In this episode, our guest of over 44 years clean gives us a glimpse of what to expect in the long haul, the differences he's experienced throughout time, and how working a program progresses from simply achieving freedom from addiction to overall improvements of the human condition. We talk about how addiction is not being ok with what is- I need more, different, now....the grass appears greener on the other side until we get there- it's essentially an obsession with fantasy. When we stop using, some of that fantasy gets demolished, reality hurts and we look for ways to escape. But most of us come to the rooms as our last option- we've already tried to use successfully in tons of different ways and it led us here- where we are surrounded by a bunch of people who love us unconditionally, suggest new things, and reward us for doing the right thing. No matter how we feel, see, or hear things- if we can admit that we need to put trust in the mystery and love that a fellowship provides us- we can find relief from the extreme suffering that categorizes addiction- our guest puts it beautifully- addicts suffer the same problems as the rest of the human population, we just experience it in the extreme. The program offers us a way out of that if we can take the next action that's suggested with even the smallest kernel of hope. Recovery may not provide us with blasts of wonderfulness the same way that a substance did, but with time we build wonderful lives that we no longer have to destroy. Through discussion about the barriers and solutions of entering recovery to the daily living of long-term recovery, we arrive at a similar conclusion- no matter how complicated it gets- staying consistent to following what a 12-step program offers provides us with the solution time and time again.

Tool References: Grass Is Always Greener (Toolkit 3), Do I Want to Feel Better or Be Better at Feeling? (Toolkit 1)