Busting Addiction and Its Myths
239 episodes - English - Latest episode: 3 days ago - ★★★★★ - 3 ratingsThe purpose of our podcast is to help families learn the truth about addiction and alcoholism so that they can take the right action to help the addict they love and to help themselves at this critical time in their lives. Exposing the truth about addiction and alcoholism also requires that we bust the myths surrounding both addiction/alcoholism and the recovery process.
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Episodes
Does Addiction Hide in Your Wallet?
September 11, 2020 08:00 - 15 minutes - 10.4 MBIn this article, we discuss the often-avoided topic about money and its hold over us. We entitle this essay: "Does Addiction Hide in Your Wallet"? The key point is that it's not about the money, it's about the compulsion and the certain knowledge that I cannot stop doing this and start doing the opposite on my own. We cover the following topics: The odds are that in an addicted household, the disease has run through the family like a freight train, destroying any semblance of normalcy and...
You're Addicted and You Don't Even Know It
September 04, 2020 08:00 - 14 minutes - 10 MBIn this article, I ask the question: "Are You Addicted and Not Even Know It"? We cover the following topics: You could be addicted to the addict himself and not know it until you have to look at it and begin to see your addiction as the cause of your pain. Those who love an addict/alcoholic are just as powerless over their loved one's addiction as is the addict himself. Co-dependency is revealed and amplified in families who have an addict in their midst, and it results in much irrationa...
What it Takes to FAIL
August 28, 2020 08:00 - 13 minutes - 9.49 MBIn this article we discuss the things that signal a potential relapse in the making: There are key signs that the addict typically does not notice or will not acknowledge. Essentially the things that signal a coming relapse are not doing the things that keep us clean and sober. Probably the most prominent sign of a coming relapse is DENIAL which stands for Don’t Even Notice I Am Lying. So even if one were to call the addict on his slippery behaviour, he will minimize, evade, lie, blame a f...
What it Takes to MAKE IT
August 21, 2020 08:00 - 13 minutes - 9.26 MBIn this article, we discuss the following topics: A return to a more normalized schedule results in a healthy, predictable rhythm for the day and for the night. It helps to have a written schedule of activity for the 24-hour period, even if you just say “play 2-4 pm" as an example. Exercise/fitness: chances are, your physical body has been over-stressed by not eating right and by lack of exercise. Getting into a fitness routine is not just a nice suggestion. It is vital, that you get on th...
A Trip into Inner Space
August 14, 2020 08:00 - 11 minutes - 8.28 MBIn this article, we discuss the importance of one's inner life or our inner space. Embracing the idea that there is a victory in the surrender of old ideas in favour of a healthier way of thinking is a major and necessary factor in the journey out of an addictive life for both the addict and his loved ones. The family members who embrace the idea that they are also greatly affected by addictive disorder will see that smashing a cherished illusion - that they have the power to control this ...
A Trip into Outer Space
August 07, 2020 08:00 - 13 minutes - 9.19 MBIn this article, we focus on the following topics as they relate to the myths and realities for the suffering family member. Families new to addiction carry the illusion that the problem is with their addict and do not yet know that they, too are as sick as the addict himself. They believe that they have some control over their addict’s behaviour and are shocked to discover that they have zero chance of affecting the addict’s drinking and using over the long term. Addicts and alcoholics g...
An Interview with Andrew - This Is Not a Game
July 31, 2020 08:00 - 31 minutes - 21.4 MBIn this podcast, I interview Andrew a 30-year-old professional, clean and sober for more than 6 years. The topics we covered were: It’s rare that an addict or alcoholic becomes addicted to only one substance, “poly-addiction” is the norm. Mother is the great enabler. She tries to help him stop, while at the same time allows him to live rent-free in her second home. Andrew hated the way he felt, and wanted to stop, but didn’t know how to. He came to realize that he could not quit on his ...
An Interview with Tim - Words of Wisdom for Families
July 24, 2020 08:00 - 33 minutes - 22.9 MBThis records my interview with Tim, who owns and operates a sober living home and is himself a long-time recovering person. This article covers these topics: The secret is there is no secret. Everything an addict or alcoholic needs to know has been written and published, from 1939 until now. The longer an addict/alcoholic stays in a somewhat controlled recovering environment, the greater the chances of long-term success. The family has no idea and will often deny that they are as sick as...
Take this Co-dependency Quiz
July 17, 2020 08:00 - 14 minutes - 10.3 MBIn this episode called 'Take This Co-dependency Quiz' I take on the myth that the addiction is owned exclusively by the alcoholic or addict and therefore the family must focus its energy on their loved one. We conclude the following instead: Most, if not all, family members of an alcoholic or addict become dysfunctional when living with the disorder. That is why it is called a family disease. Family members therefore become co-dependent. A co-dependent person is one who has let another’s b...
Robert Speaks About Recovery - Part 2 of 2
July 09, 2020 17:00 - 25 minutes - 17.6 MBThe cunning, baffling, powerful family disease: part 2 of my interview with veteran counsellor Robert. Here is what Robert, one of the counsellors at SafeHouse Rehab Thailand, talks about in the second part of his interview, explaining what it takes for him to stay clean and sober and what one can do (and not do) for a loved one suffering from addictive disease. I have acquired a great deal of empathy for the families of addicts and alcoholics because of my exceptionally hard upbringing as ...
Robert Speaks About the Power of Addiction - Part 1 of 2
July 02, 2020 17:00 - 30 minutes - 20.9 MBThe cunning, baffling, powerful family disease: my interview with veteran counsellor Robert. We invited Robert, our veteran counsellor at SafeHouse Rehab Thailand, to share his extensive experience and fascinating history with me. Here is what we cover in this post: He shared the trauma of his life as a bi-racial child who was given away by his mother at three years old. His dysfunctional family headed by an abusive and alcoholic father figure was a set-up for a dysfunctional life. He ran...
100 x More Deadly than Heroin?
June 26, 2020 08:00 - 15 minutes - 10.6 MBIn this article, we gain insight into the drug fentanyl, why it’s popular among addicts, makers and pushers, and what a family can do to help mitigate its effects. It is entirely possible that your loved one addict might be using fentanyl, which is rapidly replacing heroin as a drug of choice. Fentanyl is incredibly appealing to the maker and to the user, as it packs a huge punch for a small amount. Hugely profitable for the makers and cheap for the user. The opioid crisis was fuelled by ...
The Healing Power of Now
June 19, 2020 08:00 - 17 minutes - 12.1 MBIn this article, we show that living in the Now is not only possible but necessary if family members are to heal from the effects of addiction or alcoholism. We learn that: Unfounded fear is characteristic of families who have an untreated addict or alcoholic in their house. The psychological condition of fear is chronic and is a constant companion that threatens the sanity of the parent or spouse, the “caregiver”. You can always cope with the present but never with an illusion called th...
More about Intervention; It is possible!
June 12, 2020 08:00 - 14 minutes - 9.96 MBMore on Intervention The purpose of this podcast is to provide more detailed insight into the process of intervention which requires a total commitment and is much more complicated than we see on TV. The overriding goal of an intervention is to get the addict/alcoholic to accept help and go into treatment. You will use the immense power of the group to achieve your purpose. You will use the power of love which cannot be denied and cuts through resistance and overpowers defiance. Readine...
Intervention Done Well, or Not!
June 05, 2020 08:00 - 13 minutes - 9.15 MBThis podcast is entitled: Intervention Done Well, or Not. Here we cover the following learning about how to, and how not to, do an intervention with a family member who is in the grip of addictive disorder. Intervention can easily be mishandled if the family is not educated about the proper approach, and it should rarely if ever, be done one-on-one. The power of the group is well understood in recovery, and it is the principal means by which an intervention should take place. The power o...
Co-dependency Happens When You're Not Looking
May 29, 2020 08:00 - 14 minutes - 10.2 MBIn this post, entitled Co-dependency Happens When You’re Not Looking, we cover the following topics: Any family who has an active addict or alcoholic in their midst is vulnerable to co-dependency, without exception. Co-dependents are best defined as people whose lives have become unmanageable as a result of living with an alcoholic (or addict) in a committed relationship. Co-dependents are tied to their alcoholic or addict by an emotional chain which means they are only OK when their addi...
Research Proves AA Works - Simple as That!
May 21, 2020 17:00 - 15 minutes - 10.3 MBFinally, the research is in: the Cochrane Collaboration, a team of the best minds from Harvard Medical School and the University of Massachusetts (UMASS) Hospital concluded in a meta-review of 28 research studies That Alcoholics Anonymous (AA) not only works but works better than other treatment alternatives. Here is a summary of the findings as reported in the March 12th, 2020 issue of the New York Times. AA has always had its detractors but is possible that some, not all, people can come ...
Tony Sounds Off
May 15, 2020 08:00 - 41 minutes - 28.5 MBIn this podcast, we report an interview with Tony which we call 'Tony Sounds Off'. It's all about what it takes for a young man to achieve the type of high-quality sobriety that he has attained by surrendering. Yes, surrendering. We learn the following: It took Tony three serious attempts before he threw in the towel and sincerely asked for help. He was one of the lucky ones by his own admission, as his mom was with him all the way. Most alcoholics don’t sober up for any length of time. A...
Q & A about AA - Part 2 of 2
May 08, 2020 08:00 - 20 minutes - 14.4 MBQ & A about AA Bruno J. and his guest Tony agreed on a number of important topics in their discussion about the value of Alcoholics Anonymous - AA - in their recovery program. Here's what we concluded: The evidence is clear that Alcoholics Anonymous aka AA has proven to be a tried and true method of staying sober for millions of alcoholics around the world. Regardless of age, social class, gender or ethnicity...it is the Great Equalizer. There seems to be an irrational resistance to the c...
Q & A about AA - Part 1 of 2
May 01, 2020 08:00 - 27 minutes - 19.1 MBQ & A about AA Bruno J. and his guest Tony agreed on a number of important topics in their discussion about the value of Alcoholics Anonymous - AA - in their recovery program. Here's what we concluded: The evidence is clear that Alcoholics Anonymous aka AA has proven to be a tried and true method of staying sober for millions of alcoholics around the world. Regardless of age, social class, gender or ethnicity...it is the Great Equalizer. There seems to be an irrational resistance to the ...
Brain Damage? - Not in My Family!
April 24, 2020 08:00 - 15 minutes - 11 MBBrain Damage? - Not in My Family! Our topic is brain damage caused by alcohol and drug abuse, and we quote the case of Aaron Hernandez, a brilliant young NFL superstar whose life ended tragically, but not after he himself inflicted grievous damage to society. Here is what we review in this article: Much as we resist the thought as anathema to our way of thinking, addiction is a complex brain disorder and a mental illness as defined by the best science of the day. Repetitive drug use and/...
How Sick are You Really?
April 17, 2020 08:00 - 13 minutes - 9.54 MBHow Sick Are You Really? We’ve had many people ask that we publish more about addiction as a family disease, so let’s call this post How Sick Are You Really? It's a provocative question, but we ask it that way to make some important points: Addiction and alcoholism are known as family diseases because they affect every member of the family in profound ways that are not evident to the family. Family members of alcoholics/addicts may feel depressed and anxious, but they do not know why unt...
AA is a Boys' Club Right?
April 10, 2020 08:00 - 15 minutes - 10.7 MBAA is a Boys’ Club, Right? In this post and podcast, you will learn some truths about Alcoholics Anonymous from an unlikely source, readers of the New York Times who came to the defence of AA. We cover the following topics: There are many myths out there that need to be dispelled if we wish to give as many alcoholics, and we would say addicts, fewer reasons to cross us off the list. The charge against AA that it’s a boys’ club went public, in the New York Times January 3rd 2020, of all p...
Is He a Money Drunk, Too?
April 03, 2020 08:00 - 16 minutes - 11.2 MBIs He a Money Drunk, Too? In this post, we learn more about what it means to be a money drunk, that is, using wanton spending and being in debt to feel good for just a little while, heedless to the financial consequences inflicted on the family. We cover these topics: Being a money drunk means that you use money as a drug, that you have a compulsion to spend and use debt to feel better about yourself, if only for a little while. When I say YOU, that means that anyone can be a money drunk...
How Can The Power of Now Heal the Pain
March 13, 2020 08:00 - 13 minutes - 9.63 MBI call this episode #2 of Season 2: How can the power of Now heal the pain? Let’s approach the issue of addiction and what it does to an ordinary family, a loving, typical well-meaning family and see how living in the Now can help heal the pain. Here’s what we cover: No one in the family is spared the damage that comes from addiction by a member of the family. Fear of what may happen in the future is the underlying emotion that drives the inner life of family members. Imagination turns ...
Tony Tells It Like It Is
March 06, 2020 08:00 - 31 minutes - 21.8 MBTony Tells It like It Is aka the perspective of a young recovering addict and what he has observed amongst other recovering and not recovering young addicts. So what we learn from Tony telling it like it is for himself as young, recovering alcoholic/addict is: “You almost never find an addict who is using just one drug, or someone who is ‘only’ an alcoholic. The world of addiction today is filled with addicts who are using multiple drugs plus drinking alcohol”. “For younger addicts, 12-st...
Treatment Doesn't Work or Does It?
February 28, 2020 08:00 - 40 minutes - 27.7 MBWelcome back to Busting addiction and its myths lucky episode #13…we call this episode Treatment Doesn’t Work, Or Does It? Here’s what we cover: My guest Tony and I bust the myth that some people believe in, that is that treatment doesn’t work. That is true if you don’t do the work and if you aren’t honest with yourself, and you aren’t willing to surrender your old ways of thinking. Many affluent, educated people end up addicted to opioids who might not have otherwise become addicted were...
29 Things We've Learned So Far
February 21, 2020 08:00 - 19 minutes - 13.2 MBI think it’s time we do a roll up of what we’ve learned so far, as I see our podcast as a tutorial on addiction for families and anyone else who is close to an addict or alcoholic. Addiction and alcoholism are diseases and are considered mental illnesses by science. They are not moral failings or manifestations of the lack of willpower. Addiction and alcoholism negatively affect the family to such an extent that they are considered family diseases as well. Family members begin to react to ...
Your problem is my problem
February 14, 2020 08:00 - 20 minutes - 14.1 MBBusting the myth that your problem is my problem. In this week’s episode we talk more about codependency, why it happens, how you end up replacing your own agenda of self-care with the other person’s neediness, and how it is absolutely essential for your own sanity to address it. In this episode, we learn that: There is a big difference between giving of yourself and giving yourself away. Between helping and codependency. Myth 1 : Addiction is only the addict’s problem. Reality: Addictio...
The greatest barrier is stigma, AKA ignorance
February 07, 2020 08:00 - 16 minutes - 11.3 MBIn this episode, I discuss how the myths and stigma associated with alcohol and drug abuse is the greatest barrier to healing at the personal and societal level. The typical myth is that somehow an addiction is a moral failing and that the addict just needs to exert his will power to “get over it.” Some of us need to change the way we think if we are to be truly helpful, that is to see addicts as sick people, not bad people. But not to excuse their actions either. We are not all there yet....
More about enabling and co-dependency
January 31, 2020 08:00 - 20 minutes - 13.9 MBEnabling, what enabling? In this episode, we ask you to shine the light on your own denial and enabling if you happen to love an active addict or alcoholic. In this episode we learn that: The road to hell is indeed paved with good intentions which are well-meaning but misguided when it comes to addiction. Denial is a big part of enabling, since families will invariably deny that they suspect or have an addiction problem. Add shame and fear of being “found out” and you have the perfect re...
I'm all I think about
January 24, 2020 08:00 - 17 minutes - 12.3 MBThis episode deals with the extreme self-centeredness of the addict/alcoholic and all its manifestations, including wildly irresponsible and sometimes violent behaviour. We cover these topics: Addicts are self-centered in the extreme, and will violate every value they once held dear. These violations include behaviour that is violent and physically dangerous. They are always chasing that ultimate high, like the one they had the first time, and this urge has them seeking out even more pote...
Bust opioids and smash the ignorance that comes with it
January 17, 2020 08:00 - 15 minutes - 10.9 MBJoin the battle to bust opioids and the ignorance that comes with it. In this episode, you will learn more about OD deaths, what you can do to help raise treatment standards, lower the barriers to treatment access and address co-dependency in your own home. We will learn, again, that the vast majority of OD deaths involve multiple substances and the worst of them is fentanyl. Doctors are typically not trained in treating addictive disorder, but can prescribe opioids freely while they have...
Enabling
January 10, 2020 08:00 - 30 minutes - 20.8 MBLet’s talk about enabling In this episode, we discuss how enabling can inhibit the chances of an addict’s recovery by shielding them form the realities of a grown-up life. The truths we reveal in this episode: The enabling of loved ones makes it easy or possible to keep the addict’s addiction alive and progressing. Many people close to the addict/alcoholic enable them without having any idea that it’s happening. They are in involuntary denial until they get the unwanted but necessary wak...
Progress of Addiction, Interview with Tony
December 20, 2019 08:00 - 36 minutes - 24.9 MBYoung Tony’s story of redemption In this episode, Tony, a terrific young fellow from the UK, shares his story of how he became an alcoholic and marijuana addict, starting with his circle of friends in a perfectly typical middle-class environment, ending with his surrender to achieve victory over drugs and alcohol. The topics Tony addresses in this episode are: How marijuana and alcohol became a normal part of everyday life. How that progressed to drinking close to a litre of vodka and s...
What We've Learned So Far
December 13, 2019 08:00 - 20 minutes - 14.4 MBIt’s a disease, stupid! Paraphrasing a famous political slogan from the US, this episode offers slam-dunk proof that addiction and alcoholism are disease states, and that the addict has lost his power of choice when the disease compels him to inflict harm on himself and others. We cover these topics: 1. Addiction and alcoholism are recognised by the leading scientists in the US as chronic, relapsing diseases of the brain, causing compulsive using behaviour and loss of control over intake,...
What's Love Got to Do With It?
December 06, 2019 05:00 - 19 minutes - 13.6 MBIn this episode, we reveal that addiction must be treated as the primary disorder, that families need to retain a trained professional, and that the addict’s crazy decisions are made by a damaged brain. Does that get your attention? We cover these topics: 1. Addiction must be treated as the primary disorder, as the cause of mental and behavioural problems, and not as the result. 2. Addicts/alcoholics, when they aren’t ready to quit, are very slick and will do anything to protect their abi...
Addiction is a Family Disease
December 06, 2019 05:00 - 18 minutes - 12.9 MBIn this episode, we reveal more truths about addiction, in that it makes the whole family unit dysfunctional. We also discuss the deadly opioid epidemic and the truth behind the deadliest street drug: Fentanyl. We cover these topics: - Addiction doesn’t just affect the family, it makes the whole family unit very sick - Cross, or poly-addiction is common among addicts these days, as there is so much available cheaply and easily. - The deadliest Opioid is no longer heroin, it’s Fentanyl, 1...
Don't Quit Trying to Quit
December 06, 2019 04:00 - 23 minutes - 16.3 MBIn this episode, we bust the myth that an addict who doesn’t get it the first time is a loser, when in fact he is on his way to success. He will, however, duck the issue every chance he gets. We cover these topics: - The facts about relapse. - What commitment looks like. - How love is not the issue. - The games addicts play. - You are the problem, crazy, right? - What will it take: heat.