Recovery Matters! Podcast

By Connecticut Community For Addiction Recovery (CCAR)

A podcast from one of the nation's original Recovery Community Organizations - CCAR. CCAR envisions a world where the power, hope, and healing of Recovery from addiction is thoroughly understood and e... more

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FAQs about Recovery Matters! Podcast:

How many episodes does Recovery Matters! Podcast have?

The podcast currently has 219 episodes available.

Recovery Matters! Podcast episodes:

May 12, 2026 38 Years in Recovery and Still Learning How to Stay Connected: Phil Valentine Returns (Part 2)
In Part II of this conversation, Phil Valentine reflects on what recovery looks like after retirement, after leadership, and after life changes the rhythm you once knew.
After decades in recovery and years of leading CCAR, Phil shares how returning to meetings helped him reconnect with something deeply familiar: community. He talks about finding his people again, the difference between solitude and isolation, and why face-to-face connection still matters in a world full of screens, Zoom meetings, and technology.
This episode is a reminder that recovery doesn’t stop growing just because you have time behind you. Sometimes, the next chapter brings you back to the simple things: showing up, being known, encouraging someone, and remembering that the best is still yet to come.

00:00 Returning to Meetings
01:00 Finding Community Again
02:00 What Real Community Looks Like
04:00 Being Celebrated in Recovery
05:00 Rekindling Connection
06:00 Carrying the Message
07:00 Loving Recovery Again
09:00 Recovery Community Centers
11:00 Multiple Pathways of Recovery
12:00 Finding Your People
13:30 Solitude vs. Isolation
16:00 Why Community Matters
18:00 In-Person Connection vs. Technology
22:00 The Power of Vulnerability
24:00 Simple Words That Can Change a Life
25:00 Phil’s Legacy
26:00 Advice for Early Recovery
27:00 The Best Is Yet to Come
28:00 Closing Reflections
----Across the Web----
🌎 CCAR Website https://www.ccar.us
✉️ Donate: https://ccar.us/donate/
🎙Recovery Matters Podcast (Apple Music): https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast...
🎙Recovery Matters Podcast (Spotify): https://open.spotify.com/show/1wGUMMO...
🗣Recovery Matters Podcast TikTok
https://www.tiktok.com/@recoverymatterspodcast?
🗣Recovery Matters Podcast Instagram https://www.instagram.com/recoverymatterspodcast/
🗣CCAR Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/CCAR4Recovery
📸CCAR Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ccar4recovery
🐦CCAR Twitter: https://twitter.com/ccar4recovery
...more
29min
May 05, 2026 Recovery, Ego, and Letting Go of Control: Phil Valentine Returns (Part 1)
After 25 years leading one of the most impactful recovery organizations, Phil Valentine made the decision to step away… but what came next wasn’t clarity, it was uncertainty.
In Part One of this conversation, Phil opens up about what it really feels like to lose a role that defined your entire life. From battling cancer and burnout to rediscovering purpose, he shares the quiet, honest moments that don’t often get talked about.
This isn’t just about leadership, it’s about identity, ego, recovery, and learning how to let go of something you love without losing yourself in the process.
If you’ve ever wondered who you are outside of what you do… this conversation will hit.

00:00 Intro
01:00 Life After Leaving CCAR
02:15 Burnout, Cancer, and Recovery
04:00 Losing Purpose After Leadership
06:00 “The Sleeping Tiger” – Addiction Mindset
08:00 Recovery First vs Ego
10:00 Leadership, Letting Go, and Trust
12:30 Authenticity in Recovery
15:30 Emotional Intelligence & Leadership
17:00 The Weight of Words

----Across the Web----
🌎 CCAR Website https://www.ccar.us
✉️ Donate: https://ccar.us/donate/
🎙Recovery Matters Podcast (Apple Music): https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast...
🎙Recovery Matters Podcast (Spotify): https://open.spotify.com/show/1wGUMMO...
🗣Recovery Matters Podcast TikTok
https://www.tiktok.com/@recoverymatterspodcast?
🗣Recovery Matters Podcast Instagram https://www.instagram.com/recoverymatterspodcast/
🗣CCAR Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/CCAR4Recovery
📸CCAR Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ccar4recovery
🐦CCAR Twitter: https://twitter.com/ccar4recovery
...more
19min
April 14, 2026 “He Took Me on a Date… to an NA Meeting”
She thought she was going on a date.
Instead, he took her to her first NA meeting—and that moment changed everything.
After years of heavy drinking, drug use, and a near-fatal overdose, Katerina knew she needed to stop… but had no idea how. What started as confusion and frustration inside that meeting quickly turned into something unexpected: connection, honesty, and the realization that she wasn’t alone.
In this episode, she shares the moment that shifted her path, how addiction took over her life, and what finally helped her begin the journey to recovery.
Sometimes the thing you need most shows up when you least expect it.

00:00 Introduction
00:19 Childhood & Early Exposure to Alcohol
01:00 Drinking Becomes a Daily Habit
02:00 Life in Colombia & Escalating Drug Use
04:00 Daily Drug Cycle & Loss of Control
05:00 Overdose & Waking Up in the Hospital
06:20 Trying to Stop But Can’t
09:50 First NA Meeting Experience
11:30 Asking for Help & Going to Rehab
13:00 Early Recovery Struggles
15:00 Returning Home & Rebuilding Life
16:30 Recovery Routine & Personal Growth
17:30 Moving to the U.S. & New Opportunities
19:10 Relapse After Success
20:30 Loss, Grief & Finding Recovery Again
21:50 Discovering Multiple Pathways to Recovery
23:20 Advice for Someone New in Recovery
----Across the Web----
🌎 CCAR Website https://www.ccar.us
✉️ Donate: https://ccar.us/donate/
🎙Recovery Matters Podcast (Apple Music): https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast...
🎙Recovery Matters Podcast (Spotify): https://open.spotify.com/show/1wGUMMO...
🗣Recovery Matters Podcast TikTok
https://www.tiktok.com/@recoverymatterspodcast?
🗣Recovery Matters Podcast Instagram https://www.instagram.com/recoverymatterspodcast/
🗣CCAR Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/CCAR4Recovery
📸CCAR Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ccar4recovery
🐦CCAR Twitter: https://twitter.com/ccar4recovery
...more
25min
March 31, 2026“If It Kept Working… I’d Still Be Using” | From Addiction to PhD
Margaret Lloyd Seger shares her recovery story—getting sober at just 25 years old and transforming her life into one of purpose, research, and impact.
From early struggles with alcohol and Adderall to becoming a PhD researcher studying addiction and pregnancy, her journey highlights the reality of addiction, the difficulty of early recovery, and the hope that keeps people going.
This conversation dives into:
What early addiction really looks like

The hardest parts of early recovery

How recovery can rebuild a life

The truth about substance use during pregnancy

Why people deserve recovery—no matter what
Recovery is possible. And it starts one day at a time.

0:00 – Margaret introduces herself (15 years in recovery)
1:05 – “I had a great childhood… still became an alcoholic”
1:40 – First exposure to drinking & drugs
2:27 – Early red flags: “I only wanted to drink to get drunk”
3:00 – Why addiction is hard to see when you’re in it
4:00 – Loss + addiction getting worse
5:00 – The moment it finally clicked
5:25 – First recovery meeting at 25
6:10 – “Drugs and alcohol stopped working”
7:30 – Early recovery was the hardest thing she’s ever done
8:00 – 10 days sober… nervous system completely shot
9:15 – Surviving early recovery (meetings + “hope shots”)
10:45 – Rebuilding life in recovery
13:30 – Working with kids affected by addiction
16:50 – Her focus now: pregnancy & addiction
20:40 – Research + TikTok education
22:10 – Cannabis use during pregnancy
24:45 – The risks most people don’t realize
28:50 – Advice for someone in their first 24 hours
----Across the Web----
🌎 CCAR Website https://www.ccar.us
✉️ Donate: https://ccar.us/donate/
🎙Recovery Matters Podcast (Apple Music): https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast...
🎙Recovery Matters Podcast (Spotify): https://open.spotify.com/show/1wGUMMO...
🗣Recovery Matters Podcast TikTok
https://www.tiktok.com/@recoverymatterspodcast?
🗣Recovery Matters Podcast Instagram https://www.instagram.com/recoverymatterspodcast/
🗣CCAR Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/CCAR4Recovery
📸CCAR Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ccar4recovery
🐦CCAR Twitter: https://twitter.com/ccar4recovery
...more
30min
March 17, 2026 Grieving My Brother While He Was Still Alive | A Sister’s Perspective
Christina didn’t just watch addiction from the outside—she lived it as a sister, trying to make sense of behaviors that didn’t add up, while the rest of her family struggled to even acknowledge what was happening.
In this episode, she shares the quiet warning signs she first noticed, the isolation of carrying that awareness alone, and the emotional rollercoaster of loving someone through years of opioid addiction, relapse, and loss.
But this isn’t just a story about grief—it’s about what came after. After losing her brother, Christina turned pain into purpose, building a new model inside schools that focuses on connection over punishment—giving students support instead of isolation.
This conversation is for anyone who has loved someone through addiction… and wondered what more could have been done.

00:00 – Intro & Christina’s story
01:00 – Early signs of addiction
03:30 – Denial, isolation, and confusion
07:30 – From pills to heroin
10:00 – Rehab, relapse, and reality
13:00 – Loving someone through addiction
16:45 – Loss and grief
17:30 – Turning pain into purpose
19:00 – Changing how schools handle addiction
23:00 – Supporting teens before it’s too late
27:00 – Why every school needs this model
30:00 – Advice for early recovery
31:30 – Closing thoughts
----Across the Web----
🌎 CCAR Website https://www.ccar.us
✉️ Donate: https://ccar.us/donate/
🎙Recovery Matters Podcast (Apple Music): https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast...
🎙Recovery Matters Podcast (Spotify): https://open.spotify.com/show/1wGUMMO...
🗣Recovery Matters Podcast TikTok
https://www.tiktok.com/@recoverymatterspodcast?
🗣Recovery Matters Podcast Instagram https://www.instagram.com/recoverymatterspodcast/
🗣CCAR Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/CCAR4Recovery
📸CCAR Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ccar4recovery
🐦CCAR Twitter: https://twitter.com/ccar4recovery
...more
32min
March 03, 2026 I Honestly Hate Being Sober” – A Gen Z Recovery Story
Gio doesn’t sugarcoat it.
“I honestly hate it.”
In this raw and honest conversation, Gio opens up about what it’s really like being a young person in early recovery — watching friends party in their late twenties while choosing to stay sober. From COVID day drinking to waking up shaking at 7am… from checking into detox alone to walking back into recovery after a relapse… this episode captures the uncomfortable, necessary truth about getting sober young.
Gio talks about:
Growing up with two alcoholic parents
Realizing AA wasn’t the right pathway — and feeling shame about it
The relapse that brought them back
Why connection at a Recovery Community Center became their “saving grace”
And how hope now looks like helping others
This is an honest look at early recovery — not polished, not perfect — just real.
If you’ve ever wondered what it’s like to choose sobriety when everyone else is “having fun,” this episode is for you.
----Across the Web----
🌎 CCAR Website https://www.ccar.us
✉️ Donate: https://ccar.us/donate/
🎙Recovery Matters Podcast (Apple Music): https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast...
🎙Recovery Matters Podcast (Spotify): https://open.spotify.com/show/1wGUMMO...
🗣Recovery Matters Podcast TikTok
https://www.tiktok.com/@recoverymatterspodcast?
🗣Recovery Matters Podcast Instagram https://www.instagram.com/recoverymatterspodcast/
🗣CCAR Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/CCAR4Recovery
📸CCAR Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ccar4recovery
🐦CCAR Twitter: https://twitter.com/ccar4recovery
...more
31min
February 17, 2026 She Got Sober at 18… Then Her Son Became Addicted
She got sober at 18 years old after a suicide attempt — convinced she had “lost her zest for life.”
What followed wasn’t just long-term recovery… it was growing up in it.
In this powerful episode of Recovery Matters Podcast, Wendy shares what it was like to build a life from nothing — 90 meetings in 90 days, cleaning houses, becoming a stockbroker, raising three children, losing everything financially, and refusing to pick up a drink through it all.
But the real test came years later — when her own son became trapped in addiction.
How do you stay grateful for your recovery when the same disease is killing your child?
How do you set boundaries when every instinct says “save him”?
And what does it look like to let go… without giving up?
This is a story about resilience, tough love, motherhood, and the kind of faith that only comes from surviving the unthinkable.
If you’ve ever wondered whether recovery can survive divorce, financial collapse, shame, or watching your child struggle — this episode is proof that it can.

----Across the Web----
🌎 CCAR Website https://www.ccar.us
✉️ Donate: https://ccar.us/donate/
🎙Recovery Matters Podcast (Apple Music): https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast...
🎙Recovery Matters Podcast (Spotify): https://open.spotify.com/show/1wGUMMO...
🗣Recovery Matters Podcast TikTok
https://www.tiktok.com/@recoverymatterspodcast?
🗣Recovery Matters Podcast Instagram https://www.instagram.com/recoverymatterspodcast/
🗣CCAR Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/CCAR4Recovery
📸CCAR Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ccar4recovery
🐦CCAR Twitter: https://twitter.com/ccar4recovery
...more
39min
February 03, 2026 He Was Sober on Weekdays — Drunk on Weekends
What starts as a simple cup of coffee turns into a life-saving turning point. In this episode of the Recovery Patterns Podcast, Kris Robles shares how getting sober at just 18 years old set him on a path filled with relapse, honesty, homelessness, healing, and ultimately long-term recovery. Kris opens up about using substances to feel connected, surviving a suicide attempt, learning how to live without secrets, and discovering that recovery is bigger than meetings—it’s about relationships, balance, and staying honest with yourself. This is a raw conversation about growing up in recovery, redefining success, and learning how to live a full life without drugs or alcohol.

00:00 – Introduction & Recovery Dates
01:00 – The Mirror Moment That Sparked Change
02:30 – “Just Coffee” and the First Meeting
04:00 – Getting Sober at a Young Age
05:00 – Using Substances to Feel Connected
06:00 – Relapsing in Secret While Going to Meetings
08:45 – Suicide Attempt & Hospitalization
10:45 – Choosing Honesty in Recovery
11:45 – Homelessness & Starting Over at 21
13:45 – Finishing School & Building Stability
15:00 – Codependency & Unhealthy Relationships
17:30 – Learning What Healthy Relationships Look Like
20:30 – Recovery, Family, and Parenting
23:30 – Letting Go of Guilt Around Meetings
26:00 – Finding Community in a New Place
28:00 – Becoming a Social Worker
30:30 – Working in Behavioral Health & Substance Use
31:45 – Losing a Friend to Overdose
32:45 – Speaking Openly About Recovery
33:20 – Advice for Someone in Their First 24 Hours
----Across the Web----
🌎 CCAR Website https://www.ccar.us
✉️ Donate: https://ccar.us/donate/
🎙Recovery Matters Podcast (Apple Music): https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast...
🎙Recovery Matters Podcast (Spotify): https://open.spotify.com/show/1wGUMMO...
🗣Recovery Matters Podcast TikTok
https://www.tiktok.com/@recoverymatterspodcast?
🗣Recovery Matters Podcast Instagram https://www.instagram.com/recoverymatterspodcast/
🗣CCAR Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/CCAR4Recovery
📸CCAR Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ccar4recovery
🐦CCAR Twitter: https://twitter.com/ccar4recovery
...more
35min
January 20, 2026 Recovery Beyond Sobriety: Healing Trauma Through Breathwork
Michaela shares her powerful recovery journey shaped by trauma, homelessness, substance use, and mental health struggles. After surviving a suicide attempt that became her turning point, she found healing through peer support, holistic practices, and breathwork. Now the Executive Director of Advocacy Unlimited, Michaela reflects on long-term recovery, embodied healing, and helping others reconnect with themselves beyond their circumstances.

00:00 Intro & long-term recovery
01:00 What Advocacy Unlimited does
02:00 Childhood trauma and early substance use
03:00 Pregnancy, getting sober, and pushing everything down
04:45 Relapse, suicide attempt, and rock bottom
05:30 Choosing to live and beginning recovery
06:45 Early recovery and learning adulthood
08:30 Education, identity, and rebuilding life
10:30 Finding purpose through advocacy work
12:00 Discovering holistic and mind-body healing
14:30 Recovery beyond sobriety
16:00 Breathwork and nervous system regulation
19:00 Guided breathwork practice
24:00 How breathwork changed relationships and work
25:00 Advocacy Unlimited programs & resources
28:00 How to get involved / closing
----Across the Web----
🌎 CCAR Website https://www.ccar.us
✉️ Donate: https://ccar.us/donate/
🎙Recovery Matters Podcast (Apple Music): https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast...
🎙Recovery Matters Podcast (Spotify): https://open.spotify.com/show/1wGUMMO...
🗣Recovery Matters Podcast TikTok
https://www.tiktok.com/@recoverymatterspodcast?
🗣Recovery Matters Podcast Instagram https://www.instagram.com/recoverymatterspodcast/
🗣CCAR Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/CCAR4Recovery
📸CCAR Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ccar4recovery
🐦CCAR Twitter: https://twitter.com/ccar4recovery
...more
30min
January 13, 2026 I lost my gratitude. I stopped doing the things that kept me clean — and I relapsed
Andrew Grazen shares his journey from a seemingly normal childhood into years of addiction, incarceration, and near-death experiences, and how recovery, community, and writing ultimately saved his life. From discovering substances at a young age to overdosing in his car and writing a memoir while incarcerated, Andrew reflects on loss, resilience, and why staying connected—and holding onto hope—can change everything.
----Across the Web----
🌎 CCAR Website https://www.ccar.us
✉️ Donate: https://ccar.us/donate/
🎙Recovery Matters Podcast (Apple Music): https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast...
🎙Recovery Matters Podcast (Spotify): https://open.spotify.com/show/1wGUMMO...
🗣Recovery Matters Podcast TikTok
https://www.tiktok.com/@recoverymatterspodcast?
🗣Recovery Matters Podcast Instagram https://www.instagram.com/recoverymatterspodcast/
🗣CCAR Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/CCAR4Recovery
📸CCAR Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ccar4recovery
🐦CCAR Twitter: https://twitter.com/ccar4recovery
...more
24min

FAQs about Recovery Matters! Podcast:

How many episodes does Recovery Matters! Podcast have?

The podcast currently has 219 episodes available.