Stories of Recovery | Alcoholism, Addiction & 12 Step Spirituality

A must-listen for anyone facing overwhelming challenges and searching for the strength to persevere. In this episode, we sit down with Bernie, a man who's been sober for over 17 years, as he prepares to serve a federal prison sentence. A MARR alumnus from 2006, Bernie shares how losing touch with his recovery network led to […] The post Ep 96: Facing the Unthinkable: Going to Prison at 17 Years Sober appeared first on .

A must-listen for anyone facing overwhelming challenges and searching for the strength to persevere. In this episode, we sit down with Bernie, a man who's been sober for over 17 years, as he prepares to serve a federal prison sentence. A MARR alumnus from 2006, Bernie shares how losing touch with his recovery network led to […] The post Ep 96: Facing the Unthinkable: Going to Prison at 17 Years Sober appeared first on .

A must-listen for anyone facing overwhelming challenges and searching for the strength to persevere. In this episode, we sit down with Bernie, a man who's been sober for over 17 years, as he prepares to serve a federal prison sentence. A MARR alumnus from 2006, Bernie shares how losing touch with his recovery network led to […] The post Ep 96: Facing the Unthinkable: Going to Prison at 17 Years Sober appeared first on .

MARR's New CEO Todd Stumbo has been in recovery since July 2004. In this episode, Todd opens up about the raw reality of his history of addiction, and the powerful experience of rebuilding his life. He also shares his insights on how the concept of service and community played a pivotal role in his recovery […] The post Ep 95: From Desperation to Significance appeared first on .

MARR's New CEO Todd Stumbo has been in recovery since July 2004. In this episode, Todd opens up about the raw reality of his history of addiction, and the powerful experience of rebuilding his life. He also shares his insights on how the concept of service and community played a pivotal role in his recovery […] The post Ep 95: From Desperation to Significance appeared first on .

Todd Stumbo, MARR's new CEO, opens up about the raw reality of his history of addiction, and the powerful experience of rebuilding his life. He also shares his insights on how the concept of service and community played a pivotal role in his recovery and personal growth. We talked about what drew him to taking […] The post Ep 95: From Desperation to Significance appeared first on .

Occasionally on this show, we reconnect with previous guests to check in on their recovery progress since their first appearance. In this episode, Tad L. returns to share his recovery journey since we last spoke over three years ago. Now over five years sober and serving as chair of the board at MARR, Tad opens […] The post Ep 94: Every Day in Recovery Gets Better appeared first on .

Occasionally on this show, we reconnect with previous guests to check in on their recovery progress since their first appearance. In this episode, Tad L. returns to share his recovery journey since we last spoke over three years ago. Now over five years sober and serving as chair of the board at MARR, Tad opens […] The post Ep 94: Every Day in Recovery Gets Better appeared first on .

Ethan M. used to pride himself on how many times he went through treatment. Then, when he was living in the parking lot of a Wal-Mart and sneaking into rooms in Motel 6, he made a drunk phone call on Christmas that landed him at MARR. He was convinced it wouldn't work and immediately wanted […] The post Ep. 92: I Went Through Treatment 19 Times appeared first on .

Ep 93: I Learned It Was a Disease, Not a Bad Habit Mark R. was living in a flophouse and drinking himself to death. At this point in his life, his sister showed up and told him he was going to treatment. He was beaten down enough to agree. Initially, he thought he could learn […] The post Ep 93: I Learned It Was a Disease, Not a Bad Habit appeared first on .

Ep 93: I Learned It Was a Disease, Not a Bad Habit Mark R. was living in a flophouse and drinking himself to death. At this point in his life, his sister showed up and told him he was going to treatment. He was beaten down enough to agree. Initially, he thought he could learn […] The post Ep 93: I Learned It Was a Disease, Not a Bad Habit appeared first on .

Ethan M. used to pride himself on how many times he went through treatment. Then, when he was living in the parking lot of a Wal-Mart and sneaking into rooms in Motel 6, he made a drunk phone call on Christmas that landed him at MARR. He was convinced it wouldn't work and immediately wanted […] The post Ep. 92: I Went Through Treatment 19 Times appeared first on .

Ep. 92: I Went Through Treatment 19 Times Ethan M. used to pride himself on how many times he went through treatment. Then, when he was living in the parking lot of a Wal-Mart and sneaking into rooms in Motel 6, he made a drunk phone call on Christmas that landed him at MARR. He […] The post Ep. 92: I Went Through Treatment 19 Times appeared first on .

Ep. 91: How I Recovered from OxyContin, Adderall and Fentanyl Ladd H. wanted to be a good dad, a good husband, and a good employee. He couldn't explain why he kept blowing off his commitments and continued to use. What began as college drinking gradually progressed to heavy use of OxyContin, Adderall and fentanyl, eventually […] The post Ep. 91: How I Recovered from OxyContin, Adderall and Fentanyl appeared first on .

Ep. 91: How I Recovered from OxyContin, Adderall and Fentanyl Ladd H. wanted to be a good dad, a good husband, and a good employee. He couldn't explain why he kept blowing off his commitments and continued to use. What began as college drinking gradually progressed to heavy use of OxyContin, Adderall and fentanyl, eventually […] The post Ep 91: How I Recovered from OxyContin, Adderall and Fentanyl appeared first on .

Ep 90: The Dentist Who Couldn't Stop Using Drugs From the outside, it looked as if Brian had everything going for him. He had graduated from dental school. His career was off to a successful start. And in his spare time as a musician, he had even found the time to record an album. However, […] The post Ep 90: The Dentist Who Couldn't Stop Using Drugs appeared first on .

Ep 90: The Dentist Who Couldn't Stop Using Drugs From the outside, it looked as if Brian had everything going for him. He had graduated from dental school. His career was off to a successful start. And in his spare time as a musician, he had even found the time to record an album. However, […] The post Ep 90: The Dentist Who Couldn't Stop Using Drugs appeared first on .

Ep 89: As Family, We Were Invited to Participate Family members can be a vital part of the recovery process. The two women on today's episode are a prime example of that reality. Sallie and Rosemary are the wife and mother of one of our former clients, Rob. They watched Rob go through treatments before coming […] The post Ep 89: As Family, We Were Invited to Participate appeared first on .

Ep. 89: As Family, We Were Invited to Participate Family members can be a vital part of the recovery process. The two women on today's episode are a prime example of that reality. Sallie and Rosemary are the wife and mother of one of our former clients, Rob. They watched Rob go through treatments before coming […] The post Ep. 89: As Family, We Were Invited to Participate appeared first on .

Ep 88: A Fast Tailspin Toward Death A daily cocaine and heroin user, Tara describes herself in her addiction as being in “a fast tailspin toward death.” Thanks to an unexpected intervention from her daughter, she ended up in MARR's Right Side Up program at 40. Looking back on it, she describes getting to the […] The post Ep 88: A Fast Tailspin Toward Death appeared first on .

Ep 88: A Fast Tailspin Toward Death A daily cocaine and heroin user, Tara describes herself in her addiction as being in “a fast tailspin toward death.” Thanks to an unexpected intervention from her daughter, she ended up in MARR's Right Side Up program at 40. Looking back on it, she describes getting to the […] The post Ep 88: A Fast Tailspin Toward Death appeared first on .

Ep 87: The Significance of Family Week in Treatment When Laurie M.'s husband, Sam, checked into MARR (which you can hear about in episode 86), the relationships in their family were strained. Now, Laurie says, her marriage with Sam is better than ever, and there has been significant healing between her children and Sam. She […] The post Ep 87: The Significance of Family Week in Treatment appeared first on .

Ep 87: The Significance of Family Week in Treatment When Laurie M.'s husband, Sam, checked into MARR (which you can hear about in episode 86), the relationships in their family were strained. Now, Laurie says, her marriage with Sam is better than ever, and there has been significant healing between her children and Sam. She […] The post Ep 87: The Significance of Family Week in Treatment appeared first on .

Ep. 86: The Ego Deflation of a Successful Investor Sam M. was a high-flying investor in capital markets for residential mortgages. He had a wife and two kids that always took a back seat to his career. But that all changed when he got arrested for a DUI and ended up at MARR. In treatment, […] The post Ep. 86: The Ego Deflation of a Successful Investor appeared first on .

Ep 86: The Ego Deflation of a Successful Investor Sam M. was a high-flying investor in capital markets for residential mortgages. He had a wife and two kids that always took a back seat to his career. But that all changed when he got arrested for a DUI and ended up at MARR. In treatment, […] The post Ep 86: The Ego Deflation of a Successful Investor appeared first on .

Ep. 85: Going Through Divorce with an Attitude of Service | Michelle H. Sequel Michelle H. participated in Stories of Recovery about 4 years ago in episode 45. At the time she had just gotten her nursing license back and was getting her feet underneath her again. Since then, she's gone through some major changes, including […] The post Ep. 85: Going Through Divorce with an Attitude of Service | Michelle H. Sequel appeared first on .

Ep. 85: Going Through Divorce with an Attitude of Service | Michelle H. Sequel Michelle H. participated in Stories of Recovery about 4 years ago in episode 45. At the time she had just gotten her nursing license back and was getting her feet underneath her again. Since then, she's gone through some major changes, including […] The post Ep. 85: Going Through Divorce with an Attitude of Service | Michelle H. Sequel appeared first on .

Many of our guests talk about “God” in their stories. Our guest in this episode isn't one of those people. The post Ep. 84: How the Neurologist Found Peace in Science appeared first on .

Ep 84: How the Neurologist Found Peace in Science A lot of our guests talk about “God” a lot in their stories. Our guest today, Larry J., a neurologist who came to us from Kentucky, isn't one of those people. And that's why we thought it was important we talk to him. We want everyone […] The post Ep 84: How the Neurologist Found Peace in Science appeared first on .

When Katie Z. enrolled at Kennesaw State University, her life was already in a downward spiral. She knew things had to change. The post Ep. 83: Getting Sober at 19 appeared first on .

When Katie Z. enrolled at Kennesaw State University, her life was already in a downward spiral. She knew things had to change. The post Ep. 83: Getting Sober at 19 appeared first on .

Ep. 82: Marcia Smith Strong. Caring. Comforting. Direct. These are just a handful of adjectives that clients have affectionately used to describe Marcia Smith, LPC, director of MARR's Right Side Up (RSU) – a six-month, state-funded, residential addiction treatment program for adult women (ages 18 and older), and adult women with dependent children (under age 13). […] The post Ep. 82: Marcia Smith appeared first on .

Ep. 82: Marcia Smith Strong. Caring. Comforting. Direct. These are just a handful of adjectives that clients have affectionately used to describe Marcia Smith, LPC, director of MARR's Right Side Up (RSU) – a six-month, state-funded, residential addiction treatment program for adult women (ages 18 and older), and adult women with dependent children (under age 13). […] The post Ep. 82: Marcia Smith appeared first on .

Ep. 81: How to Get Sober and Save a Marriage Brian K.'s marriage was on the rocks. He was drinking heavily and sleeping in his truck in the driveway. Desperate to keep his family intact, he checked into MARR on the same day as his twin sons' 10th birthday. Through the process of living in […] The post Ep. 81: How to Get Sober and Save a Marriage appeared first on .

Ep. 81: How to Get Sober and Save a Marriage Brian K.'s marriage was on the rocks. He was drinking heavily and sleeping in his truck in the driveway. Desperate to keep his family intact, he checked into MARR on the same day as his twin sons' 10th birthday. Through the process of living in […] The post Ep. 81: How to Get Sober and Save a Marriage appeared first on .

Ep 80: The Whole Family Can Recover Tune in and witness the profound turning point in Kirsty D.'s life, when a tragic event at the age of 22 compelled her to seek help for her addiction. With the support of her mother, Moira, Kirsty obtained a temporary legal reprieve, granting her the opportunity to receive […] The post Ep 80: The Whole Family Can Recover appeared first on .

Ep. 80: The Whole Family Can Recover Tune in and witness the profound turning point in Kirsty D.'s life, when a tragic event at the age of 22 compelled her to seek help for her addiction. With the support of her mother, Moira, Kirsty obtained a temporary legal reprieve, granting her the opportunity to receive […] The post Ep. 80: The Whole Family Can Recover appeared first on .

Ep 78: How I Got My Piloting Career Back | Nick R., The Sequel​ Nick is a pilot, through and through. When he talks you can feel how much he loves flying planes. For a time, he lost all that because of his inability to stop drinking. But now, like so many people in recovery, […] The post Ep. 78: How I Got My Piloting Career Back | Nick R., The Sequel appeared first on .

Ep 79: Remembering Darrell V. | How a Cat Can Lead to a Spiritual Experience In this special edition of Stories of Recovery, we're paying tribute to Darrell V., a long-time MARR alumnus and friend to all. In March of this year, Darrell passed away following a sudden and brief illness. With more than 15 years […] The post Ep. 79: Remembering Darrell V. | How a Cat Can Lead to a Spiritual Experience appeared first on .

Ep 79: Remembering Darrell V. | How a Cat Can Lead to a Spiritual Experience In this special edition of Stories of Recovery, we're paying tribute to Darrell V., a long-time MARR alumnus and friend to all. In March of this year, Darrell passed away following a sudden and brief illness. With more than 15 years […] The post Ep. 79: Remembering Darrell V. | How a Cat Can Lead to a Spiritual Experience appeared first on .

Ep 78: How I Got My Piloting Career Back | Nick R., The Sequel Nick is a pilot, through and through. When he talks you can feel how much he loves flying planes. For a time, he lost all that because of his inability to stop drinking, but now… like so many people in recovery, […] The post Ep. 78: How I Got My Piloting Career Back | Nick R., The Sequel appeared first on .

Ep 78: How I Got My Piloting Career Back | Nick R., The Sequel Nick is a pilot, through and through. When he talks you can feel how much he loves flying planes. For a time, he lost all that because of his inability to stop drinking, but now… like so many people in recovery, […] The post How I Got My Piloting Career Back | Nick R., The Sequel appeared first on .

Why do people relapse? Particularly after having the experience of feeling happy, joyous, and free in recovery and being truly at peace for the first time in their lives? Shaun N. provides us with an answer from his experience. Shaun grew up in a violent household. Fighting was a way of life and drinking provided […] The post Ep 77: Why I Relapsed and How I Made It Back appeared first on MARR Addiction Treatment Centers.

Why do people relapse? Particularly after having the experience of feeling happy, joyous, and free in recovery and being truly at peace for the first time in their lives? Shaun N. provides us with an answer from his experience. Shaun grew up in a violent household. Fighting was a way of life and drinking provided […] The post Ep 77: Why I Relapsed and How I Made It Back appeared first on .

How did Jule go from freebasing cocaine and trying to sell a stolen car to an undercover cop to eventually becoming a judge and being licensed to practice law before the supreme court? What happened during his time at MARR to set him up for that complete transformation?  The answer: He learned how to be honest […] The post Ep 76: From Freebasing Cocaine to Becoming a Judge appeared first on .

Ep 76: From Freebasing Cocaine to Becoming a Judge How did Jule go from freebasing cocaine and trying to sell a stolen car to an undercover cop to eventually becoming a judge and being licensed to practice law before the supreme court? What happened during his time at MARR to set him up for that […] The post Ep 76: From Freebasing Cocaine to Becoming a Judge appeared first on MARR Addiction Treatment Centers.

How does someone go from an ordinary, middle-class upbringing to having her door kicked in by the SWAT team? And then, how does that same person then go from facing serious jail time to being in recovery for 12 years and being the happily married mother of three daughters? Tricia lays out all the ups […] The post Ep 75: The Women's Recovery Center Gave Me a Life with My Children appeared first on MARR Addiction Treatment Centers.

How does someone go from an ordinary, middle-class upbringing to having her door kicked in by the SWAT team? And then, how does that same person then go from facing serious jail time to being in recovery for 12 years and being the happily married mother of three daughters? Tricia lays out all the ups […] The post Ep 75: The Women's Recovery Center Gave Me a Life with My Children appeared first on .

“Don't walk, but RUN away from me!” That's what Josh K. said to his fiancée when he saw he could not stop his own self-destruction. He even tried treatment at a few different places, but nothing seemed to stick. It was not until he checked into MARR for long-term treatment in 2005 that things started […] The post Ep 74: What MARR Provided That Other Centers Couldn't appeared first on .

“Don't walk, but RUN away from me!” That's what Josh K. said to his fiancée when he saw he could not stop his own self-destruction. He even tried treatment at a few different places, but nothing seemed to stick. It was not until he checked into MARR for long-term treatment in 2005 that things started […] The post Ep 74: What MARR Provided That Other Centers Couldn't appeared first on .

When a person shows up to participate here at MARR, whether they are a client or not, they become part of a community that they can remain involved in for the rest of their life. This community is a network that extends across the United States. It consists of alumni who've gone through the programs […] The post Ep 73: Therapeutic Community | Ashley McQueen appeared first on .