Summary

In this episode of the Recovery Unfiltered Podcast, the hosts engage in a heartfelt discussion with guest John Kay, exploring themes of recovery, forgiveness, and the lessons learned from near-death experiences. They reflect on the importance of love, joy, and presence in life, while also addressing regrets and the impact of addiction on relationships and parenting. The conversation emphasizes the role of spirituality in recovery and the significance of open communication with loved ones.

n this episode of the Recovery Unfiltered podcast, John K shares his profound journey through addiction, recovery, and the impact of relationships on his sobriety. From a life-changing incident in his youth to the gradual evolution of his drinking habits, John reflects on the pivotal moments that shaped his path. He discusses the importance of community, the role of prayer, and the struggles with resentments in his relationships. As he navigates the challenges of alcoholism, including a relapse during the COVID-19 pandemic, John emphasizes the significance of support systems and honesty in the recovery process. His story is one of resilience, healing, and the ongoing journey of sobriety. This conversation delves into a profound personal journey of addiction, recovery, and resilience. The speaker shares their harrowing experiences with alcoholism, including a dramatic descent into addiction, a life-threatening coma, and the challenges of recovery. Through faith, community support, and a commitment to sobriety, they illustrate the transformative power of acceptance and gratitude in overcoming adversity.

In this episode of the Recovery Unfiltered Podcast, the hosts engage in a heartfelt conversation about the importance of acceptance in recovery and life. They reflect on previous episodes, share personal updates, and discuss the challenges and triumphs of living a sober life. The discussion emphasizes the need for acceptance as a tool for overcoming difficulties and fostering personal growth, while also highlighting the significance of being present in the moment.

We finish Nathans story from Episode 38.. These stories are why we do this podcast..

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One prayer. One big win. A thousand bad bets. This week we sit with a story that refuses to blink: from a first jackpot and comped rooms to forged signatures, meth-fueled investigations, DUIs, and a 400-foot plunge that somehow wasn’t the end. The chase for the next high becomes a full-time job—slots, credit kiting, Costco rug scams, fake IDs—until the truth finally breaks through in a courtroom where a judge gives one last chance and honesty becomes the only strategy left.

We walk through the parts that rarely get airtime: how process addictions like gambling and bulimia got misread as “less serious” while alcohol and drugs ran cover; how shame and secrecy kept rewiring choices; and how family dynamics of control, image, and rescue poured gas on a fire that wouldn’t stop. The details are messy and human—Vegas jackpots, a bookie named Ted, rehab romances, crack paranoia in a locked garage, custody battles, and a mother’s fury in a courthouse aisle. It’s wild, but the hinge of the story is plain: accountability over victimhood, service over self, and a decision to live in sober housing long enough to become the person running it.

You’ll also hear what recovery looks like after rock bottom: a sponsor who reads the Big Book line by line because comprehension is a barrier; rebaptism and a faith that feels alive, not performative; and the hard admission that process addictions can still creep in when stress peaks. We pull back the curtain on the recovery industry too—kickbacks, light-touch programs, and insurance incentives that reward churn over change—and talk about building care that’s ethical, transparent, and matched to real needs.

If you’ve ever believed your past has the final word, this conversation offers a different ending. Subscribe, share this with someone who needs hope, and leave a review with your biggest takeaway—what part of this story challenged you to tell the truth about your own?

Thank You for Joining Us.. Please share with friends. If you or anyone you know is struggling with alcoholism please reach out to us. We can get you help. [email protected]

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A quiet prayer sets the tone, then the truth rushes in. We sit with Concetta as she maps a childhood of tight control and big love, school years tangled by dyslexia and undiagnosed ADHD, and a relentless need to be seen that bloomed into bulimia and blackout drinking. No melodrama, just the kind of detail you only share when you’re done hiding: raisins in the lunchbox while everyone else had Ding Dongs, a first drunk that turned into a public spectacle, and the way shame can feel like destiny when approval seems tied to your body and behavior.

College offered freedom without guardrails. She gamed the system, outdrank everyone, and used her eating disorder to extend the party. An arrest exposed cracks her family tried to plaster over with treatment aimed at food, not booze. A fast-track marriage checked every box on paper—older attorney, big wedding, picture-perfect home—but left her starving inside. Motherhood brought a pause, then the restlessness roared back: secret affairs, a devastating choice, and the slow collapse of boundaries that once felt unbreakable.

Then came the track. A racehorse named after her. A triple that hit. A pick six that nearly did. Gambling lit up the same circuits as alcohol and bulimia—risk, reward, attention, control—without the mess, until the mess caught up. Concetta’s candor is the point: how control and shame can incubate addiction, how smart people make impossible choices, and how honesty can start to pry open a way out. We end on a cliffhanger—twenty-six arrests and four counties of probation—with part two on the way.

If this story moved you, follow the show, share it with a friend who needs it, and leave a review so more people can find these conversations. What moment stayed with you the most?

Thank You for Joining Us.. Please share with friends. If you or anyone you know is struggling with alcoholism please reach out to us. We can get you help. [email protected]

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What if the thing you’re most afraid to say is the exact key that unlocks your freedom? That’s where we start: with a prayer, an intention to be real, and the kind of honesty that makes sobriety livable at home, not just in a meeting.

We trace the Big Book’s roots back to the Sermon on the Mount, 1 Corinthians 13, and the Book of James to show why action-based faith beats white-knuckling every time. Step One gets clarified—powerless and unmanageable are two different admissions—and Steps Four and Five come alive as the place where secrets lose their grip. You’ll hear why “you’re only as sick as your secrets” isn’t a slogan but a strategy, how to choose a sponsor who takes you through the work (and when to switch), and why humility shows up best as gratitude in motion.

This conversation is family-deep. The wives speak openly about what changed: patience, fewer assumptions, and honest check-ins about triggers, fatigue, and trust. We lay out practical guardrails for real-life tests—travel, all-inclusive settings, old routines—and name the “Big Three” that keep sobriety stable: prayer, fellowship, and working with others. We also tackle amends with nuance—owning your part while holding firm boundaries around harm—plus a crucial warning about over-serving until home suffers. Tradition One gets personal: protect unity by protecting your capacity.

What stands out most is the texture of hope: a teenage son modeling integrity, laughter breaking tension, and the reminder that vulnerability isn’t weakness—it’s the doorway to relief, connection, and a marriage that actually grows. If you’re early in recovery, a spouse trying to support well, or someone stuck between dry sober and truly free, there’s something here you can use today.

If this conversation helped, share it with one person who needs it, hit follow so you never miss an episode, and leave a quick review—what truth are you ready to say out loud?

Thank You for Joining Us.. Please share with friends. If you or anyone you know is struggling with alcoholism please reach out to us. We can get you help. [email protected]

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A wedding speech that kept getting soaked with tears. A 911 call that saved a friend who doesn’t remember it. A sponsor who hits a wall because “please in the morning, thank you at night” turned into “I’ll get to it later.” This one is unfiltered and full-hearted. We invited our wives back to talk about what balance really costs in recovery, marriage, and work—and how gratitude becomes more than a feeling when God moves to the center of the room.

We trace the arc from rehab to real life: why plans after discharge have to be about staying sober, not fixing everything at once. We unpack the Serenity Prayer as a practical blueprint—accept what you can’t control, take courageous action where you can, and ask God for the wisdom to know the difference. Steps 10 and 11 take front seat, too: daily inventory to keep ego from calcifying, and prayer and meditation to keep conscience contact current. Along the way, we get honest about burnout, boundaries, and why a weekly “no commitments” day can save a marriage. There’s laughter—a double-yolk “three-egg” omelet that wrecks a planner’s brain—and there’s real talk about grief, faith, and leading at home without becoming a martyr to the calendar.

Our wives ground the conversation with what it felt like to carry the house, then slowly hand leadership back over years, not months. They ask for what matters: presence, humility, and follow-through. We share how physical practice (hello, jiu-jitsu) helps bleed off stress, how scripture and the Big Book align in surprising ways, and how faith becomes family culture when we live it instead of posting it. If you’re wrestling with work pressure, recovery service, marriage rhythms, or just trying to be spiritually fit without faking it, this conversation meets you where you are and points you toward progress, not perfection.

If this resonated, follow the show, share it with a friend who needs it, and leave a quick review. What small practice keeps you steady right now? Tell us—we’re listening.

Thank You for Joining Us.. Please share with friends. If you or anyone you know is struggling with alcoholism please reach out to us. We can get you help. [email protected]

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The path to genuine freedom in sobriety often runs through our most difficult relationships. In this raw and moving conversation, we explore the transformative power of making amends—not just as a step in recovery, but as a profound act of healing that ripples beyond ourselves.

Our guests share deeply personal stories of reconnecting with ex-spouses after years of separation. One describes flying across the country for a five-minute conversation that changed everything, while another recounts finding the perfect moment at a funeral to finally take responsibility for past mistakes. These stories reveal that true amends aren't about seeking forgiveness or easing our conscience, but about offering peace to those we've harmed while taking full ownership of our actions.

We dive into the spiritual foundation that makes such healing possible. As one guest puts it, "On the other side of obedience is peace." The discussion explores how surrendering to a higher power creates a natural flow in life—contrasted with the forced, manipulated experiences of active addiction. This spiritual awareness becomes the compass for navigating both recovery and daily challenges.

The conversation shifts to innovative approaches in addiction treatment, with fascinating insights about brain mapping, genetic testing, and the importance of addressing underlying mental health issues. Yet the most powerful message emerges about treatment itself: "If you think rehab will keep you sober, don't unpack. This is about stopping the bleeding." Real recovery happens through ongoing community, spiritual growth, and daily practices.

Whether you're in recovery, supporting a loved one, or simply curious about the transformative journey from addiction to freedom, this episode offers honest wisdom about how confronting our past creates space for an authentic future—one where we're no longer defined by our mistakes but by our courage to make things right.

Thank You for Joining Us.. Please share with friends. If you or anyone you know is struggling with alcoholism please reach out to us. We can get you help. [email protected]

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What happens when faith meets addiction recovery? Kat's story is a powerful testament to finding freedom through both spiritual awakening and the 12-step program. With raw honesty, she shares her journey from teenage drinking to maintaining a decade of sobriety—revealing the complex dance between faith, fellowship, and personal accountability.

Kat takes us through her early years when alcohol first made her feel comfortable in her own skin, through her development of a "double life" as a high-achieving student who partied in secret. Her story pivots when she finds Christianity at 18, experiencing several years of faith-based sobriety before career pressures lead to drinking again, culminating in a devastating spiral that nearly ends at a train track in California.

The conversation delves into the fascinating science of equine therapy, where Kat explains how horses—able to detect human heartbeats from 100 yards away—become powerful healing partners for those in recovery. This connection to animals provides a therapeutic bridge that medication alone cannot offer.

Perhaps most valuable is Kat's insight into long-term recovery: "Just like alcoholism is progressive, sobriety is progressive." She describes how "the road narrows" the longer you stay sober, requiring increasingly deeper spiritual work and personal growth. Her journey illuminates why simply knowing Jesus differs from walking with Him, and why abstinence alone never addresses the underlying spiritual malady of addiction.

Whether you're struggling with substance use, supporting someone who is, or simply curious about the intersection of faith and recovery, this episode offers profound wisdom about healing, accountability, and finding purpose in pain. Join us for this intimate conversation about transformation that happens one day at a time.

Thank You for Joining Us.. Please share with friends. If you or anyone you know is struggling with alcoholism please reach out to us. We can get you help. [email protected]