In her new book “We Are The Luckiest” Laura is raising the question “What is so lucky about being an addict?” When she entered the rooms Laura thought that everyone around her was bullshitting themselves. “They must be, without alcohol your life can’t be better.” Little did she know how much better it was about to get. Today Laura has a daughter who is safe and healthy, something she wasn’t always able to say.

Today Laura is taking another step, she is no longer simply “Recovering From” she has begun the journey of “Recovering To.” In a nutshell that means looking at what else is in the way of her clarity. Examining the world around her and identifying where else might she be escaping and trading an amazing life for a novel one.

Laura’s book “We Are the Luckiest” can be found wherever books are sold. This book is not just for those on a recovery path due to addictions that society hates, this book is for everyone, the shopaholic, and the netflixaholic as well. Sure, we can say “It’s not bad” but it is. You’re trading your clarity for emptiness, and if that’s is not going to be considered bad then I don’t know what would be because that’s the exact reason people yell so loud about drug and alcohol addiction.

We Are the Luckiest http://bit.ly/WeAreTheLuckiest

Laura McKowen https://www.lauramckowen.com/

Video of this episode  https://youtu.be/gKfz-MGqIuo

If you would like to be a guest and share how you’re recovering yourself - Contact me through my website MartinJon.com

Follow me on Instagram at @MartinJon to learn more about how I am spreading my Recover Yourself message.

In this episode, I am speaking with Merrin Douglas or @hummusandcucumber on Instagram. Merrin has 3 and a half years in recovery and she accomplished that without the use of a traditional program. You'll see culturally things are different between the US and the UK as you’ll see in this episode. Merrin, because she wasn’t homeless and had a moderate sense of doing alright, felt that the addiction services offered were not for her. I am sure this is both a perception she carries and one propagated by the culture as well. That idea persists here in the States as well, as we see so many people not adopting a program because they are functioning relatively well in their opinion. In my opinion, though programs like AA and SmartRecover have done a great job in letting people know that you are free to get help in not drinking even if you just want to not drink.    

Merrin, I feel, is lucky. She is making it through the stages of her recovery with awareness and grace, but she is also having to take on the comments of others that are saying she is not an alcoholic. To that, I want to say, “Alcoholic” is just a label. We don’t need to hold a label to do anything, especially to not drink. Merrin is not trying to find a label to stick, to she trying to live her life with clarity, whether or not she is an alcoholic is not the question, the question she is asking is "Does she want to continue to drink?" which the answer today is a resounding "no."  

You’ll hear in this episode that Merrin had replaced her alcohol with other things and is still struggling with an active energy drink addiction, but she is examining, and aware, of these things. She turned to, and away from, journaling and reading, recognizing that her approach and purpose for doing those things were neither honest nor in line with her at the moment. We all dip into doing stuff and, during early recovery, we can get enamored with just about anything. Being sure we move forward with integrity and awareness is the key to really recovering ourselves. Questioning ourselves along the way is the only way to truly recover ourselves completely.  

You would never know that Merrin had no fellowship in her life. Those of us that come from the rooms, or are entrenched in some traditional program often believe that it is the program that holds the information, but the information is what created the program.   

Video of this episode https://youtu.be/XtwMvnQwaBc

If you would like to be a guest and share how you’re recovering yourself - Contact me through my website MartinJon.com 

 Follow me on Instagram at @MartinJon to learn more about how I am spreading my Recover Yourself message.  

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In this episode, I am talking with Vikki Rood of Awkward and Awesome Coaching. Vikki also co-hosts the podcast Telling On Ourselves which is focused on different aspects of the recovery journey.  You can learn more about Vikk and what she is doing by going to her website www.vikkirood.com or following her on Instagram @awkwardandawesomecoaching or @tellingonourselves

Again this week we are giving away another ArKay Alcohol-Free product this week, a sampler set of 6 single servings in their Give Me Five gift box to the winner. Register for the giveaway HERE https://gleam.io/yanGP/recover-yourself-arkay-giveaway

Video of this episode https://youtu.be/GvOwUBp3RzY

If you would like to be a guest and share how you’re recovering yourself - Contact me through my website MartinJon.com

Follow me on Instagram at @MartinJon to learn more about how I am spreading my Recover Yourself message.

Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/martinjon/message

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In this episode, I am talking with Pamela of My Bad As Recovery. Pamela and I had to experience relapse to get to where we are today. Although I don’t believe relapse will be a part of everyone’s recovery it is part of most of ours. Pamela is a recovery coach and her approach is built out of her experiences and her personal growth. She is sharing her journey and teaching what she is learning along the way. and

Again this week we are giving away another bottle of one of ArKay’s Alcohol-Free drinks.

Video of this episode https://youtu.be/juk9l7vlcac

Also, follow @mybadassrecovery on Instagram

If you would like to be a guest and share how you’re recovering yourself - Contact me through my website MartinJon.com

Follow me on Instagram at @MartinJon to learn more about how I am spreading my Recover Yourself message.

Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/martinjon/message

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Chris Marshall is the Founder of Sans Bar in Austin TX. He is passionate about the Zero Proof Movement and Sans Bara is a 0.0 Bar spreading this passion to everyone they touch. Creating a safe environment for all those who want to have a good time without alcohol, is at the core of everything Sans Bar. Chris and I talk about sobriety and the different stages of sobriety. We also address how big alcohol continues to attempt to own a piece of the health and wellness industry.  

This episode ends with Chris walking us through three different zero Proof Cocktails. He introduced me to ArKay, an alcohol alternative company making all sorts of options for a sophisticated palate and made an ArKay and Coke. From there he made a Classic Mule with a Dry Soda Ginger. Dry Soda has been making grownup beverages for 15 years unbeknownst to me. Then he prepares a Paloma with BarSmith Mix.  

Here are those recipes for you  

Mule

Paloma

This episode and many to follow are going to be hosting ArKay giveaways.

Register for the giveaway HERE https://gleam.io/WsibI/recover-yourself-arkay-giveaway  

Dry Soda has also offered up some mocktail recipes you can get here https://gallery.mailchimp.com/2fcee753781b328f6c7200ef7/files/b5b26450-1866-477b-9815-ecec0afed45c/Mocktails_by_DrySoda.pdf  

And check out this list they put out before summer https://www.drysoda.com/2019/05/26/summer-mocktails/  

Also, follow @Sans_Bar on Instagram  

And all the wonderful companies that contribute to the sober beverage options. @arkaybeverages  https://arkaybeverages.com/ @drysoda https://www.drysoda.com/ @barsmithmix https://www.barsmithmix.com/  

Be sure to stay in touch with Sans Bar as they are doing a PopUp tour across the US in 2020,

SANS BAR 2020 TOUR

If you would like to be a guest and share how you’re recovering yourself - Contact me through my website MartinJon.com.  

Celeste is a popular writer and personality whose writing resonates with women, and parents everywhere, and she speaks with a candor and honesty that is unusual in this world of filters. In 2018, Celeste admitted she had a drinking problem and her decision to get sober. Since then, Celeste has openly spoken about her struggles with alcohol and her daily commitment to becoming a sober mom for the sake of her health and her family. She has written for the Washington Post, Today Show, Yahoo! Lifestyle, and many more. In this episode, she is sharing her journey in early recovery. She talks about learning things about herself and society that she may have never stumbled upon had she not gotten sober. Simple things like "What is a holiday without alcohol?" are questions most people don't get the opportunity to ask, but they are essential if you're beginning a journey of sobriety.

Video of this episode  https://youtu.be/ykDbTYSZDwo

Also, follow Celeste  @TheUltimateMomChallenge on Instagram

If you would like to be a guest and share how you’re recovering yourself - Contact me through my website MartinJon.com.  Follow me on Instagram at @MartinJon to learn more about how I am spreading my Recover Yourself message.

Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/martinjon/message

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In this episode, I’m talking with Burk Jackson who gratefully has 25 years. This episode is full of vulnerability and honesty. Burk shares some struggles that happened with him as 20 years sober and, as I am a year away from that, it intrigued me. Burk understands that everything in his life can change, and he is grateful for that. There is an understanding that comes with time and it is that, No, not everything is going to change for the better, but everything will turn out the best. Burk sheds more than one tear in this interview due to his tremendous gratitude for where he has brought himself.

Video of this episode  https://youtu.be/iga6M57Kk0Q

Also, follow Burk @BurkJackson on Instagram

If you would like to be a guest and share how you’re recovering yourself - Contact me through my website MartinJon.com.  Follow me on Instagram to learn more about how I am spreading my Recover Yourself message @martinjon

Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/martinjon/message

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In this episode, I’m talking with Jeremy Floyd who only has 21 months. (I think everyone can understand why I use the word only here) I talk about long term recovery because, more often than not, it is arrived at over a period of time. Jeremy, however, went on a personal pilgrimage walking 800 miles between Minnesota and Santa Monica California. His walk was to raise awareness of homelessness and addiction but what it really did was raise his awareness of himself. I invite you to listen to through the end when I talk about how you can get an opportunity to work with me and my Portrait Facilitation work for free.

I am in recovery and so very happy, not because of my time but because of my growth and the depth of which I love myself. I have been having a rough time as of late but using all the tools I have learned and created I am taking every day, one day at a time. I am not in a state that my sobriety is threatened but I have noticed I am reaching for pacifiers more than I would like. Transition is just one of those things that cause me to hide a bit.

Video of this episode https://youtu.be/5JB3AUrsCm4

Visit  https://www.fox9.com/news/man-walks-from-minneapolis-to-california-raising-awareness-of-homelessness-addiction to see his story as it was represented on Fox 9

Also, follow Jeremy @WalkUnchained on Instagram

He also invites you to contact him directly via email [email protected]

If you would like to be a guest and share how you’re recovering yourself - Contact me through my website MartinJon.com.  Follow me on Instagram to learn more about how I am spreading my Recover Yourself message @martinjon

Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/martinjon/message

Become a supporter of this podcast: https://anchor.fm/martinjon/support

In this episode, I wanted to talk a bit about Recover Yourself, the podcast and the idea. I host Recover Yourself workshops and I do recover yourself visits to IOPs (Intensive Outpatient Programs). I also see clients one on one where I do portraits of people which facilitate the Recover Yourself idea. .

In this episode, I wanted to talk a bit about Recover Yourself, the podcast and the idea. I host Recover Yourself workshops and I do recover yourself visits to IOPs (Intensive Outpatient Programs). I also see clients one on one where I do portraits of people which facilitate the Recover Yourself idea.

The only requirement for recovering yourself is awareness. So much of our lives are filled with things that are built in order to take our awareness away from us. As I state in this episode, addiction is not a prerequisite to recovery. We can all use being more aware of ourselves. Doing that will help us advance our lives, be better people, not for others but for ourselves. Others will benefit from that as well of course but that is not the reason we want to recover ourselves. If it was it wouldn’t last.

I give a few shout outs in this episode. Recovery Elevator, Sober is Dope, Carmell Pelly, Recovery Happy Hour. Others that I didn’t happen to mention all get my deepest respect and thank you for tackling a part of the recovery world that I have less interest in. We all have our message and I am grateful for yours. Again I am grateful for so many people if you are, or have been tagged in any of my Instagram posts that I respect and believe in you.

Video of this episode

Visit all that http://www.martinjon.com for more information about all that I do.

If you would like to be a guest and share how you’re recovering yourself - Contact me through my website MartinJon.com.  Follow me on Instagram to learn more about how I am spreading my Recover Yourself message @martinjon  Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/martinjon/message Become a supporter of this podcast: https://anchor.fm/martinjon/support Support this podcast: