an addiction as their curiosity peeks and peer pressure pushes them deeper into the pleasure pool. Today, Joshua Shea, a former pornography addict, shares his battle with pornography. He lists the warnings signs of pornography addiction and differentiates the two types of pornography users. He also gives a comparison of different addictions and what makes them similar to each other. As we begin to understand pornography, the kind of intervention necessary becomes clearer and the motivation to stand against it becomes stronger.  Pornography may have the power to destroy morals and psychological balance. But nothing is stronger than a family working together to uphold their integrity. Tune in and learn how to develop a healthy sexuality. 

Get the show notes, transcription and resources mentioned at http://thefamilyrecoverysolution.com/

Highlights:

05:50 Internet Has Changed The Game

11:38 Warning Signs Of Pornography

20:00 Two Types Of Pornography Users

23:01 Two Things Partners Need To Do

28:11 Parallels Of All Addictions

30:40 Standpoints Of Family Members

37:33 Understanding Pornography

43:13 Addiction Is A Disease

“There's no ruler until that addict bottoms out and wakes up into their conscious self, their authentic self, and starts the path of recovery.” 

Codependency is a confusing topic under addiction. Numerous ideas branch out that often lead to misunderstanding and eventually, increased harm. Today, Rene Eram joins the stage to enlighten some of the misinformation on codependency and expound on the subject from a different perspective. He explains the nature of roles played out in the drama and points out to these roles as both inherited where one comes out as dominant. These invisible patterns create an obsessive connection that often leads to betrayal, rejection, and abandonment. Rene also discusses the hang-over stage in this type of relationship and nurturing broken programming as a means of coping mechanisms. We all can be addicted to something but this conversation warns mainly on a much destructive form of addiction: progressive addiction.  The goal of recovery is to neutralize codependency and move to your authentic self. Don’t miss out on today’s episode. 

Get the show notes, transcription and resources mentioned at http://thefamilyrecoverysolution.com/

Highlights:

02:50 Fascination With Invisible Patterns

04:07 Invisible Patterns

06:09 Two Roles: Controller And Dependent

11:16 Codependent Mapping

20:26 Hang-over Stage

24:32 Inherited Pattern Of Codependence 

37:12 Being Their Authentic Self

43:49 Self Rescue Mission

 “The real key to success is what happens after they leave treatment.” -Stan McKnight 

Technological advancement has really brought the world to a new era. Communication, education, travel and even relationships are not how they used to be decades ago. If you’re contemplating on finding an intervention that’s compatible with your situation and conditions, there are things that you must consider. Stan McKnight shares his expertise on navigating addiction and recovery. It’s rather imperative to know the do’s and don’ts before jumping in to a decision. The life of your loved one is at stake, hence, an uneducated or partially educated  judgment can be very detrimental. This conversation is full of wisdom that can help you and your family before, during and after treatment. Stan also shares a useful tool to aid in developing accountability and trust in the family nucleus. Today’s episode is for everyone who is determined to get to recovery and change their life forever. 

Get the show notes, transcription and resources mentioned at http://thefamilyrecoverysolution.com/

Highlights:

02:48 Getting a Vital Lesson From Interventions and Recovery

07:38 Addiction- 2000 and Beyond

09:07 What NOT To Do

16:03 How to Diagnose Denial   

17:24 What To Do

21:59 The Accountability Tool

27:29 Send the Right Message

32:42 Try IAM!

“All you need to do is take action every day to support your body and your body is going to take care of you.” -Nancy Miggins 

To take care of yourself is to take care of others. The last thing we want is to fall ill when everybody has already recovered. It’s something everyone must do and gain mastery over. When we are at the negative end of the continuum, we cannot function at an optimum level. Therefore, any decision made while in that state of stress can mean only trouble. Joining us in today’s episode is Dr. Nancy Miggins, a seasoned expert in health and wellness. She provides practical guidance on how to master self-care in 8 simple steps. She also lets us in on some fun facts about detoxification and weight loss. The human physiological makeup is designed to be able to heal itself. Therefore, as the owners of our personage, it is our sheer duty to support it.  Join in and “reclaim your power over health”! 

Get the show notes, transcription and resources mentioned at http://thefamilyrecoverysolution.com/

Highlights:

03:50 Reclaim Power Over Health Without Narcotics

08:13 How to Shift From Self-Destructive Patterns 

17:49 Stress and Disease 

21:06 Facilitated Pathway 

24:39 How to Break Down Stress 

29:37 How to Find Gratitude Amidst Crisis

40:30 Where Does Healing Really Happen? 

46:52 8 Daily Practices to Master Health  

“The first step is really just seeing what the pieces are at play and accepting the pieces at play as they are.” -Vincent Peronne

Sometimes what makes our fight harder is not the fight itself, but the things that we can’t control. In that event, what are we to do? Vincent Peronne sheds light on this topic and expounds on the inside out of neurology. He also shares about the Safe and Sound Protocol (SSP), a type of sensory-intervention developed by Dr. Stephen Porges and how it can complement recovery. You can move through adversities and win your battle. This conversation will help you determine the best possible steps to help your loved one. 

Get the show notes, transcription and resources mentioned at

http://thefamilyrecoverysolution.com/

Highlights:

03:33 Learning the Inside Out of Neurology

12:48 Strength of the Family vs Strength of Addiction 

24:44 The Safe And Sound Protocol and Sensory Healing 

33:17 What’s In and Out of Our Control

38:50 Effective Handling of What’s In and Out of Our Control

46:52 Groups and Nervous System Regulation

49:46 Increase Your Resiliency

“The gut is the gateway to health.” -Stephanie Small 

Want an intervention that’s effective and natural? We often resort to medicines to get a dose of relief without really understanding what we are treating. Healing comes from addressing the root cause rather than just alleviating symptoms. Apparently, biochemistry plays a huge role in symptoms we mistake as psychological or emotional. Stephanie Small joins us in another life-altering conversation on mental health nutrition. She expounds on the influence of gut health to body homeostasis. Occurring imbalances can create somatic chaos that often lead to inflammation or even depression. But, there is something you can do. Tune in to today’s episode and learn the healthy and effective way to recovery. 

Get the show notes, transcription and resources mentioned at

http://thefamilyrecoverysolution.com/

Highlights:

02:57 Doing What Social Workers Do and Beyond

06:58 Before You Pop A Pill  

11:34 How to Detect Imbalances  

17:43 It’s Not Just About Eating More Vegetables! 

26:08 Gut and Inflammation 

31:38 The Body Under Prolonged Stress

37:04 Accountability and Recovery 

41:23 When to Eat Potato Chips

“Your kid’s addiction or your family members’ addiction is not your responsibility. How you react to it is your responsibility.” - Kevin Petersen

Addiction is a worldwide trend. It comes in many forms and in varying degrees. Thus, families need to be on guard at all times. However, it’s really hard to exercise withitness in the family. Sometimes, we are not even aware that our own children are addicted. Dr. Kevin Petersen shares some tools and knowledge to help families move away from addiction. The family unit is a cradle of love, support, wisdom and protection. It is where life’s joys and sorrows are shared. If the family is able to perform its function, then addiction has lost its place in the family circle. Nobody beats addiction alone. When families work together, there is guaranteed success.

Get the show notes, transcription and resources mentioned at http://thefamilyrecoverysolution.com/

Highlights:

02:30 Taking the Natural Evolution in the Addiction and Recovery Path

09:48 Setting Up Boundaries

14:51 Family Support is Essential 

23:25 Reach out Early

31:06 Resources and Guidance for Families

37:18 Ask for Help

42:02 The Sooner, The Better

 “There’s no such thing as drug treatment. What we really need is holistic counselling that incorporates work on the drug issue.”  - Robert Schwebel

As individuals begin to see that they have addiction issues, they begin to think about change. But to go from contemplating about it to actually taking action is no piece of cake. Dr. Robert Schwebel expands on why people use drugs and why they hesitate on taking that first step towards recovery. He also shares about his Seven Challenges Program,  which is used worldwide in motivating individuals to evaluate their lives, consider changes that they want to make, and take steps to implement those changes. But for transformation and recovery to really take place,  people need to believe that their life could be better and get in touch with what truly matters to them. Join in to today’s podcast and discover how you can grab hold of that change and make it into a reality. 

Get the show notes, transcription and resources mentioned at http://thefamilyrecoverysolution.com/

Highlights:

04:30 The Spark of Interest

11:16 Feeling Powerless

17:44 Being Honest to Ourselves

26:25 Looking at What You Like About Drugs

29:00 Think About the Harm

31:00 Stop the Shame and Blame

33:00 Looking to the Future

40:07 What Will You Do?