Today my guest is Jake Yoder, and we are discussing the fairly controversial topic of marijuana and recovery. Jake shares his experience with it, why he decided to stop and how he did it. We also talk about a spiritual experience he had, harm reduction, and how to have a natural high.

This topic is a particularly complex one. In 12-step programs, there is a heavy focus on counting “sober time” and a lot of talk about complete abstinence over everything. What sober means and what “everything” includes is debatable. However, I do want to point out that the book “Alcoholics Anonymous” is specifically focused on alcohol. There is another program called Marijuana Anonymous that is focused on marijuana. At the end of the day, you need to decide what’s right for you.

For the record, I am clear that I do not know what’s right for anyone else. I do believe in harm reduction, which is what I practiced when I stopped drinking, but I also know that using marajuana can be a slippery slope for people with addiction and dependency issues. There are medicinal benefits however for a certain group of people, it becomes another substance that is used to manage emotions in an unhealthy way. For me personally it was another way to numb out and it was stunting my healing because I have learned that I have to feel it to heal it.

There was a lot to say about this topic and I feel like we left out a few very key components to this discussion, but that leaves room for you to make your voice heard! If you have any thoughts to share on this topic, please leave a comment on the Facebook page, shoot me a DM on IG @arlinaallen or @odaatpodcast and I’ll address them in a following episode. 

As always, I would like to thank you for supporting the podcast with reviews on Apple, donations made through odaatchat.com to cover production costs and by sharing the episodes with your friends. Unity is a foundation principle to community and together we help alleviate the suffering of others. So with that, please enjoy this episode, with Jake!

Connect with Jake!

Visit Website: https://www.naturalhighsrecovery.org/

Follow on Instagram @naturalhighsrecovery

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/groups/naturalhighscommunity/

Watch on YouTube: ​​https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCNuRolkOZ7X8fCEFCDYd5tg

Lightning Round Answers: 

Book recommendation: 

Favorite Quote: 

Self Care Practice:

What I wish I knew: 

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Today my guest is Dr Kim Dennis. She is a board-certified psychiatrist who specializes in treating addiction including substance, process, and food disorders. She has helped thousands of people to stay alive and recover for over 20 years. Her knowledge of eating disorders and addiction isn’t just limited to her academic and clinical experience, she has had her own experience as a person who has recovered from an eating disorder, addiction and trauma. 

She believes in and maintains a holistic perspective in the practice of psychiatry, incorporating biological, psycho-social, and spiritual approaches into the individually tailored treatment programs for each patient at SunCloud Health.

Before we jump into today’s episode, I wanted to share a couple of resources to help you along your recovery journey.

First, there is a free private women’s facebook group you can join if you’d like some additional support. I am regularly sharing books I love, guided meditations, daily inspiration cards and other resources. And next month I’ll actually be announcing a new step work class! It’s free, it’s private and you can work the 12 steps without having to attend meetings. We did this a couple of years ago and it was a big success with over 200 women participating. This time around you won’t even have to buy the books if you don’t want to because you can access it all online for free. To join the group just search “One Day At A Time - Private Women’s Group” Or visit odaatchat.com and look for the link in the show notes.

https://www.facebook.com/groups/1244862275613746

So that’s it for announcements! Please enjoy this episode with Dr. Kim!

Connect with Dr. Kim Here:

Visit Website: 

Follow on Instagram 

Watch on YouTube: ​​https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCNuRolkOZ7X8fCEFCDYd5tg

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My guest is Mandy Manners, the fabulous Co-Author of Love Your Sober Year: A Seasonal Guide to Alcohol-Free Living.

Mandy co-wrote the book with her long-time friend Kate Baily who has been a guest as well. She is absolutely lovely, and I’ll leave a link to her episode in the show notes.

Today we focused on their new book, which I absolutely LOVE. Not only is it aesthetically beautiful, but the concept is brilliant as it follows the natural rhythms of the seasons. There is a ton of information to absorb on the path to recovery, and this book offers a practical way to take it all in without becoming overwhelmed.

Connect with Mandy and Kate!

Visit Website: 

Follow on Instagram 

Watch on YouTube: ​​https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCNuRolkOZ7X8fCEFCDYd5tg

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Today my guest is Joseph Kajy, host of the “Let’s Get Real Podcast” and my new friend in recovery! I got so much out of this conversation with Joseph because I really felt his true desire to help others. He has done a lot of personal recovery work, and he has such clarity and purpose I personally felt inspired after speaking with him. 

So without further ado, please enjoy this conversation with Joseph.

Connect with Joseph!

Links: linktr.ee/Josephkajy

Follow on Instagram @josephjajy

Watch on YouTube: ​​https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCNuRolkOZ7X8fCEFCDYd5tg

Lightning Round Answers: 

Book recommendation: Alcoholics Anonymous, Winning with People, by John C Maxwell

Favorite Quote: When you hide your story, you hide God’s glory

Self Care Practice: Men’s Book Study, Daily readings, prayer, end the day with 10th step.

What I wish I knew: 

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Today my guest is Joi Andreoli, author of The Recovery Cycle and licensed marriage family therapist. She shares her stories of an early chaotic home life, feeling disconnected from herself and how black out drinking & heroin lead her to rehab. We also spend some time on why we sometimes practice “case building” and blame with the ones we love most, and tools to develop a healthy loving relationship. We also discuss different modalities of healing trauma, personal experiences, and so much more…

Before we jump in, I want to share that I still have a couple spots available for the Women’s Self-Esteem workshop starting 11/8 at 5pm Pacific / 8:00 pm Eastern. This class is for you if you’re feeling stuck, burned out and just need a little boost to start doing self care that will make you feel better. I know it can be hard to make yourself a priority, and as women we will often put other people’s needs ahead of our own. So I’m going to make this easy for you. If you register by Sunday Nov 6th, you can bring a friend for free! Just visit selfesteemcourse.com and I’ll look forward to seeing you all in class!

So without further ado, please enjoy this conversation with Joi!

Connect with Joi!

Visit Website: https://www.communicatewithjoi.com

Follow on Instagram @joiandreoli

Watch on YouTube: ​​https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCNuRolkOZ7X8fCEFCDYd5tg

Lightning Round Answers: 

Book recommendations: 

Alcoholics Anonymous, “Atlas Shrugged”, “The Writing of The Big Book”

Favorite Quote: Easy does it, but do it

Self Care Practice: 20 minutes quiet meditation, read, & journal.

What I wish I knew: “Relax, it’s going to be okay”

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Today my guest is the founding drummer of Maroon 5, Ryan Dusick. Ryan is promoting his new recovery memoir “Harder To Breathe: A Memoir of Making Maroon 5, Losing It All, and Finding Recovery

We not only talk about life as a rockstar, but the descent of addiction, the root causes, his experience with 12 steps, discovering a new definition of spirituality and what life looks like for him today. It was such an honor to speak with him! So without further delay, please enjoy this episode with Ryan!

Connect with Ryan!

Follow on Instagram @ryan_michael_dusick

Watch on YouTube: ​​https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCNuRolkOZ7X8fCEFCDYd5tg

Lightning Round Answers: 

Book recommendation: Full Catastrophe Living, Jon Kabit- Zinn

Favorite Quote: Luck is what happens when preparation meets opportunity - Seneca

Self Care Practice: Prioritize sleep, morning mindfulness and stretch practice

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Today my guest is Sharon Fekete, The Doctor Whisperer. She’s an author and podcast host of The Broken Road to Mental Health. Sharon was sooo much fun to talk to! She got sober the same year I did and we’re both obsessed with sharing resources that help ease unnecessary suffering. I just loved meeting her! 

We cover a lot of ground on this episode including her story of addiction, depression and suicide attempts and the moment of clarity that lead to recovery. We also talk about the problems with our healthcare system and how challenging it can be to get the right support. We spent some time talking about the different types of therapy available to treat the underlying causes of addiction and our own personal experiences with them.

I hope you enjoy this conversation as much as I did! So without further ado, please enjoy this episode with Sharon.

Connect with Sharon!

Linktree: https://linktr.ee/sharonfekete

Watch on YouTube: ​​https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCNuRolkOZ7X8fCEFCDYd5tg

Lightning Round Answers: 

Book recommendation: Alcoholics Anonymous, The Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions, Codependent No More

Self Care Practice: Mental Health Workout: stretch training, meditation, walking, 4 meetings per week & service work

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This episode will be a little bit different than the usual format. Over the last 6 years of hosting the podcast I’ve had multiple guests talk about the use of psychedelic assisted therapy to treat their core issues that lead them to addiction. It seems like psychedelic assisted therapy is everywhere these days. The Today Show profiled a study done by NYU on how psilocybin was used to treat alcoholism. Netflix has a series called “How to change your mind” where many of the use cases profiled the use of psychedelics to treat mental health issues like depression, anxiety, PTSD, Trauma and Addiction. There is a lot to be learned but the evidence for transformational change is exciting. 

My guest today is Joshua Tanner, a medical student at Stanford who has not only had one of these transformational experiences, but has plans to potentially open clinics in the pacific northwest to facilitate psychedelic assisted therapy. 

As a disclaimer, I am not a doctor and I don’t play one on the internet. None of this content should be construed as medical advice or be construed as a recommendation to use any of the substances mentioned in this episode. There are physical, psychological, and sometimes legal risks with such usage. Please consult your doctor before considering anything we discuss in this conversation. 

Connect with Joshua!

Follow on Instagram @joshuavtanner

Follow on TikTok @joshuavtanner

Watch the full interview on YouTube: ​​https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCNuRolkOZ7X8fCEFCDYd5tg

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