What is willingness? The ability to be willing? Being willing? The readiness to do something? How do we actually practice willingness? Is there a tactic to be more willing? Can we possible make ourselves more willing that we are? Is the answer to just keep doing the wrong thing until we are ready to do the right one? Is willingness gained from taking a beating? Is willingness openmindedness in action? We talk all about whether we even believe in willingness and our ideas around this spiritual principle. Join the conversation by leaving a message, emailing us at [email protected],  or find us on Twitter, Facebook or Instagram, or find us on our website at www.recoverysortof.com.

Judging episode

We explore the world of judging. We hear early on not to judge others, or take other's inventory, but then we are told to stick with the winners? Well, how do we judge the winners? Judging is a slippery slope. On one hand, every thing we do is a judgment. We judge if we want to get out of bed in the morning. On the other hand, judging can leave us feeling pretty bad about ourselves and others. Do we judge ourselves by the same measuring stick we judge others? Is it even possible to not judge? Can judging help us? Is there a useful way to approach judging? We talk about all these concepts, and ways to cope or help with our judging habit. Join the conversation by leaving a message, emailing us at [email protected],  or find us on Twitter, Facebook or Instagram, or find us on our website at www.recoverysortof.com.

Openmindedness episode

Perfectionism episode

Safe Use Sites episode

We welcome Idalia, the public outreach coordinator for Al-Anon in the Maryland and DC area, to help us explore the world of Al-Anon. We talk about what Al-Anon is, who might find it useful, what types of struggles Al-Anon helps people address, what you might find when you go to an Al-Anon meeting, and who might not find benefit from Al-Anon. Idalia shares parts of her story, what Al-Anon has helped her with, and some of the specifics of how the Al-Anon program works. Listen in to learn more about Al-Anon, if it might be beneficial for you, and where to start. And check out How Al-Anon Works on Audible. When you use our link to sign up for a free 30-day trial, we earn a small commission! Join the conversation by leaving a message, emailing us at [email protected],  or find us on Twitter, Facebook or Instagram, or find us on our website at www.recoverysortof.com.

Al-Anon Newcomers Packet

Maryland and DC Al-Anon

We explore the world of being in recovery from substance abuse and also having bipolar disorder. Erin joins us to help describe the world of bipolar. What's the overlap like? Are parts of recovery from one struggle also relevant to helping recover from the other? Are there any practices that we generally suggest to people in recovery that might not be the best for individuals that deal with bipolar? We start out explaining the diagnostic criteria of bipolar disorder, move into what it might feel like, look at some of the risk factors, address some of the triggers, and finally talk about some of the best coping strategies. Listen in and learn about bipolar disorder, to either help yourself in your recovery or maybe better understand someone close to you. Join the conversation by leaving a message, emailing us at [email protected],  or find us on Twitter, Facebook or Instagram, or find us on our website at www.recoverysortof.com.

Honesty episode

We talk about the safe use sites, also known as safe consumption sites, also known as harm reduction sites, also known as legal injection sites. We explore the 2 locations that have recently opened up in New York City, what they do, how they work, and if it seems to be helping. There has been much criticism of the idea of having safe use sites, even within the recovery community. The idea of safe consumption sites is to meet people where they are. If they aren't ready to get in recovery, let's keep them alive. And also decrease the shame associated with drug use, in order to guide them toward recovery. We talk the facts and a bunch of opinions about the safe injection sites. Listen in and learn. Join the conversation by leaving a message, emailing us at [email protected],  or find us on Twitter, Facebook or Instagram, or find us on our website at www.recoverysortof.com.

Drug Court episode

David Poses episode

Nostalgia episode

On this episode, we explore the world of family members who are affected by problem gambling. We are joined by Christine, who shares her story of how problem gambling in her family led to her introduction to Gam-Anon. We talk about what the program of Gam-Anon has to offer, how it addresses the struggles of the "Anon" member of the family system, and how to start the journey of getting help. Gam-Anon is a 12 Step self-help fellowship of men and women who have been affected by the gambling problem of another. We ask what constitutes problem gambling, how a family member might know that it is a problem in their lives, if codependency is a factor, and more. Listen in as we explore Gam-Anon. Join the conversation by leaving a message, emailing us at [email protected],  or find us on Twitter, Facebook or Instagram, or find us on our website at www.recoverysortof.com.

Gam-Anon website

Gam-Anon family questionnaire

Continuing our dive into spiritual principles, we focus this month on openmindedness. We explore the world of having an open mind. Are you openminded? How many people think they are closeminded? I bet very few people think they have a closed mind, and yet, we encounter so many people that are not open to new ideas outside of what they already think. Science has shown that the brain seeks out information that verifies what it already believes, and discredits information that is contrary to our beliefs. So how do we measure our openmindedness? Are there practices to increase our open mind? Jenny joins us and we take a couple quizzes to explore our own openminded ability. Listen in as we talk about the world of being openminded, and take the quizzes with us to see if your mind is as open as you think it is. Join the conversation by leaving a message, emailing us at [email protected],  or find us on Twitter, Facebook or Instagram, or find us on our website at www.recoverysortof.com.

Wise Speech episode

Simplicity episode

Other Openmindedness episode

We have Jenny on to teach us about wise speech. Wise speech, or right speech, is one of the 5 precepts of ethical conduct in Buddhism. Jenny, with her exposure to the Recovery Dharma and Refuge Recovery programs, explains what wise speech is, and we try to learn how it applies in our daily life. We explore the universe of 12 step world to see if any of the principles taught in 12 step programs are equivalent to this idea of wise speech. We look at false speech, malicious speech, harsh speech, and idle chatter as types of speech that we want to avoid. We give our own takes on how useful we feel wise speech is to our lives and if we totally agree with Buddha. Ultimately, taking more time to set the intentions or goals we hope to gain from what we are about to say seems like a pretty good idea that we don't necessarily practice enough. Listen in to learn all about wise speech. Join the conversation by leaving a message, emailing us at [email protected],  or find us on Twitter, Facebook or Instagram, or find us on our website at www.recoverysortof.com.

Books Mentioned in this episode:

The Four Agreements - don Miguel Ruiz

The Five Levels of Attachment - don Miguel Ruiz Jr.

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Honesty episode

Zen episode

Work episode

Polyvagal Theory episode

What is drug court? We have on Ray, a drug court case manager to talk all about drug court. How does drug court work? Who qualifies for drug court? Is drug court mandatory? What is the point of drug court? What types of requirements are there once you get into drug court? How long is the program of drug court? Is drug court effective? While Ray can only speak for what he knows about the local drug court in a specific county, the information should be useful and comparable to drug courts nationwide. Have any questions about drug court? Listen in to be educated and form your own opinion about whether drug court is a valuable resource, a step in the right direction, or a complete waste of time. Join the conversation by leaving a message, emailing us at [email protected],  or find us on Twitter, Facebook or Instagram, or find us on our website at www.recoverysortof.com.

Honesty episode

Recovery House episode

Just get honest! Or is that always the best way to go about life? Is honesty a principle that we are meant to practice in all our endeavors? Or is honesty a virtue, where the goal isn't honesty 100% of the time, but to find a balance? We explore the concept of honesty, some of the theories about levels of honesty, what we believe the goal of honesty is, and if it's okay to be dishonest if the intention is a positive one. We talk about how deceit is usually a negative when the lie is told with the goal of some self-gain, but lies tend to not be as bad when the goal is to help someone else. Then we take a quiz on honesty to see just how honest we are. Listen in, take the quiz with us, and share your thoughts about being honest. Join the conversation by leaving a message, emailing us at [email protected],  or find us on Twitter, Facebook or Instagram, or find us on our website at www.recoverysortof.com.

Honesty Quiz

Our other Honesty episode

Nostalgia episode

Cliches part 1 episode

Work part 2 episode

Top Recovery Podcasts list