From Blacking Out to the Mental Shift That Changed Everything: Brian Walker of A Day Without Love

Why do you hate being told what to do? Why does trying not to drink/use suck so bad?     Book a free Recovery Coaching call with Early! Help support the show by joining our Patreon! Donate to our nonprofit! Subscribe to our Substack email list! Get some RD merch! Follow us on Instagram! Holler at us: [email protected] Logo - Stevie Petet Theme Music - Logan Bragg  

At 9, Nick was a skater punk who felt like an outcast. Using meth gave him the confidence he was missing, but quite predictably, it didn't stay that way for long. Buckle up for Nick's story about growing up in Melbourne, watching his dad kick needles out of the driveway as a kid, finding that meth and heroin helped at first, and then watching it all spin out of control. If you're as afraid as I am of the phrase "unlimited xanax"... tune in for a harrowing tale of IV drug use, moving to another continent to escape the cycle (hint: it didn't work), robbing drug dealers, and getting sober in prison. Holler at us: [email protected] Book a free recovery coaching call with Early as a listener of the pod! Join us on Patreon! Donate to our nonprofit! Subscribe to our Substack! Get some RD merch! Follow us on Instagram! Logo: Stevie Petet Theme Music: Logan Bragg  

Logan is back to talk about sober dating, science and spirituality, and trying something different when it comes to anger management and emotional regulation. Do we have to date other sober people if we are in recovery? How can we respond to anger without falling into the same patterns? Is it possible to balance science, spirituality, and multiple approaches to addiction recovery simultaneously? Logan is here to talk about his sober years, his daily routines to stay on track, and how even the worst of life's events further galvanize his decision to stay sober. Holler at us: [email protected] Book a free call with Early! Join us on Patreon! Get some RD merch! Follow us on Instagram! Subscribe to our Substack! Donate to our nonprofit! Logo: Stevie Petet Theme Music: Logan Bragg

Are your emotions overwhelming after you got sober? Or do you feel nothing at all? Navigating the unpredictable emotional landscape of sobriety can be a rocky road. In today's episode we talk about the grief of losing the substance, the process of allowing our brains to heal, and how addiction itself can be trauma. Whatever you're going through is normal, you're not broken, and you'll find some of my most helpful tips in this episode. Thanks for being here. Listen to previous episode: How to Stop Being So Hard on Yourself Get in touch! [email protected] Book a Recovery Coaching call with Early! Join us on Patreon! Donate to our nonprofit! Get some RD merch! Follow us on Instagram! Subscribe to our Substack! Logo - Stevie Petet Theme Music - Logan Bragg  

Dean Spade, author of Love in a F*cked Up World joins Early to talk about his story with sex and love addiction, work addiction, and how his childhood experiences shaped his relationships as an adult. He talks about how a lot of this stuff maybe isn't even an "addiction" and how perhaps we all have strange relationships to work under capitalism and sex and love within patriarchy. Buckle up as we enter another gray area and explore the question: Is sex and love addiction really addiction? Join us on Patreon! Book a Recovery Coaching call with Early! Donate to our nonprofit! Follow us on Instagram! Subscribe to our Substack! Get some RD merch! Logo: Stevie Petet Theme Music: Logan Bragg    

I somehow accomplished the impossible -- I remain happy, content, and stay sober no matter what happens. What are my personal secrets and methods? And how do I stay steady through external crisis and impending apocalypse? I'm just here for the ride, my dudes. Tune into this week episode's to learn some of my best kept secrets to living the good life. 988 - Suicide and Crisis Lifeline Schedule a free 20-minute recovery coaching call with Early! Join us on Patreon! Donate to our nonprofit! Follow us on Instagram! Subscribe to our Substack! Get some RD merch! Logo - Stevie Petet Theme Music - Logan Bragg   If this show helps you or reminds you of someone, tell a friend! Thanks for your support!

Brian's story begins with a deep knowing that he was an outcast. Alcohol helped him fit in, and helped him feel confident: something he had rarely felt before. After a while, things spun out of control, and he found himself blacking out and waking up places he had never been before. One day he realized -- what if everything could get better? Even the good stuff? Check out Brian Walker's music: A Day Without Love National Suicide Hotline Similar resources for those outside the US Connect with us: Book a free Recovery Coaching consultation with Early! Join us on Patreon! Donate to our nonprofit! Follow us on Instagram! Subscribe to our Substack! Credits: Theme music - Logan Bragg Logo - Stevie Petet Everything.... else.... - Early Brunner   Your generosity is what keeps us going! Please rate, review, and share this episode with a friend who needs to hear this message today. You're doing amazing work!

Relapsing is a drag. You're not alone. A forgotten skill from Rational Recovery called Addicted Voice Recognition Technique might just be the key that you've been searching for! In today's episode, we go over AVRT more thoroughly -- what it is, why it works, and how you can use this skill to finally stop going back out and using/drinking. The best part about it is it's FREE! Part 1 of Why You Keep Relapsing (Start here!) Another episode on AVRT (Addicted Voice Recognition Technique)   Looking for more??  Book a Recovery Coaching call with Early! Donate to our nonprofit! Join the Patreon! Follow us on Instagram! Subscribe to our Substack! Get some merch! Logo - Stevie Petet Theme Music - Logan Bragg

A lot of us use substances to bury our trauma and discomfort -- especially those of us who are queer and trans. Today we hear from Brody who tells their story of growing up queer in the deep south in heavily Christian surroundings. After being bullied for their gender expression, they flipped to hyper-femininity. They found solace and escape in substances, effectively self-medicating their trauma. Eventually, they found recovery through trauma therapy, meditation, making 12-step work for them, and notably -- coming out as trans. They talk about their stays in the psych ward, finding diagnostic labels to be meaningless, but finding the right medication to be helpful.  Join us on Patreon! Book a Recovery Coaching call with Early! Donate to our nonprofit! Follow us on Instagram! Subscribe to our Substack! Visit our merch store! (link fixed) Theme music - Logan Bragg Logo - Stevie Petet

Hot take alert! Making your life AWESOME isn't as hard as it seems -- and here's how you can do it! Today I talk about ways to balance our lives by reducing stress, adding in more cool stuff, and changing our perspective on life to make ourselves feel grateful as a knee-jerk reaction. I talk about my favorite empowerment skill from the book Nonviolent Communication, why we should all read the news less, and why we should work less. Then I talk about making space and intentionally doing things that make our life more comfortable and more meaningful and connected. Last, I discuss internal shifts we can make that allow us to have a more positive perspective, naturally. Oh, and I encourage you to get a happy fun cute DOG!!! Join us on Patreon! Book a free 20 minute Recovery Coaching Strategy Call with Early! Donate to our nonprofit! Get some cool RD t-shirts! Subscribe to our Substack! Follow us on Instagram! Logo - Stevie Petet Theme Music - Logan Bragg