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 todecompress and recenter can be a big help in recovery. It’s also necessary to set boundaries toactually 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 & RecThis 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.

Episode 157: Episode 157: Treat Yourself

Co-hosted by recovery advocates Lisa Smith and Tawny Lara. A rock and roll-loving Gen X lawyer in 12-step recovery from addiction to alcohol and drugs. An equally rock-obsessed Millennial writer who found addiction recovery through blogging. Give them a couple microphones and you get the Recovery Rocks podcast, a new kind of discussion about the issues impacting those who struggle and recover, reflecting different perspectives, but finding much in common.

Health & Fitness

Tawny and Lisa talk about a recent article in The Washington Post,  "Why Loneliness is Associated with Food Cravings in Some Women." It reports on a new study that suggests that alterations in the lonely brain may be why some women are more susceptible to unhealthy food choices. And why they often crave sweet, calorie-rich foods, in particular. They also talk about the article’s note that it’s the quality, not quantity of relationships that can keep loneliness at bay. Music Minute features Def Leppard and Eric Carmen. Order Tawny’s book, DRY HUMPING: A Guide to Dating, Relating, and Hooking Up Without the Booze Sign up for "Beyond Liquid Courage" Order Tawny’s new NA drink, (parentheses) Sign up for Nonfiction Book Proposal 101 with Tawny here. Sign up for Tawny’s Nonfiction Book Proposal Boot Camp here. Purchase Lisa’s memoir, Girl Walks Out of a Bar

Episode 225: Episode 225: Loneliness and Food Cravings

Tawny gives Lisa an update on her changing relationship with substances, which she wrote about in her recent newsletter. They talk about her discovery of plant medicine and its benefits for her. They also talk harm reduction and stigma. For both Tawny and Lisa, it all comes down to the fact that one day at a time is the only approach that actually works – how we show up today and how we react to today are the only things we can control.  Music Minute features Sheryl Crow, David Bowie and INXS. Check out GRASS: Green Recovery Support Group.  Order Tawny’s book, DRY HUMPING: A Guide to Dating, Relating, and Hooking Up Without the Booze Sign up for "Beyond Liquid Courage" Order Tawny’s new NA drink, (parentheses) Sign up for Nonfiction Book Proposal 101 with Tawny here. Sign up for Tawny’s Nonfiction Book Proposal Boot Camp here. Purchase Lisa’s memoir, Girl Walks Out of a Bar

Episode 224: Episode 224: Tawny’s Changing Relationship with Substances

Tawny and Lisa talk about Tawny’s recent Beyond Liquid Courage newsletter, "People Pleasing is Over."  She learned through years of recovery and therapy that her people-pleasing is tied to her codependency. Lisa learned in early recovery that if she didn’t stop always trying to please others, she wasn’t going to be able to stay sober. People pleasing is more nuanced than just doing something for a loved one because you want to. It’s about doing something for someone else because you fear disappointing them at the risk of your own mental and physical health. Oh, an apparently Anne Hathaway’s done with people pleasing, too!Music Minute features Ricky Nelson and Jay-Z with Linkin Park. Check out the Anne Hathaway's interview with The New York Times. Order Tawny’s book, DRY HUMPING: A Guide to Dating, Relating, and Hooking Up Without the Booze Sign up for Tawny’s newsletter, "Beyond Liquid Courage" Order Tawny’s new NA drink, (parentheses) Sign up for Nonfiction Book Proposal 101 with Tawny here. Sign up for Tawny’s Nonfiction Book Proposal Boot Camp here. Order Lisa’s memoir, Girl Walks Out of a Bar

Episode 223: Episode 223: People Pleasing is Over

Tawny and Lisa talk about being discerning with what we add to our plates and what we say “no” to. Our tendency to be “people pleasers” means we end up saying yes to things we don’t want or need to do to avoid disappointing others. But oftentimes, that concern can be misplaced or exaggerated. We can also tweak the way we accept invitations if they would otherwise take too much out of us (hint, hint: boundaries!). The bottom line is that managing our energy budgets is a priority for our mental health. Music Minute features Alanis Morisette and the Rolling Stones Check out Tarot for the Wild Soul and Lindsay Mack’s podcast  Kroll Show: Too Much Tuna  Order Tawny’s book, DRY HUMPING: A Guide to Dating, Relating, and Hooking Up Without the Booze Sign up for "Beyond Liquid Courage" Order Tawny’s new NA drink, (parentheses) Purchase Lisa’s memoir, Girl Walks Out of a Bar   

Episode 222: Episode 222: Declining the Invitation

Tawny and Lisa talk to Steve Rose, an addiction counselor specializing in gambling addiction, with a Ph.D in sociology. Tune in for a fascinating conversation about how gambling addiction is on the rise. This trend is closely linked to broader addictive behaviors such as smartphone and social media usage, which draw on many of the same psychological mechanisms. They talk about what gambling addiction is, how to spot it in yourself or someone else, what recovery looks like, and more. Music Minute features The Growlers hip hop and lofi hip hop. Find Steve on his website and his podcast, Pros & Concepts  Check out The Age of Addiction by David Courtwright Find support at Gamblers Anonymous,  Internet Addictions Anonymous, and  Sex and Love Addicts Anonymous  Order Tawny’s book, DRY HUMPING: A Guide to Dating, Relating, and Hooking Up Without the Booze Sign up for "Beyond Liquid Courage" Order Tawny’s new NA drink, (parentheses) Purchase Lisa’s memoir, Girl Walks Out of a Bar

Episode 157: Episode 157: Treat Yourself

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