Recovery Rocks

Tawny and Lisa talk big self-care and how to set yourself up to make it easier. Tawny calls it

“pampering the f*** out of yourself.” She buys herself flowers every week and even created a meditation closet! Setting a designated area at home or somewhere else that’s a go-to place to

decompress and recenter can be a big help in recovery. It’s also necessary to set boundaries to

actually use the space we set up.

Music Minute features Crosby Stills Nash &Young and instrumental music by Khruangbin and Kyle Dixon 

Recommended Reading: Set Boundaries, Find Peace 

Just For Fun: Treat Yourself from Parks & Rec

This episode is sponsored by the sober entrepreneurs at Sour Humanoid vinegar! Add a splash of these artisanal vinegars to your dinner to brighten up the flavor of your protein and veggies. Order a bottle (or two!) today at sourhumanoid.com and follow them at @sourhumanoid.

Tawny and Lisa talk about advocating for your mental health in the workplace. While programs

like those under the Family Medical Leave Act (FMLA) and other sabbaticals may be available,

red tape and stigma can keep us from taking the time we need. They also discuss the need for

employers to recognize that a “sick day” can apply to physical health or mental health. The brain

is an organ in the body and needs to be taken care of just like any other organ. Use your sick days, y’all!

Music Minute features The Beatles and Jojo.

This episode is sponsored by the sober entrepreneurs at Sour Humanoid vinegar! Add a splash of these artisanal vinegars to your dinner to brighten up the flavor of your protein and veggies. Order a bottle (or two!) today at sourhumanoid.com and follow them at @sourhumanoid.

Tawny and Lisa talk Dry January and how it’s evolved over the years. “Damp January” and

other approaches might be the right road for many people who just want to take a break or are

sober curious. It’s not about “sober tourism.” It’s about seeing what it feels like to wake up

without hangovers and be more present in our lives. Dry January is a great time to level up how

we deal with our difficult feelings without drinking. And it’s a great time to check out the

multitudes of zero-proof drinks!

Music Minute features No Doubt and Radiohead.

This episode is sponsored by the sober entrepreneurs at Sour Humanoid vinegar! Add a splash of these artisanal vinegars to your dinner to brighten up the flavor of your protein and veggies. Order a bottle (or two!) today at sourhumanoid.com and follow them at @sourhumanoid.

Tawny opens up about incorporating cannabis in her recovery. Last year, when her anxiety seriously
worsened, she was faced with either upping her antidepressant dose or adding Xanax. With
neither of those being good options for her, she explored alternatives in plant medicine. She now
microdoses cannabis under the guidance of professionals: her general physician, a cannabis doctor, and
her therapist. Plant medicine can be one more tool in the sobriety toolbox. There is no shame in
the medicine game, plant-based or otherwise!

For more info, check out:

GRASS (Green Recovery and Sobriety Support).
DOSED documentary

Music Minute features Bleachers, Diana Ross, and The Beatles.

Learn more about our sponsor, Soberlink, and request an exclusive $50 off promo code 

by visiting: www.soberlink.com/recovery-rocks

(CW: includes a discussion of violence and sexual assault)

Mary Beth O’Connor is the author of the new memoir, “From Junkie to Judge: One Woman’s
Triumph Over Trauma and Addiction.” The abuse and traumas she experienced as a child,
including sexual assaults, led Mary Beth into substance use disorders. She started drinking at 12
years old and by 17 she was shooting up methamphetamine. When Mary Beth got sober at age 32, 12-step was not a fit. She decided to develop her own way of recovering, incorporating ideas from multiple sources to build a secular recovery plan that works for her. Six years into her recovery, she went to law school, then worked at a big firm before being appointed a federal Administrative Law Judge.

The programs Mary Beth draws on include:
Women For Sobriety -- https://womenforsobriety.org/
Life Ring Secular Recovery -- https://lifering.org/
She Recovers -- https://sherecovers.org/
Music Minute features Pharell’s “Happy.” Check out the video for “24 hours of Happy.” -
https://24hoursofhappy.com/

Find Mary Beth and the book at: https://junkietojudge.com/
On IG: @marybetho_

This episode is sponsored by the sober entrepreneurs at Sour Humanoid vinegar! Add a splash of these artisanal vinegars to your dinner to brighten up the flavor of your protein and veggies. Order a bottle (or two!) today at sourhumanoid.com and follow them at @sourhumanoid.

Tawny and Lisa take a different spin on the New Year. Instead of making New Year’s
resolutions, which they quit years ago, they talk about what they want to leave behind from
2022. These are things that may have helped them in the past but no longer serve them. For those
interested in Tarot, this coincides with the card for 2023 being The Chariot.
Music Minute features Everclear, Guns n Roses; The Rolling Stones, Gavin DeGraw, and Bob
Dylan.

This episode is sponsored by the sober entrepreneurs at Sour Humanoid vinegar! Add a splash of these artisanal vinegars to your dinner to brighten up the flavor of your protein and veggies. Order a bottle (or two!) today at sourhumanoid.com and follow them at @sourhumanoid.

Tawny and Lisa go over their favorite reads, listens, and watches of 2022. The year brought great
books (including QuitLit!), TV, and music. There was a lot to love this year and book links are
below.
Some fave TV: Single Drunk Female (Hulu), Dopesick (Hulu), Euphoria (HBO), The Flight
Attendant (HBO), and Loudermilk (Amazon).
Some fave QuitLit:
The Book of Boundaries (Melissa Urban) -
https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/695814/the-book-of-boundaries-by-melissa-urban/
Not Drinking Tonight (Amanda White) - https://www.hachettego.com/titles/amanda-e-white-
lpc/not-drinking-tonight/9781549136344/
I’m Glad My Mom Died (Jennette McCurdy) - https://www.simonandschuster.com/books/Im-
Glad-My-Mom-Died/Jennette-McCurdy/9781982185824
Sex and the Single Woman (Tawny contributed an essay!) -
https://www.harpercollins.com/products/sex-and-the-single-woman-eliza-m-smithhaley-
swanson?variant=40371687555106
Pre-order Hey Hun (Emily Lynn Paulson) - https://www.simonandschuster.com/books/Hey-
Hun/Emily-Lynn-Paulson/9781955905251
Other reads include A Certain Hunger (Chelsea G. Summers), The Last Chairlift (John Irving),
Liberation Day (George Saunders), and Night of the Living Rez (Morgan Tatty).

Music Minute features Taylor Swift, Macklemore, Wet Leg, and Maneskin, as well as new tunes
from old favorites – Mike Campbell, Ann Wilson, Jack White, and Eddie Vedder.

This episode is sponsored by the sober entrepreneurs at Sour Humanoid vinegar! Add a splash of these artisanal vinegars to your dinner to brighten up the flavor of your protein and veggies. Order a bottle (or two!) today at sourhumanoid.com and follow them at @sourhumanoid.

Vote Recovery Rocks for Best Buddy Podcast: https://vote.signalaward.com/PublicVoting#/2022/shows/general/best-buddy-podcast

Imposter syndrome is defined as, “a psychological pattern in which an individual doubts their

accomplishments and has a persistent internalized fear of being exposed as a ‘fraud.’” So many

of us experience this feeling and we’re not alone. Surveys have shown that between 30% and

70% of Americans struggle with it. Tawny and Lisa discuss how they feel when their minds tells

them a story that is not based in fact, and how they address it.

Check out the Impostor Syndrome Institute

Music Minute features The Who and Gin Blossoms.

This episode is sponsored by the sober entrepreneurs at Sour Humanoid vinegar! Add a splash of these artisanal vinegars to your dinner to brighten up the flavor of your protein and veggies.

Order a bottle today at sourhumanoid.com and follow them at @sourhumanoid

Tawny has been taking Lexapro for her anxiety and it’s truly changed her life. Lisa also takes medication for her depression and anxiety. While it may not be an option for everyone, for many people medication is a lifesaver. They talk about how it works and how essential it is to break the stigma around it. They also break down some common myths that keep the medication stigma going.

Check out Tawny’s IG for her October post on her medication journey!

Music Minute features Megan Thee Stallion’s new mental health site, Bad Bitches Have Bad

Days Too. And Selena Gomez’s Wondermind newsletter.

Learn more about our sponsor, Soberlink, and request an exclusive $50 off promo code by visiting: www.soberlink.com/recovery-rocks 

Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD) is type of “situational” depression. It happens during certain

seasons of the year—most often fall or winter. Shorter days and less daylight may trigger a

chemical change in the brain leading to symptoms of depression. Light therapy and

antidepressants can help treat SAD. Tawny and Lisa talk about their experiences with SAD and

what helps them.

Music Minute features Annie Lennox, Garbage, Soundgarden, and Gary Allen. They also laugh at Ilana Glazer brilliant portrayal of SAD on an episode of Broad City.

Info on Seasonal Affective Disorder

This episode is sponsored by the sober entrepreneurs at Sour Humanoid vinegar! Add a splash of these artisanal vinegars to your dinner to brighten up the flavor of your protein and veggies.

Order a bottle today at sourhumanoid.com and follow them at @sourhumanoid