The One Day At A Time Recovery Podcast

Michele - Recovery From Alcoholism, Coping with Her Husband's Head Injury, Parenting and Autism

I have been sharing a lot of book recommendations, but today I’d like to share a visualization exercise that’ve done several times to help me get focused on manifesting my goals. Its called a vision board and I first learned about this on Oprah about 15 years ago. John Assaraf also talks about it in the movie “The Secret” and shares an amazing story about it.

The idea is that you cut out pictures that represent things, places or experiences you’d like to bring into reality, then put them on a poster board that you place somewhere you can easily see it. I’ve had some cool experiences with them. For instance, just a few months ago I created one and had a picture of Cabo San Lucas on it. I had taken a picture of my vision board and put it as the background of my phone, so everyday I would see it and as I was chatting, I’d look at the pictures and think about Cabo as if I was already there. Not long after, I was notified at work that I had reached my annual goal and that I qualified for President’s Club…and the trip was to Cabo! That’s just one example of many I could share. If you go on Pinterest you can find hundreds of examples. It’s a great exercise to help you retrain your brain to be more positive and focus on what you do want.

https://www.pinterest.com/thepatternshack/make-a-vision-board/

You can find a link to it on my website at odaatchat.com

In this episode I’ll be talking with Michele. We have a wide wandering conversation that covers her family of origin and how that shaped her self image, dealing with a spouse who suffered a head injury in sobriety as well as coping as a parent of a child who is on the Autism spectrum. Michele has long term sobriety, she’s a kick in the pants, really a lot of fun, and she has dedicated her life to helping others. I hope you enjoy this conversation as much as I did!

If you would like to connect with Michele, you can find more information about her on her website: http://michelewaterman.com/

Or on LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/michele-waterman-002a8b132

And with that, please enjoy this episode with Michele!

Peace & Love,

Arlina

Welcome to Odaat Chat, my name is Arlina and I’ll be your host. In case you didn’t know, ODAAT stands for “one day at a time”. If you haven’t yet, don’t forget to subscribe on iTunes so you don’t miss out on upcoming episodes.

You might be wondering the purpose of the podcast, and what I can tell you is that besides wanting to clear up a lot of misconceptions about addiction and recovery, I also wanted to share the teachers, ideas and exercises that have helped me on my own journey over the last 22 years that fall outside the parameters of 12 step groups.

I’m not sharing any resources today, but I did want to say a quick thank you to everyone who has subscribed, left a review on iTunes or provided feedback. It’s so awesome to hear about the experiences the guests have after they are on. At some point, I’ll gather some of those stories for a blog post or maybe do a podcast talking about that, but for now, I just wanted to say thank you to you all for participating. It means the world to me!

If you’d like to leave feedback too, I read everything! Just visit the website at odaatchat.com

Today’s episode is with my sweet friend Kerry. She actually has a special gift and talent that I don’t think she even recognizes because it comes so naturally to her. Kerry has a way of noticing when members of our tribe are not feeling a part of, and she is able to connect and makes them feel comfortable and valued. She is quietly and unassumingly the glue of my favorite meeting and I adore her for it. Kerry doesn’t like to talk about herself but she is always willing to share her experience if it helps someone else. She’s a wonderful person, she’s super funny, and one of my favorite people ever.

And with that, please enjoy this episode with Kerry.

OC014 Gary - Sponsorship, surgery & medication, planned meds & unexpected, depression

OC014 Gary

Welcome to Odaat Chat, my name is Arlina and I’ll be your host. In case you didn’t know, ODAAT stands for “one day at a time”. If you haven’t yet, don’t forget to subscribe on iTunes so you don’t miss out on upcoming episodes.

You might be wondering the purpose of the podcast, and what I can tell you is that besides wanting to clear up a lot of misconceptions about addiction and recovery, I also wanted to share the teachers, ideas and exercises that have helped me on my own journey over the last 22 years that fall outside the parameters of 12 step groups.

If you would like to suggest topics or leave feedback, visit odaatchat.com, or our Facebook page.

In this episode I’ll be talking with Gary. We had a goal of talking about a few topics but ended up talking about all kinds of stuff. We talked about growing up on a ranch in Colorado and the escapades he had through his drinking and using. We also talk about sponsorship, his aneurysm, and how he handled bouts of depression. Gary is one of the most chill guys I know, he’s a dear friend and I hope this interview does him justice.

And with that, please enjoy this episode with Gary!

Peace & Love,

Arlina

David - Continuous sobriety after chronic relapse, co parenting, HP, blended family

Welcome to Odaat Chat, my name is Arlina and I’ll be your host. In case you didn’t know, ODAAT stands for “one day at a time”. If you haven’t yet, don’t forget to subscribe on iTunes so you don’t miss out on upcoming episodes.

You might be wondering the purpose of the podcast, and what I can tell you is that besides wanting to clear up a lot of misconceptions about addiction and recovery, I also wanted to share the teachers, ideas and exercises that have helped me on my own journey over the last 22 years that fall outside the parameters of 12 step groups.

I’d like to share a book recommendation: Creative Visualization, by Shakti Gawain. It’s a bit of a cult classic. It’s been around since 1979 and a lot of the ideas from the book were re-popularized by the movie “The Secret”. Visualization is a very powerful tool when it comes to making positive changes in your life. Vision boards and things like that all stem from what this book has been teaching for nearly 40 years.

I tried one of the visualization meditations from the book called “the pink bubble technique”. The idea is that you hold in your mind, a goal that you would like to manifest, as if it has already happened, with as much positive feeling as you can. Imagine it in as much detail as you can, then surround it in a pink bubble. The last step is to imagine letting it go and seeing it drift away. Then you practice this meditation for several days or weeks.

When I did this 14 years ago, I was hoping to buy a house in Silicon Valley, which is no small feat. I had a clear image of a modest beige house on street canopied by big trees.  I was really just hoping for something similar to what I grew up in. Suddenly, a house became available and I got a call at 8am from my relator. I saw the house that afternoon and purchased it, even before my husband came home from work. We were VERY excited to say the least. It wasn’t until I was looking at pictures to send to family, that I realized it was the very house I had imagined!! It was the kind of realization that gave me goose bumps. Now that I’m talking about it, maybe I’ll try it again for a few other things..lol. Anyway, it’s a super cool book, and you can find a link to it on my website at odaatchat.com

In this episode I’ll be talking with David who talks about close calls, long term sobriety after long term relapses, and going through the whole thing mostly agnostic. He is living proof that you can get sober without a clearly defined HP. I really enjoyed this conversation and I hope you do as well.

And with that, please enjoy this episode with David!

Peace & Love,

Arlina

Caitlin – From abuse, suicide attempts, and alcoholism to recovery love and healing

I’d like to share a book recommendation: “The Language of letting go” by Melody Beattie. It’s a daily meditation book for people dealing with codependency. Honestly, it’s my opinion that if you are struggling with addiction issues, chances are you are also struggling with things like setting boundaries, powerlessness, control, and all the other issues surrounding codependency. This is a great daily reader to help remind you of ideas that help you to stay centered and peaceful. You can find a link to it on my website at odaatchat.com

In this episode I’ll be talking with Caitlin. We go deep on this one. She was brave enough to share some of her struggles with depression and suicide and how she came back from the abyss to lead a happy and productive life of recovery and service.

There will be show notes on the website and an opportunity for you to leave comments and feedback.

And with that, please enjoy this episode with Caitlin!

Peace & Love,

Arlina

Welcome to Odaat Chat, my name is Arlina and I’ll be your host. In case you didn’t know, ODAAT stands for “one day at a time”. If you haven’t yet, don’t forget to subscribe on iTunes so you don’t miss out on upcoming episodes.

You might be wondering the purpose of the podcast, and what I can tell you is that besides wanting to clear up a lot of misconceptions about addiction and recovery, I also wanted to share the teachers, ideas and exercises that have helped me on my own journey over the last 22 years that fall outside the parameters of 12 step groups.

In this episode I speak to my dear friend Jim. I have known Jim for about 22 years and have seen him go through many challenges with strength and courage. Everything from break ups to the death of a child. However in the midst of all the challenges, there have been valuable lessons, people who showed up in amazing ways, love and even joy and happiness.

I was so grateful to Jim for sharing his experience. I believe there will be many people who will benefit greatly. So with that, please enjoy this episode with Jim!

Peace & love,

Arlina

Welcome to Odaat Chat, my name is Arlina and I’ll be your host. In case you didn’t know, ODAAT stands for “one day at a time”. If you haven’t yet, please subscribe and leave a 5 star review, it helps to keep the lights on.

The purpose of podcast  is to clear up a lot of misconceptions about addiction and recovery, but to also to share the teachers, ideas and exercises that have helped me on my own journey over the last 22 years that fall outside the parameters of 12 step groups.

Today I’d like to share a little productivity hack I’ve been experimenting with over the last year. It’s called “The 5 minute-journal”. It’s a simple journal that combines several practices into a daily 5 minute exercise that can be done first thing in the morning and at the end of the day. I actually just do the whole thing once a day in the morning. What it is, is a short inspiring quote, a few lines for you to write what you are grateful for, then 3 things that would make the day amazing and a daily affirmation. These are to be done in the morning, then at night, you write 3 amazing things that happened and what you could have done better.

So the experience I have had with this is similar to the one I had years ago when Simple Abundance was super popular. It literally retrains your brain to start looking for the positive aspects of life, but also it helps to quantify happiness. When done regularly, the end result is an amazing feeling of persistent contentment and peace that I’m fulfilling my life’s purpose. And for me that is huge. You can find a link to it on my website at odaatchat.com

In this episode I’ll be talking with Patrick who shares what it was like moving to the US from Ireland, life with a sober spouse and kids and anonymity. in the high tech world that is Silicon Valley among many other things. Patrick is a dear friend who is endlessly charming and will be impossible to live with after this episode airs, but there you go. And with that, please enjoy this episode with Patrick.

There will be show notes on the website and an opportunity for you to leave comments and feedback.

And with that, please enjoy this episode with Patrick

Peace & Love,

Arlina

Welcome to Odaat Chat, my name is Arlina and I’ll be your host. In case you didn’t know, ODAAT stands for “one day at a time”. If you haven’t yet, please subscribe and leave a review. Also, if you plan to shop on Amazon, please use our affilitate link on Odaatchat.com, it helps to keep the podcast going.

In case you are wondering, the purpose of podcast is to clear up a lot of misconceptions about addiction and recovery, but to also to share the teachers, ideas and exercises that have helped me on my own journey over the last 22 years that fall outside the parameters of 12 step groups.

Today I would like to share a book called “The Four Agreements” by Don Miguel Ruiz. This is actually a very practical book that can act as a moral compass that also provides a way to maintain emotional balance. Let’s face it, we all could use more of that, am I right??

The for agreements are:

1 Be impeccable with your word

1. Don’t Take Anything Personally
2. Don’t Make Assumptions
3. Always Do Your Best

I know when I am upset about something, these 4 agreements are a quick way to help me find peace and balance. I could do a whole episode just talking about this book, and maybe if there’s enough interest, we will do that. Just let me know on the blog.

In this episode I’ll be talking with Christi who shares what it was like to lose a sponsor to a tragic accident, living with a “normie” spouse, and dealing with a child in addiction. Christi is a strong beautiful woman with a powerful message and I am grateful to call her my friend.

There will be show notes on the website and an opportunity for you to leave comments and feedback.

And with that, please enjoy this episode with Christ!

In this episode, Gabriel shares what he believes to be the origin of his alcoholism, the death of his brother when he was just 13 years old, and what it’s like to be a single father among many other topics.

I know Gabriel to be an honest hardworking man who does his best to do the right thing for his sobriety and his two young boys and I’m proud to call him my friend.

If you have any comments or thoughts to share, just use hashtag #odaatchatGabriel and we will include them on the next episode of ODAAT Chat!

Peace & Love,

Arlina

Jana B - Living with Unresolved Problems, Faith & Family

Welcome to Odaat Chat!

In this episode I’ll be chatting with Jana.  We had a long intimate talk covering a wide range of topics, including the repercussions from a DUI years ago, her moment of clarity, rehab and living in a recovery house. We do talk a lot about God and her religious faith, but don’t let that scare you off because we also talk about dating in sobriety, love and sex and some other fun stuff.

We have a lot of fun and I hope you enjoy it as much as we did!

Comments or questions? I'd love to hear it!

Peace & Love,

Arlina