Real Recovery Podcast

Anthony Good spent years in prison, lived through relapse, and had to learn how to build a life he had never really known. In this honest conversation, he talks about four and a half years clean, fatherhood, integrity, mental health, and the moment he decided to leave behind the name Demon and become Anthony. He also explains why he created It’s All Good Recovery, an open and personal meeting space where people can share honestly, give themselves positive affirmations, and take recovery one moment at a time.

• 04:00 Anthony shares his recovery story, four and a half years clean, years in prison, and the role his children played.
• 08:00 He reflects on prison, parole, guilt, shame, and the experiences that shaped him.
• 11:00 Anthony describes relapsing after getting a job, a car, and college, then becoming homeless within two weeks.
• 13:00 He talks about shedding the name Demon, fatherhood, anxiety, and anger.
• 20:00 Integrity becomes central to his recovery, including doing difficult things and helping people who want help.
• 29:00 Anthony explains “one moment at a time” and why twenty-four hours can feel like too much time for him to think.
• 38:00 He talks about how long it can take to feel normal after prison and addiction.
• 44:00 Anthony tells listeners how to find It’s All Good Recovery through Facebook and Anthony W. Good.
• 51:00 His words of wisdom are simple: live with integrity, do the right things when nobody notices, find the recovery that works for you, and build a support system.

• It’s All Good Recovery on Facebook
• It’s All Good Recovery Zoom meetings: Thursday at 6:00 PM, Saturday at 2:00 PM, and Sunday at 6:00 PM. Meeting ID: 465 403 0507. Password: 123456. View the meeting flyer
• Willamette Family
• Adult & Teen Challenge PacWest
• Hilbert College Human Services program
• Wellbriety Meetings
• Real Recovery Podcast

#RealRecoveryPodcast, #Recovery, #Sobriety, #RecoveryPodcast, @realrecoverypodcast

Ben M. is back. Two years after recording one of our most popular episodes, he returns with over six years of sobriety and a story about what changed. The chronic relapser who once bought wine after his first AA meeting now sponsors three men. And somewhere in the last two years, the fever broke.

In Part 1, we revisited Ben's original story. Part 2 picks up where that left off. His sponsor told him, "Sweetie, I don't know what else I can tell you." Ben sat with that discomfort. He stopped fighting. And one week after another, three men asked him to sponsor them. This is about seeing the world with new eyes, about a listener named Ryan who commented "He's why I stay sober," about Portland Pride, meditation meetings, breakfast casseroles, and promises that actually started coming true.

• 00:00 Julie welcomes Ben back — his episode was always in the top five
• 02:00 Six years sober — "I was already at death's door in May of 2020"
• 04:00 The fever breaking — his sponsor said "I don't know what else I can tell you"
• 08:00 "Seeing the world with new eyes. I don't even wanna drink"
• 14:00 Three men asked him to sponsor them, one after another
• 18:00 Sunday night service at Extended Family since October 2020
• 20:00 First Pride parade — Julie, Peter, and Ben share stories
• 25:00 Meditation meeting, sausage fest, and the breakfast casserole
• 28:00 Learning to sit with uncomfortable emotions
• 46:00 Promises coming true — "I have had so many promises come true"

• Lunch Bunch / Extended Family AA
• Alcoholics Anonymous
• Real Recovery Podcast

We're revisiting one of the most popular episodes in Real Recovery Podcast history. Ben M. first joined us in April 2024 as episode 7. Next week, Ben returns for an update — over six years sober, with three new sponsees and a spiritual shift he calls "seeing the world with new eyes."

Ben grew up the only boy in a big Hispanic family in El Paso. At 13, everything changed — first pot, first blackout, first time meeting men off the internet. He came out at 14. His Pinocchio story — meeting a fox on the way to school, following it to the circus, waking up with a donkey tail — is one of the most honest accounts of early addiction we've heard. From law school to psych wards, from a lost law license to a glass of wine on a flight to San Francisco that undid three and a half years — Ben's path shows what alcoholism takes and what recovery can give back.

• 03:50 Julie introduces Ben — Sunday night meeting partners, Zoom host and in-person secretary
• 07:00 Growing up in El Paso and Dallas — only boy, three older sisters, "I got anything I wanted"
• 10:00 The Pinocchio metaphor — the fox, the circus, the donkey tail
• 14:00 Age 13 — first pot, first blackout, AOL chat rooms, meeting men off the internet
• 22:00 Coming out at 14, skipping school, developing a secret life
• 24:30 Moving to New York City at 18 — September 11th scared him sober for a while
• 30:30 Law school — daily drinking, suicidal in blackouts, Franzia and Golden Girls
• 43:30 First DUI, first major collision, jail, psych ward twice in one week
• 57:00 The relapse — three and a half years sober, then one glass of wine on a flight to San Francisco
• 61:00 Oregon rehab, finding sobriety, treating alcoholism as life-threatening
• 65:00 Sobriety date May 5, 2020 — "If I don't stop, I'll be 50 with nothing"
• 72:30 His husband, Sunday night service, and the life recovery built

• MCC Portland
• Alcoholics Anonymous
• Real Recovery Podcast

• 00:05 Meet the Glam Lot — Becca (returning guest, EP 18) and Carrington co-founded it, Bex joined about a month ago
• 00:07 Bex: six months sober, they/them, found community fast
• 00:11 “If you don’t have fun in your life, you don’t have interests — what’s the point?”
• 00:14 Friends in the Park: bingo, potlucks, bring a newcomer
• 00:16 Becca got into drag watching YouTube tutorials during lockdown
• 00:20 Telling people you’re sober: friends who disappeared, ones who stayed
• 00:27 Drop the Rock, step work, and defense mechanisms
• 00:34 Peter on finding Lunch Bunch: “These are my people”
• 01:04 Carrington on hyperfemme drag as a cis woman: “Is this okay?”
• 01:10 The mission: spread recovery through drag and raise money for charity
• 01:13 Raising money for the Trevor Project through True Colors
• 01:28 Final advice: get a houseplant, don’t give up, have some fun

• The Glam Lot PDX on Instagram
• The Glam Lot PDX on Facebook
• True Colors Recovery
• Kings and Queens Meeting
• 4D Recovery
• The Trevor Project
• Real Recovery Podcast

• 00:01 Jen spent six months in IOP without once telling her family she had stopped drinking. Recovery was her private project first.
• 00:02 Her dad was dying of cancer. At 18 months sober, he waved a glass of whiskey in her face. She didn’t take it. She also never told him she’d stopped.
• 00:05 At age 12, Jen discovered her grandmother Lois in Reno was biological. She found the branch of the family where the disease ran — and finally had a name for it.
• 00:07 In her first five years of sobriety, Jen walked through what she calls a suicidal depression. She kept showing up anyway.
• 00:14 Dr. Angela, a Cherokee elder and professor at Reed College, gave eagle feathers at every AA birthday she attended. Jen and Julie both carry one.
• 00:35 Recovery League Softball: Jen joined five teams and averaged 12 games a week. The obsession for more doesn’t disappear in sobriety. It just finds new rooms.
• 00:39 Jen met Mickey through softball. She walked into a friend’s house and found a gun and a badge on the kitchen table. Mickey was a parole officer. Jen didn’t run.
• 00:45 When Peter was going through cancer, the fellowship showed up. What the tools of the program carry people through that willpower alone never could.
• 00:47 Tammy’s third step gift: “If it adds to you spiritually, it’s God’s will for you. If it takes from you in any way, it’s not God’s will.” Jen still uses it.
• 00:48 Jen’s higher power: driving into the woods alone. What she finds when she breathes in the wind on her face.
• 01:01 Jen and Julie have been riding this train together for 29 years. What it means to call someone your spiritual sister — and what Jen says at the end about nothing going to waste. Not the grief, not the hard years, not even the parts she’d trade if she could.

• The Grotto — National Sanctuary of Our Sorrowful Mother, Portland
• Recovery League Softball
• Real Recovery Podcast

• 00:00 Jen arrives with a broken leg and ice on her foot — "If she can make it, you all can" — as Julie introduces the friend she's known since Lunch Bunch / Extended Family in August 1997
• 00:08 "I found my people" — the group conscience that keeps showing up, and the diversity that's grown over nearly three decades
• 00:17 Growing up on the family cattle ranch: bucking hay, worming cows, and hiding from the bull named Caesar in a crabapple tree
• 00:22 Costa Rican exchange student at 15: blackout drinking, discotheques, and Kahlua on the porch with fireflies
• 00:25 Buying liquor at 15 in small-town stores; the party where Michelle got alcohol poisoning — and making amends years later in a Fred Meyer aisle
• 00:31 Coming out at 17, leaving home in the middle of the night, and Auntie Bev: "We love your friend, and she's welcome here any time"
• 00:35 The Chemeketa paramedic program; Embers at 16; and Corey's recovery coin in a cigar box by the river
• 00:39 Kathy's basement ultimatum: "I'm not gonna sit around and watch you kill yourself" — the moment that sent Jen to treatment
• 00:43 The 150-foot Grotto cross shining through her kitchen; Gregorian chants drifting into her yard; her first sober house
• 00:47 First AA meeting: the smoking meeting at the Grotto, the priest who ignored her, and the room of people she didn't believe
• 00:49 James at the gay meeting: "Will I see you tomorrow?" — five words that kept both Jen and Julie coming back
• 00:53 Sixty days sober, furious, "coming around those corners hot" — the parking spot at the rock shop that changed everything
• 00:56 Julie's Friday meltdown that brought Tammy into the meeting — the woman who became Jen's sponsor for 26 years
• 01:01 Tammy's story; the Linda Neely connection; and "Two years ago on Wednesday, Tammy died"
• 01:10 Driving Fred to Yreka for his amends; finding an AA meeting through the Yellow Pages on a payphone
• 01:15 "Once the drugs and alcohol got set down, I was still left with the obsession" — replacing substances with more
• 01:17 Dad dying of cancer at 18 months sober; the whiskey waved in her face — and the family she never told

Presenters: Julie P. Lewis and Peter B. Dowell
Episode Length: 1 hour 41 minutes
Release Date: July 3, 2026

Devlin F.'s addiction began at six years old when his father gave him a sip of beer while he was choking. What followed was decades of trauma, meth use, street survival in San Francisco's Tenderloin, and a quarter-million-dollar inheritance that nearly killed him. After years of IV drug use and a moment in August 2023 when he saw only two choices — “find a new way to live or jump off a bridge” — Devlin walked into Another Chance. Today he works there as a certified recovery mentor, sponsors others, and has done something remarkable: he gave his addiction a name and buried it. Julie opens up about why she was genuinely scared of him during his active addiction — and why watching his transformation has been one of the greatest gifts of her own recovery.

• 00:04 Fred Meyer Community Rewards and Bottle Drop — two easy ways to support the podcast without spending extra
• 00:08 Julie refused Devlin a hug during active addiction — she was genuinely scared he wouldn't survive
• 00:12 First sip of beer at age six from his alcoholic father; first drink and marijuana at 14 after witnessing domestic violence between his parents
• 00:15 Childhood trauma: sexual abuse at age 4 by a family member, massive stroke at age 10
• 00:27 First hit of meth at 24 — instantly hooked after burning out from 150-hour workweeks as a caregiver
• 00:29 Life on the streets of San Francisco's Tenderloin — 11-day benders and a system built around the drug
• 00:33 Father died from alcoholism on January 5, 2015 — Devlin didn't make it in time to say goodbye
• 00:35 A quarter-million-dollar inheritance fueled four years in Mill City and even deeper addiction
• 00:37 IV drug use — “the final frontier” — and suicidal despair in August 2023
• 00:38 Entered treatment September 23, 2023; Jessica Anderson gave him “the first taste of compassion in a long time”
• 00:42 Extended Family meeting — Colette told him “You're gonna be back here tomorrow” — and he came back
• 00:59 April 28, 2024 — sober date begins. “I had another relapse in me. I didn't have another recovery in me.”
• 01:05 Fourth step at a creek with his sponsor — five to six hours — “the weight of the world came off my shoulders”
• 01:12 Started sponsoring at steps six and seven — his first sponsee now has seven months sober in Arizona
• 01:33 Named his disease “Bradley” and buried him: “I dropped the shovel. He's still buried.”

Fred Meyer Community Rewards: fredmeyer.com/community-rewards

Another Chance treatment center: anotherchancerehab.com

Sober Housing Oregon: facebook.com/soberhousingoregon

Crystal Meth Anonymous (CMA): crystalmeth.org

East County Alano Club: pdxaa.org/venue/east-county-alano-club

Real Recovery Podcast: realrecoverypodcast.com

Listen: mdcr1.com/121

Blog: mdcr1.com/121b

#RealRecoveryPodcast, #Recovery, #Sobriety, #AddictionRecovery, #OneDayAtATime, #12Steps, #RecoveryPodcast, @realrecoverypodcast

RRP 120 — Luciano, Ebony & Jack / Hope Dealers: Peer Services — We’re Here to Love You Until You Can Love Yourself

Presenter: Peter B. and Julie L.  | Length: 1:18:00  | Release Date: June 26, 2026

Recorded live at True Colors Recovery in Portland, three returning guests — Luciano Nicolas (Atlas Treatment Center), Ebony Brawley (4D Recovery), and Jack Taylor (True Colors Recovery) — join Peter and Julie to break down peer services: what they are, how they differ from sponsorship, and what it looks like when someone meets you exactly where you are — on the streets, in jail, or in a tent with a dog you won’t leave behind.

Key Points

• 00:04:00 Jack introduces True Colors Recovery — a drop-in community center for the LGBTQ+ community, with AA, Dharma, and SAA meetings. Walk-in hours: 12:00 PM–8:00 PM, Sunday–Friday. Peer mentors Mordecai and Leo support transgender members through sobriety and the affirmation journey.
• 00:08:30 Ebony describes her outreach role with 4D Recovery: teams reach the houseless population in East County and near the Central Library with supplies, wound care, and same-day assessments. “We’re like little hope dealers out there.”
• 00:11:30 Luciano introduces Atlas Treatment Center — PHP, IOP, OP, and DUI program — and the peer and housing partners they work with: The Peer Company, Sober Housing Oregon, Sober Living PDX, Galia Recovery, and Northwest Recovery Homes.
• 00:13:00 Peter asks the group to define peer services. Ebony: “A peer has lived experience with substance use disorder — they help navigate recovery and reintegration.” Peer mentors differ from sponsors: professional, no 12-step work, focused on removing barriers.
• 00:19:00 Luciano shares how peer mentorship changed his own life — connecting with a peer specialist at a True Colors meeting and getting into detox that same day. On July 3rd, his peer mentor said the sentence that kept him in: “In reality, if you leave now, you may not come back.”
• 00:21:00 Jack describes the True Colors intake process — answering every call, even from jail — listening without judgment and connecting people with peer mentors. “I’m the glue.” No one is turned away.
• 00:26:00 Ebony on outreach: building trust over months, visiting the same person many times before they say yes. The story of two brothers who took nearly a year to go into detox — and what happened when one left early.
• 00:44:00 Common barriers: losing belongings, not being ready, court dates, and pets. Galia Recovery offers dog-friendly housing. Ebony finds fosters through anonymous Facebook posts. The Pathway Center stores belongings while someone sobers up.
• 00:57:00 Jack’s story: homeless at the Holgate MAX station in 2015, soaking wet in the rain, he passed out and woke up to find a warm coat zipped around him by a stranger never identified. “When I think about it, it stirs something in me.”
• 01:06:00 “If you can get one month, you can get two. Sky’s the limit — you don’t have to be broken. You can become whole.” Jack is celebrating ten years of continuous sobriety.
• 01:13:00 Closing statements — Jack: “If you don’t fit in somewhere, go somewhere else.” Ebony: “You’re worth it. If you are alive, you matter.” Luciano: “We’re not here to judge you. We’re here to help you, guide you, and love you until you can love yourself.”

“We’re not here to judge you. We’re here to help you. We’re here to guide you, and we’re here to love you until you can love yourself.”

— Luciano Nicolas

Websites Discussed

• True Colors Recovery
• 4D Recovery
• Atlas Treatment Center
• Galia Recovery
• The Peer Company
• Pathway Center
• Sober Housing Oregon
• Sober Living PDX
• Northwest Recovery Homes
• Oxford House
• SnowCap Community Services
• Real Recovery Podcast

#RealRecoveryPodcast, #Recovery, #PeerServices, #HopeDealers, #RecoveryCommunity, #TrueColors, #4DRecovery, #AtlasTreatment, #SoberLife, #RecoveryPodcast, @realrecoverypodcast

Real Recovery Podcast is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization. EIN: 99-1347297

In Part 2 of this mother–daughter conversation, Cassandra P. picks up where she left off — walking through the doors of Another Chance treatment center in May 2024 not fully convinced she had a problem, and walking out six months later with something she didn’t expect: her people. Cassandra shares what the IOP structure gave her, how she navigated early sobriety while still living with her ex, and what it finally felt like to be in a healthy relationship. She also opens up about her two-year sobriety milestone, the morning routine that’s changing how she starts her days, and the Jersey Shore quote she keeps coming back to.

• 00:03:00 The Another Chance philosophy in Cassandra’s own words: “Recovery’s new to me. Whatever someone suggests, I’m gonna do it.” IOP ran Monday–Friday, 9 AM–3 PM, with drug testing three times per week.
• 00:06:00 Cassandra didn’t graduate until November 2024 — heavy marijuana use before treatment kept showing in her system. She also admits she used cocaine and drank the night before admission to be sure she’d test positive.
• 00:08:00 DBT (Dialectical Behavior Therapy) was her favorite class at Another Chance, run by her favorite person, Julia. The program also included a free MUV Fitness gym membership, with an affordable rate post-graduation.
• 00:11:30 The bond she built with classmates brought back the feeling of high school friendships. Jerry said it best at her graduation: “Another Chance has been good for you, but you’ve been good for Another Chance.”
• 00:19:00 The moment she knew she was an addict: “The answer is when I had to go without it.” Still living with her ex during early IOP, she set hard limits — boundaries broken within days.
• 00:22:00 Meeting partner John at Another Chance — friendship that became the healthiest relationship she’s ever had. “I didn’t realize how shitty my previous relationships were until you actually have one that’s good and healthy.”
• 00:32:00 A candid admission: stopped going to meetings for two months. “If you make your recovery a priority, you’ll find the time.” Now attending Extended Family Saturday and doing secretariat for the first time.
• 00:34:00 On complacency — and Tristan’s quote: “Recovery is your first job. Your second job pays your bills.”
• 00:47:00 Morning routine built around the SAVERS framework from The Miracle Morning by Hal Elrod — Silence, Affirmations, Visualization, Exercise, Reading, Scribing — plus a guided journal and affirmation playlist for the commute.
• 00:55:00 Just hit her two-year sobriety mark. Looking at CNA certification starting late June and exploring peer support specialist credentials to test whether a career in recovery is the right path.
• 01:00:00 Parting words: Mike “The Situation” Sorrentino’s quote — “The comeback is greater than the setback” — and the reminder: “There’s no one-size-fits-all hat that we wear.”

• Another Chance
• MUV Fitness
• Alcoholics Anonymous
• SMART Recovery
• Wellbriety
• The Miracle Morning — Hal Elrod
• Real Recovery Podcast