Before sobriety my life was an endless feed of wants and waiting for the next better thing to fill the void. I always focused on what I didn't have yet and spinning stories in self-talk without happy endings. I never viewed ordinary moments with acceptance and gratitude.

When I started my podcast, I wanted my job back. I didn’t want to be in medical retirement. I didn’t want to feel like I’d been forced to leave the role I loved while “everyone else got to stay.” It felt deeply unfair. I didn’t feel like a “survivor”; I felt like a victim. I mourned the loss of my professional relationships and feared I was missing out on everything that had once defined me. Now, I can see how loneliness, the fear of missing out (F.O.M.O.), and a lack of inner peace were all intertwined.

When I neglect my basic needs—those foundational layers of Maslow’s hierarchy—I am stuck in that same cycle of wanting and waiting. My soundness of mind is interrupted when I lack acceptance, knowing that in this moment I have more than enough.

Listen wherever you get your podcasts and YouTube.
Visit me at ⁠⁠⁠recoverydailypodcast.com⁠⁠⁠ or email me at ⁠rachel@recoverydailypodcast.com⁠.
#RecoveryJourney #SobrietyStory #Gratitude #PeaceOfMind #MaslowHierarchy #LettingGo #Acceptance #MentalHealthAwareness #FOMO #InnerPeace #LifeAfterAddiction #SelfGrowth #RecoveryDailyPodcast #FindingBalance #HealingJourney

If your best friend had walking pneumonia and their worst day was only yesterday, you’d give them as long as they needed to recover, wouldn’t you? Or if a climber broke their arm, they'd get time to heal before scaling mountains again. So why don’t we give ourselves the same grace when we’re broken on the inside where nobody can see?

I’d cling to the side of a cliff myself if it meant my children would be happy, yet I shove myself if I’m not moving fast enough, healing fast enough, in recovery. Alcoholism is not a moral failing, and no matter how hard we shove ourselves, we cannot heal any faster. Alcoholism is a lifelong disease that requires daily spiritual maintenance to not WANT to drink.

I have high expectations of myself, pointing my aspirations higher so my trajectory destines me for happiness. But I haven’t always felt that I deserve happiness. After quite a few 24 hours of hard work in sobriety, I do believe I deserve to be happy. Finally! Now the work is in figuring out what makes me happy. I can only reach my fullest potential if I take care of my basic needs, be good to myself, and read AARP and drink tea if it strikes my fancy. I treat myself with the same kindness and compassion I would show to my best friend. Do you?

Listen wherever you get your podcasts and YouTube.
Visit me at ⁠⁠⁠recoverydailypodcast.com⁠⁠⁠ or email me at ⁠rachel@recoverydailypodcast.com⁠.
#BeKindToYourself #SelfCareMatters #YouDeserveHappiness #RecoveryJourney #HealingTakesTime #MentalHealthAwareness #SobrietySuccess #DailySpiritualMaintenance #CompassionStartsWithYou #GraceNotPerfection

When I was little, I sucked at Hide and Go Seek. I trusted everybody and didn't know how to lie. As I grew, I learned to blame my brother for everything. And so it began, if something was wrong it was someone else's fault. I began learning how to play games with truth.

They say when you start drinking you stop growing, but I was introduced to a new concept today. When I started drinking, I started unlearning the spirituality of my childhood. I learned how to be cautious of other people. I learned how to say I was fine when I wasn’t. I learned how to lie, and I learned how to hide.

Our experiences in life build our character. The older people get the more character they have, right? Just like anything old that has a lot of character, it must be maintained to higher degree. When I began drinking, I stopped maintaining my character. When I got sober, I needed to do the hard work necessary to chip away at the damage caused by not maintaining the spirituality I had as a little girl.

I unravelled in tears at the end of this episode, and I'm not afraid to share it—that's where deep healing lives in recovery.

Listen wherever you get your podcasts and YouTube.
Visit me at ⁠⁠⁠recoverydailypodcast.com⁠⁠⁠ or email me at ⁠rachel@recoverydailypodcast.com⁠.
#RecoveryJourney #SpiritualGrowth #SobrietyStory #HealingThroughRecovery #EmotionalHealing #InnerChildWork #SelfAwareness #CharacterBuilding #Authenticity #MentalHealthMatters