For many of our listeners, Dry January is coming to a close, and you're starting to think about maintaining sobriety going forward. If you've decided you want to keep going, but you're not sure what that needs to look like, this episode is just for you. We've invited Chuck LaFlange, host of the Ashes to Awesome podcast, Jason Williams of Sober Gangster, and sober influencer Hayley Delashmit to dig into what it looks like after you've gotten used to not drinking, and are ready to start moving forward into really building an alcohol free life. We ask them the question, "What Now?" and they all share their very different, very valuable experience.

In this episode:

• Periods of growth come and go, ebb and flow. That's normal.

Bonus topics:

• Dealing with the shame of relapse

At 18, I entered prison. At 19, facing a potential 10+ years for parole violation, a pivotal decision changed my life. In a jail cell on October 12, 1996, at 3 a.m., I swore off mind-altering substances. The 21st encounter with handcuffs pushed me to break free. Living clean and sober for 27 years, I’ve found genuine freedom—earned through work, willingness, and honesty. Sobriety, my most gangster feat, opens doors to a life beyond imagination. – Jason Williams aka Sober Gangster

https://www.instagram.com/sober.gangster/

https://www.facebook.com/Sobergangster

Chuck's 25-year struggle with addiction, marked by relapses and PTSD, took a turn following his father's death and his mother's constant reminder, "You are loved." This led to his recovery and the creation of the Ashes to Awesome Podcast. Alongside co-hosts Ryan Bathgate, and Dr. Lisa, the podcast addresses addiction and mental health, promoting hope, love, and acceptance. It's a platform for sharing stories and support, not only for those in recovery but also for their families, embodying a message of transformation and understanding.

Hi ya’ll I am Hayley Delashmit or “Giggles”. I was raised in Nashville, TN. I did take a random adventure and moved to Buffalo, NY in 2010 for 2 and a half years.(GO BILLS) . I currently live in a small farming and trucking town in Munford, TN. 

My sober birthday is January 11,2023. I recover out loud just so people know that they are seen and they matter. God gave me the strength and the voice to speak with kindness, grace and understanding just so I can let people know there is HOPE and that they are not ALONE.  This next chapter of my sober journey will be by Gods grace I get placed on the Liver Transplant list and in the meantime I will spread hope and smiles because smiles and laughter are contagious!  I am mostly found on  Facebook but I also have a tik tok & both are under my name, Hayley Delashmit!

Visit our website at throughtheglassrecovery.com to sign up for our weekly newsletter, and to gain access to our FREE weekly recovery meetings. We also have a new Facebook Group where our friends and listeners can offer support to one another. Come join us!

You can also find us on:

 Instagram 

Facebook 

Tiktok

Sobriety vs. Recovery. You hear the words "sobriety" and "recovery" used interchangeably all the time, but there's a distinct difference, and if you're wanting to live a fulfilling life without alcohol, it's important that you understand what these words mean. In this episode, Steve is joined by Robbie, (host of Golden Hour Adventures podcast), Jon (author of Parables: Musings from an Addict on the Journey Toward Wholeness), Johnny Joy (creator of Sobritree app), and sober influencer Hayley to discuss what recovery has looked like in their lives, and how it differs from being "sober".

• Creating a recovery maintenance plan that suits your needs

Want more insight on sobriety vs. recovery? Check out Episode 32: Are Sobriety And Recovery The Same?

This week's guests:

Johnny Joy. Yes that’s my real name. I am the founder of SobriTree, a resource guide for sobriety your way. I am a 4th generation Colorado Springs native, father of 2 amazing girls and husband to one incredible woman. I am a recovered drunk and pill addict, 10 years in March. My goal for the second half of my life is to help as many people save their own as possible, whenever I can, wherever possible. I am the luckiest guy I know and sobriety is the single most powerful thing that I have ever done. I want to share that message with the world.

Robbie started his sobriety journey due to being sick of the same old story he would put himself though. He found his cannabis and alcohol use getting worse as the years went on. He used them to cope with everything and anything. Robbie is now over a year sober, and couldn’t be happier with his decision to take on this new journey. Robbie co-hosts Golden Hour Adventures podcast and can be found on Instagram @runshills605.

Hi ya'll I am Hayley Delashmit or "Giggles". I was raised in Nashville, TN. I did take a random adventure and moved to Buffalo, NY in 2010 for 2 and a half years. (GO BILLS) . I currently live in a small farming and trucking town in Munford, TN. 

My sober birthday is January 11,2023. I recover out loud just so people know that they are seen and they matter. God gave me the strength and the voice to speak with kindness, grace and understanding just so I can let people know there is HOPE and that they are not ALONE.  This next chapter of my sober journey will be by Gods grace I get placed on the Liver Transplant list and in the meantime I will spread hope and smiles because smiles and laughter are contagious!  I am mostly found on  Facebook but I also have a tik tok & both are under my name, Hayley Delashmit!

Visit our website at throughtheglassrecovery.com to sign up for our weekly newsletter, and to gain access to our FREE weekly recovery meetings. We also have a new Facebook Group where our friends and listeners can offer support to one another. Come join us!

You can also find Julie and Steve on:

 Instagram 

Facebook 

Tiktok

Nearly everyone experiences shame in recovery… and it seems many of us drank to try to avoid feeling shame in the first place. "I drank to avoid feeling the shame of drinking," is a familiar concept to many of us. The shame cycle perpetuates, keeping us going round and round and never quite knowing how to stop. In this episode, we address dealing with shame in recovery. We're joined by social media sober influencers Benjamin Lerner and Sonya Johnson, and CEO of Camelback Recovery Tim Westbrook as we talk about how shame held us trapped in our addictions, and how overcoming that was key to staying successfully sober.

"I drank to avoid feeling the shame from drinking."

In this episode:

• Using honesty to combat shame

"I thought I was a bad person because I couldn't stop. That just continued the shame cycle."

To learn more about our guests, visit out website at throughtheglassrecovery.com

Visit our website at throughtheglassrecovery.com to sign up for our weekly newsletter, and to gain access to our FREE weekly recovery meetings. We also have a new Facebook Group where our friends and listeners can offer support to one another. Come join us!

You can also find Julie and Steve on:

 Instagram 

Facebook 

Tiktok

When you've been sober for a bit, boredom seems to be one of the first challenges that shows up. How to fill all that free time? This is especially true if you don't have any hobbies, or if your social life revolved around drinking. In this episode, we're joined by Adriana from Dear Recovery, Jason from Sober Gangster, and sober rapper Gina (Modern Day Monk) to talk about how we dealt with boredom in early sobriety, and how we deal with it now that we've been doing this for awhile. If you struggle to fill your time and find yourself wishing away the hours in the day, this episode is for you!

In this episode:

• Loneliness and boredom sometimes go hand in hand

Want to learn more about the EFT tapping that Adriana mentions? Check out this link.

The group also discusses the benefits of cold plunging.

If you're still struggling with boredom in sobriety, check out this past episode, where a different group of people share their experiences.

Hello my people! 

My name is Gina Murillo also known as Modern Day Monk. I'm a strong woman in long term sustained recovery and I live a wonderful life as a result of that. I consider myself a vibe influencer, a recovery rapper, and recovery speaker. I teach Muay Thai kickboxing and train Brazilian Jiu-jitsu at the best gym in Grand Junction called Grand Valley Brazilian Jiu-jitsu. I'm also a full time student at Colorado State University and spend my free time helping others in all kinds of ways. My intention is to share my experience, strength, and hope with the world to help empower those around me. You can find some of the life lessons that I have learned on my social media, as I share them to inspire others. Thank you for taking the time to check out my journey. All love. 

https://moderndaymonkmusic.com

Jason Williams:

At 18, I entered prison. At 19, facing a potential 10+ years for parole violation, a pivotal decision changed my life. In a jail cell on October 12, 1996, at 3 a.m., I swore off mind-altering substances. The 21st encounter with handcuffs pushed me to break free. Living clean and sober for 27 years, I've found genuine freedom—earned through work, willingness, and honesty. Sobriety, my most gangster feat, opens doors to a life beyond imagination. - Jason Williams aka Sober Gangster

https://www.instagram.com/sober.gangster/

https://www.facebook.com/Sobergangster

Adriana is a person in long-term recovery that was born and raised in Europe, but lives in NY. For the last half a decade, Adriana has been working in the Mental Health and Addiction field. She has a few different certifications as a Sr Peer Specialist, and is also licensed as a Counselor. Adriana is the Founder & Creator of Dear Recovery, a Clothing Brand & Social Media platform that starts conversations and helps ends the stigma surrounding Mental Health and Addiction.

Facebook.com/DearRecovery

@DearRecovery on Facebook, instagram and TikTok.

DearRecovery.com

Early sobriety is filled with challenges. It means getting through cravings, making huge changes in your life and in your mindset, and sticking with the promise you made to yourself to stop drinking alcohol. When you have no idea what to expect, so many different things can throw you off course in those first 30 days. So we've gathered some people to talk about what the first 30 days looked like for them, to give you some insight, so you can go into this prepared for the challenges. 

In this episode:

• Freedom from the hiding and the lies that create so much anxiety

If you've decided 2024 is your year to take back your life from alcohol, check out the following:

Episode 52: How To Beat Alcohol Cravings

Episode 18: Dealing With Cravings and Triggers

The Through the Glass Recovery blog

Meet our guests:

Meet Brandon Kaitschuck, a 29-year-old who decided to make a drastic change in his life one year ago. Since getting sober, he's lost 50 pounds and conquered an Ironman triathlon! When he's not helping others on their path to recovery, he's either studying Mandarin, performing with “Toed”, or crushing workouts. Professionally, Brandon works as a software salesman & enjoys meeting new people. Keep an eye out for Brandon's new music with “Toed” & upcoming podcasts on Viral Downtown !

https://instagram.com/alignyourminds?igshid=M2RkZGJiMzhjOQ%3D%3D&utm_source=qr

https://instagram.com/toed_jamz?igshid=M2RkZGJiMzhjOQ==

https://instagram.com/viraldowntown?igshid=M2RkZGJiMzhjOQ==

https://www.linkedin.com/in/brandon-kaitschuck-65477815b

Visit our website at throughtheglassrecovery.com to sign up for our weekly newsletter, and to gain access to our FREE weekly recovery meetings. We also have a new Facebook Group where our friends and listeners can offer support to one another. Come join us!

You can also find Julie and Steve on:

 Instagram 

Facebook 

Tiktok

In this episode:

• Authenticity and vulnerability are risks, but they allow for real connection

• Learning to have healthy relationships

• Presenting a false front, "masking", prevents connection

• Learn to let yourself be truly seen

• Putting on a social mask creates loneliness

• Emotionally unavailable people have a damaging effect

• Seek out people who are emotionally available

• We are capable of rewiring our thought patterns

• Urgency pushes us to do the work of emotional sobriety and healing

• We become addicted to our thoughts, which leads to substance use disorder

• Having the power to affect positive change in our children, in future generations

How often did you drink because you thought it helped you relax? We hear a lot of people say that's one of the things they miss about alcohol - the relaxing effect it seemed to have, or the way it temporarily quieted their mind. The thing about alcohol is that - while it works for a short time - in the end it only makes the anxiety and stress and racing mind even worse. If you have trouble relaxing and calming down your thoughts now that you're sober, this episode is for you!

Join us as we have a conversation with Kim (Sober Is The New Cool), Brad (Sober Motivation) and Brit (Sober Flatlander) about how we've learned to relax without alcohol, and quiet our minds when they just can't seem to stop.

In this episode:

• Quitting alcohol means less anxiety in general

Meet our guests:

I'm Brit - a former grey area drinker who found sobriety in March of 2021. I live in small town Saskatchewan with my husband, two kids, and 4 dwarf bunnies. I’m the creator of a website and Instagram page called Sober Flatlander, which I use to share my journey in sobriety and advocate for those struggling with substance use disorders and mental health battles. It’s my hope that by being honest and authentic about the reality of alcohol culture, we can create a healthier future for our society and youth.  

Kim - My journey began in 2013, I decided to make the commitment to stop drinking for 3 months in order to support my son Matthew who had been diagnosed with epilepsy. Sober Is The New Cool was created as I quickly realized the social pressures surrounding not only myself, but what my son would encounter. 

Follow Kim on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/soberisthenewcool.ca

-Extending love, compassion, and support.

-Collaborating with other support groups to foster a sense of community.

-Using our story to bring people together around the globe.

-Bringing awareness to end the stigma associated with mental health and addiction.

As well as devoting her time to making Sober Is The New Cool more present in the sober community, Kim enjoys spending quality time with her family and friends, golfing, running, and meditating.

Kim has been referred to as the "matriarch" of the sober community and plans to continue this journey by empowering others. Kim's outreach is strongly felt locally through such initiatives as forming a local group of women called, "Les Femmes du Quebec" but also internationally through her strong following of social media messages. Kim donates a portion of SITNC merchandise to The Douglas Foundation. 

Visit our website at throughtheglassrecovery.com to sign up for our weekly newsletter, and to gain access to our FREE weekly recovery meetings. We also have a new Facebook Group where our friends and listeners can offer support to one another. Come join us!

You can also find Julie and Steve on:

 Instagram 

Facebook 

Tiktok

ng with regret can be exhausting, frustrating, disheartening, and even dangerous. But it can also be motivating and empowering, if you choose to look at it that way. How we learn to live with regret is a choice that we get to make. We can let it fuel our growth and our purpose, or we can let it hold us down forever. Which will you choose?

In this episode, we are joined by author and motivation speaker Martin Lockett, sober podcast host Scott (The Sober Heathen), and sober influencer Chris (IOHO2) to talk about the regrets we are living with, and ways we've found to cope so the regret can fuel us and not consume us.

In this episode:

• The difference between guilt and shame

Martin Lockett is a substance abuse counselor, author, public speaker, and advocate for reducing DUI fatalities. He spent 17.5 years in prison for a DUI fatality that claimed two lives and severely injured another. Lockett devoted the rest of his life to honoring his victims’ legacies by helping others who struggle with substance abuse. While incarcerated, Martin earned a BS in sociology, MS in psychology, and acquired state certification as a substance abuse counselor, and published two books. Now released, Lockett continues his mission and message by helping those in need of counseling for mental health and substance use disorders and sharing his powerful story across the country.

Christian is responsible for the Facebook recovery page with the funny letters and numbers in it's name, IOHO2. His first go at this new way of living was in 2015-'17 when he also kept a Facebook journal known as #itonlyhurtsonce, (IOHO). Then, as he admittedly states, sobriety lost its priority. Christian has traded in his taxi-cabs to be your local delivery guy these days, and celebrates 15 months sober with us on November the 12th!!

Scott: I am a proud father of twin boys. I host The Sober Heathen podcast with

Visit our website at throughtheglassrecovery.com to sign up for our weekly newsletter, and to gain access to our FREE weekly recovery meetings. We also have a new Facebook Group where our friends and listeners can offer support to one another. Come join us!

You can also find Julie and Steve on:

 Instagram 

Facebook 

Tiktok

Discovering your identity after addiction is an adventure all in itself. One of the most common things we hear people say in coversations about recovery is, "I quite drinking and I didn't even know who I was!" Join us as we have a great conversation with sober comedian Trevor Keveloh, talk show host Marci Hopkins, and sober influencer Matt Shambo about how we've found our authentic selves now that we're sober.

Some of the concepts you'll hear about in this episode include:

• Discovering what you really enjoy

Visit our website at throughtheglassrecovery.com to sign up for our weekly newsletter, and to gain access to our FREE weekly recovery meetings.

You can also find Julie and Steve on:

 Instagram 

Facebook 

Tiktok

The messages we receive from the people in our lives - going all the way back to childhood - shape the way we see ourselves, and unfortunately for a lot of us, that means we find ourselves often facing the challenge of self loathing. We tell ourselves we're not good enough, we're not worthy, we'll never succeed, and that we're failures. Listen as we chat with Greg (Mindbody Matters podcast host), and Instagram influencers Keith and Hali about what self loathing has looked like in our lives, and more importantly, how we've worked through it and learned to undo the messaging and start loving ourselves. 

In this episode, we'll share our thoughts on the following:

• How the message we receive from others shapes the way we see ourselves

Visit our website at throughtheglassrecovery.com to sign up for our weekly newsletter, and to gain access to our FREE weekly recovery meetings.

You can also find Julie and Steve on:

 Instagram 

Facebook 

Tiktok