Relapse. We usually hear the word and think one thing: picking up a drink or using again.

But what if relapse is bigger than that?

What about the old behaviors we swore we were done with? The gossip. The avoidance. The people-pleasing. The resentment. The need to control everything. The childhood survival strategies that somehow still know exactly where we live.

In this episode, we widen the lens on relapse and talk about what it looks like when we fall back into old emotional and behavioral grooves—even after years of growth and recovery.

Because here's the annoying part: sometimes you can do a LOT of work on yourself and still find yourself standing in a very familiar hole.

We talk about emotional sobriety, surrender, old trauma responses, accountability, recognizing our personal warning lights, and why feeling worse doesn't necessarily mean we're doing worse. Sometimes growth is uncomfortable precisely because we're finally doing something different.

We also get into the people who help us notice when we're slipping before we can see it ourselves—and why giving someone permission to lovingly say, “Hey…what's going on with you?” might be one of the best relapse-prevention tools we have.

And because apparently we are incapable of staying serious for an entire episode, we introduce rapid-fire recovery questions, confess our recovery pet peeves, debate gratitude meetings and recovery clichés, discuss gossip, road rage, “living life on life's terms,” and somehow arrive at perhaps the most profound recovery wisdom we've ever offered:

Bake a pie. Eat a pie.

Same shit. Different spiral. And maybe that's not failure at all.

Maybe that's recovery.

You don't have to earn a slower, more meaningful life. You can begin choosing it one intentional moment at a time.

Vikki has first thought wrong (FTW) and it's a doozy 🤦‍♀️

We'd love to hear from ya'll 

What helps you slow down? Share your thoughts with us or send this episode to someone who could use permission to take a deep breath and live a little more deliberately.

If this conversation resonated with you, we'd be grateful if you'd subscribe, leave a review, and share the episode with a friend. Your support helps us continue creating honest conversations that remind us we're not alone.

We get a special treat this week, Vikki and Mark do the episode with Ken D. The topic this week is unity.  There are some tech glitches towards the end, but listen on we roll with the punches together.  

Topic ideas, questions, comments, requests, email us at [email protected]. 

Want to be a special guest or have a guest recommendation? Send us a note!

Thanks for listening! We will keep on trudging the road with you!

Three people in recovery talking about balance....while fully admitting we still wobble! 

This week's episode, we have a very special guest, Melissa!  She shares her experience through life's difficulties with prayer, community, and her journey of healing.  It's about getting through this twisty-turny life with all the tools we can use!  

This episode is for those who wonder why do you still go to meetings?  How long do I have to go to meetings? 

We share our personal "Why's" and what that looks like for each of us.  It's a personal journey and take what you like and leave the rest! 

This week, it's all about Lynn!  She shares it all, FTW, and her journey in this life of recovery!  

This week, we get into the concept of purpose.  Is it the thing that's always been there, or is it what happens with second chances?  

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Topic ideas, slide into our dm's y'all

Today WE talk about Amends and how they continue to change our lives for the better. 

We finally got ourselves back to the podcasting table discussing trial and error.  Lynn's got First Thought Wrong and we are learning about sarcasm.  Basically that's problematic!