Accountability is at the core of any recovery program and, as we are reminded on this episode of Beyond Belief Sobriety, there are many roads to get there. Host John Sheldon invites his guest, Mark...
When it comes to creating a compelling documentary, the process surprisingly often starts with putting the camera down. As Host John Sheldon’s guest on this episode of Beyond Belief Sobriety...
This video features a conversation I had with Kim Hurd. Kim is a recovery coach and interventionist, and a person in long-term recovery. She’s passionate about mentoring clients and families to...
Join us live Saturday, Nov 12th at 12:00 PM Eastern Time for a game of Recovery Jeopardy. Learn, have fun, win a prize! Subjects to include: Education, 12 Step, Consequences, Treatment, Recovery...
As she shares with Host John Sheldon on this episode of Beyond Belief, entering recovery as a non-believer at the height of pandemic presented Katy Jacopi with special challenges. Where to find...
This week’s livestream is all about Freedom, inspired by the November 5th reading from Beyond Belief: Agnostic Musings for 12 Step Life. “Freedom means having my choices back, about...
Film is a medium uniquely able to capture emotional nuance, and that’s especially true when it comes to narratives about addiction. This episode of Beyond Belief Sobriety features an accomplished...
Maybe you’re familiar with the Cycle of Addiction, a repeating set of stages (and downward spiral) that many of us have experienced to one degree or another. Host John Sheldon’s guest on this episode...
For this week’s livestream, Mary and John are joined by Mikey J. from OMAGOD to talk about the upcoming International Conference of Secular AA (ICSAA) which will be held online via Zoom during...
Although of different generations, Host John Sheldon and his guest on this episode of Beyond Belief Sobriety find commonality both in the loss of a loved one to suicide and their perspectives on...
When it comes to alcohol, it’s easy to fall into myopia and focus on our own particular circumstances, but this episode reminds us that actually we’re all part of a much larger context – one that...
When it comes to promoting recovery, there is liberation in knowing that it can come in all kinds of packages. On this episode of Beyond Belief Sobriety we are learning about LifeRing, a secular...
You know that expression, “The only way out is through?” It’s a truism that has never been truer than in the case of Ryan Mack, who fought his way back from serious addiction, mental anguish and a...
Everyone’s recovery story is unique, but in the case of my guest for this episode, there are some unmistakable parallels that resonate with us both. Matt Gardiner is a certified recovery coach, sound...
Highjacked by trauma and a profound desire for validation, Martin Lockett attached himself early on to gangs, drugs and violence – all in the name of fitting in. It was a path that took him into a...
July 20, 2022 marks thirty-four years since my last drink, so in the spirit of sobriety anniversaries, I thought I’d take the opportunity to share my recovery story. It’s a story I’ve told many times...
Is it possible that the “higher power” concept that animates Bill W.’s framework for Alcoholics Anonymous is based on an overly narrow reading of William James, a preeminent psychologist and...
Things could have played out very differently for Leonard Lee Buschel. A powerful combo of early-childhood trauma, a “professional” opportunity, and luck combined to foster a 27-year drug dealing...
Can you become addicted to a person and if so, how can you become unaddicted? With her book, UnAddicted to You: Loving Yourself Through the Darkness, Etel Leit answers these questions through the...
In this episode, I speak with Sam Arsenault Wilson, the Chief Quality Officer, and Co-founder of Confidant Health, an app-based hub of resources and clinical providers that help people with mental...
This video is taken from a live stream we recorded on April 9, 2022 and highlights a website that has been a welcome refuge for alcoholics seeking to decouple religious faith and sobriety. Roger C...
Our guest for this episode has built a unique online addiction treatment program that features many modalities because – as we know – recovery isn’t a one-size-fits-all proposition. Dr. Daniel...
I just wanted to take a few minutes to touch base and fill you in on what’s happened on the podcast, livestream and in the Beyond Belief Sobriety community. Podcast The podcast is doing well...
This was recorded about two years ago when I was working on a podcast called “My Secular Sobriety.” The interview starts a little late because I didn’t press record when we first...
This video was from a live stream recorded on Saturday, March 26th. Every Saturday, we live stream on our YouTube Channel at 11:00 am Central Time, 12:00 pm Eastern. Every day we are flooded with...
This was recorded two years ago when I was working on a podcast I called “My Secular Sobriety” I discontinued that podcast because the subject matter is identical to what I cover on this...
When Joanna Conti’s daughter was admitted to the hospital and placed on a 24-hour hold for a life-threatening addiction to alcohol; she wanted to find the most effective rehab for her daughter...
John Huey discusses the second essay in his five-part series on Atheism and Sobriety. This episode focuses on personal responsibility and recovery from the perspective of an atheist, and how...
As a person in recovery, I learned that community and connection are vital to my well-being, and as a podcaster, I know that I’m connecting with thousands of people from all over the world...
In this episode, I speak with Anne Porter about secular sponsorship in Alcoholics Anonymous. Anne has been listening to our podcast for years but was compelled to write after hearing my...
This episode features a conversation with Aaron Reed, author of “Another In The Fire”, a book that chronicles Aaron’s addiction to methamphetamine, his experiences as an...
In this episode, we discuss how Motivational Interviewing and Motivational Enhancement Therapy fit in with the SMART Four Point Program. Timestamps 00:00 Motivational Interviewing 02:04 Three models...
In this episode, we have a discussion with Ted Perkins about the use of psychedelics to treat addiction and other mental health challenges such as PTSD, and clinical depression. About Ted Perkins...
Here’s a true story from my distant past. I was selling life insurance for a living. Well, I was supposed to be selling life insurance, but I was really bad at it. So, my Sales Manager, being...
In this episode, we take a look at the similarities and differences between two tools; the cost-benefit analysis and the risk-reward analysis. Timestamps 00:00 Cost-Benefit and Risk-Reward Analysis...
In this episode, I have a conversation with John Huey about atheism and sobriety. This is the first in a series of essays that John will be writing about atheism and sobriety, and in this essay, he...
Happy New Year. I like New Year’s Day because I can’t help but reflect on the year that has passed and think about all the ups and downs, the people I’ve met, and what I learned along the way. I do...
Dave G. enjoys his sobriety. He runs, dances, and swims in the open sea. He gives back by talking at schools about his experience with addiction and recovery, and through his involvement in...
Welcome to SMART Talk! In this episode Arthur Shenker and I spoke with Joe Gerstein, founding President and a current Board Member for SMART Recovery. Joe has facilitated SMART Recovery meetings...
Jamie Salsburg is the host of “The After Gambling Podcast.” He is a former problem gambler who hasn’t gambled since July 15th, 2010, and he created the website and podcast “After...
Arthur Shenker is a certified meeting facilitator for SMART Recovery and works as SMART’s National Outreach Liason to introduce SMART Recovery to treatment facilities. Arthur previously...
Barb was adopted into a conservative, Catholic family where she had a happy home life with parents who cared and provided for her. There wasn’t anything in her childhood that was especially...
This is a video recorded today with RJ and Montee from the Untapped Keg Podcast. It was fun to chat with these guys again, and super nice to be on the other side of the microphone. This was an...
If you’re interested in AA history, this podcast is for you. Most likely you are aware that Bill Wilson was influenced by William James’ book, The Varieties of Religious Experience: A Study in Human...
In this episode, we meet Tara Boyce who shares her personal story of recovery and talks about her podcast “Addicted to Recovery: The Interactive Memoir.” Her podcast has a unique format...
This episode features a conversation with RJ Zimmerman and Montee Ball from the Untapped Keg podcast. RJ and Montee share their personal stories and talk about how and why they started their podcast...
In this episode, I had an interesting conversation with Dr. Joseph Volpicelli about the idea that some people who are in the early stages of losing control over their drinking may benefit from...
Mary Beth O’Connor from Life Ring Secular Recovery and the She Recovers Foundation, teams up with Adrienne Miller from Women for Sobriety to discuss the importance of respecting multiple paths...
Serge Prengel is a therapist and life coach, and co-founder of the Integrative Focusing Therapy Online Training Program. He is also the author of The Proactive Twelve Steps: A mindful Program For...
Jan Winhall is a Clinical Social Worker and Adjunct Lecturer at the University of Toronto in the Department of Social Work. She is also the author of Treating Trauma and Addiction with the Felt Sense...
Timothy Clancy is an independent Cognitive Behavioral Therapy Counselor who specializes in self-destructive behaviors such as substance abuse and eating disorders. He is a certified SMART Recovery...
In this episode, John Huey and I have a conversation about spirituality, secularism, and recovery. Is there a place for spirituality in a secular recovery program?
In this episode, I speak with John Huey about relapse and how to handle the guilt and shame that people who relapse often feel. Transcript John Sheldon: [00:00:15] Hello, this is Beyond Belief...
In this episode, we discuss the latest in the science of addiction medicine with Doctor Robb Kelly. Robb earned his Ph.D. in Psychology at Oxford University in 1984 and today lectures on addiction...
In this episode, I speak with Joe K. about our changed perspective on the 12 Steps, AA, and recovery in general since the advent of COVID and moving our meetings online. Links Episode 145: Joe K...
Mark Holmes is the author of Holmes Complete Guide to Stop Drinking Alcohol and the CEO of the Addiction Help Agency located in London, England. In this episode, Mark shares his personal story of...
In this episode, we meet Paul Churchill, author, podcaster, and a person in long-term recovery. When Paul’s life went into meltdown in the summer of 2014, he came to a realization that he...
In this episode, John Huey returns to ask why atheists and agnostics bother with AA. Is it a waste of time for them to try and find a place in an organization with deep religious roots? Questions for...
Sam Morris learned that instead of waiting for someone else to save him, he was responsible for saving himself. Overcoming severe anxiety, depression, and struggles with drugs and alcohol, led him to...
This is a talk I gave about the history of secular AA meetings at the Secular Overeaters Community Gathering on June 13, 2021. I spoke for about twenty minutes and then took questions from the...
Don Ross is a certified hypnotherapist and a person in long-term recovery who has incorporated hypnosis in his recovery and helps others do the same. In this episode, we learn how Don incorporates...
Kayla was introduced to AA while in treatment, and though she had a problem relating to the religious language of the program, she could appreciate the importance of community and the connection that...
Jack Bloomfield is a person in long-term recovery with over 45 years of sobriety. In this episode, Jack shares his story and talks about how he became involved with interventions and how an ARISE...
Meet Samer from “The Sober Pod” podcast. This was recorded live on YouTube on June 11, 2021. Samer talks about how the podcast came about and its impact on his recovery. He also responds...
Meet David Greer, a successful business coach who also happens to be a person in long-term recovery. Seeing a connection between the two, and a need to meet, he added recovery coaching to his...
Katie drank abnormally from the start, and early in life, developed a pattern of working hard and playing hard. In high school, she got involved in a relationship that became an obsessive attachment...
Kylie Butler is a podcaster, a writer, a career coach, a recovery coach, and a person in long-term recovery. Through her podcast and coaching business, “A Meaningful Life By Design”, she...
Meet Nate Kelly, host of a new video podcast called “The Sobriety Diaries.” Nate shares his story of recovery, how he got involved with podcasting about addiction recovery, and his hopes for the new...
In this episode, my friend Ben and I speak with Steve Bergier, a certified SMART Recovery facilitator. Steve walks us through the Four Points of SMART Recovery: building and maintaining motivation...
In this episode, we meet Susie Darin from the Online Soberish Book Club, a monthly, international, free, alcohol-free, sobriety-focused book club, open to anyone on the spectrum of questioning their...
Matt didn’t ease into alcoholism. He got drunk the first time that he drank when he was in the seventh grade. By the time he was in high school, he was taking all the drugs and alcohol he could find...
Modern 12 Step Recovery: Alcoholics Anonymous for the 21st Century, published in January 2021, provides a contemporary introduction to Alcoholics Anonymous and the Twelve Steps. In this episode, I...
Randy Haveson is a person in long-term recovery, a life coach, an author, and a full-time keynote speaker with a passion for helping people build their self-esteem. In this episode, we learn about...
John Huey makes his eighth appearance on the podcast, and in this conversation, he is expressing his concern about agnostics and atheists who make themselves miserable by comporting to someone...
Meet Seth Perry. Clean since April 12, 2010, Seth grew up in Vancouver, British Columbia, and today he is a clergy person living in Kingston, Ontario. Seth’s problem with addiction started in...
This episode features a conversation with Mickey Bakst from an organization called Ben’s Friends, which provides a forum for people in recovery who work in the food and beverage industry. Micky...
Luke Worsfold is an entrepreneur who fell into addiction as he began to equate his self-worth with his net worth. Quickly, his life spun out of control and he lost everything. In this episode, Luke...
In this episode, we meet David Whitesock, who shares his story of addiction and recovery, and how his journey led him to develop the Recovery Capital Index, a useful tool for measuring recovery...