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The path From Addict to Disciple may be the path less traveled, but it is the path that makes all the difference! David Hain is the founder of From A2D, has attained the designation of International Advanced Alcohol and Drug Counselor, and authored From Addict to Disciple, The Heart of an Addict, and From Ashes to Destiny. He equips people to work with addicts in prisons and communities in the US, Canada and Africa. These podcasts will focus on finding freedom from the emotional wounds which ...
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For today's episode, I go on a walkabout with my friend Michael who has been struggling to establish a recovery for more than five years. On the walkabout we discuss these words by American author and historian Edward Everett Hale: "I am only one, but still I am one. I cannot do everything, but still I can do something, and because I cannot do ever…
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This is a group episode with our guys in recovery from Australia, South Africa and the US. They share their journey in response to this question "If we can help you make sense of why you became an addict, can you make sense of the choice of recovery?" --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/a2d--from-addict-to-disci/suppor…
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Today's episode is a walkabout in Outside Looking In park. Join us as we reduce on this topic. What does it mean to be on the outside looking in? Do you feel like you've always been on the outside looking in? Where do you belong? Where do you fit in? Do you find out hard to even explain yourself to friends and family? How go you find the courage to…
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Today's episode is a group meeting where our guys in recovery in the US, Australia and South Africa trains to this quote "You can't do the next right thing, if you always ignore this moment's right thing." What are the thieves that steal your enjoyment of the present moment? How do we find the inner strength and courage to do the next right thing? …
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Today's episode is a walkabout through Keep Walking park. How do we stay focused on self care and our recovery when our loved ones say things like "Don't try to convince me that you've changed." Or "Tell it to yourself as you walk out the door!" The key is to learn to walk in silence, not for others to see. Just keep walking.--- Support this podcas…
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This episode is a walkabout through A Desolate Place park. Many guys I work with have relapsed because of feeling the sadness of being abandoned or forsaken as a result of their addiction. Join me on this walkabout as we find encouragement and hope to leave the place of desolation and see each new road roll out like a welcome mat to a better place,…
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Today's episode is a walkabout in The Older I Get park. No this is not just for pensioners or retired people! We are all getting older everyday. What have you learned or view differently at your present age than you did a few years ago? In this walkabout we react to quotes like this one by Karen Salmansohn "The older I get the more I realize the im…
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Who are the mockers in your life? Those people who are always teasing you or showing contempt. What is a mocker in your life? The things that drain your energy or maybe dilute your hope. What are the things that you give in to them because you think it's no big deal. Then you find out they caused you to return to full blown addiction. Listen to thi…
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Today's episode is a group session. Our guys in recovery share their reactions to this quote by American humorist Will Rogers "Good judgment comes from experience, and a lot of that comes from bad judgment." I hope you can hear a nugget of good for you in their answers.--- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/a2d--from-addi…
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In this episode we look at the Japanese concept of Ikigai which translates as our reason to live. The four elements of Ikigai are: 1) your passion - what you love, 2) your vocation - what you're good at, 3) your mission - what the world needs and 4) your profession - what you can be paid for. We're not looking to have you develop a new five year pl…
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This is a walkabout episode as we walk together in Glimmer of Hope Park. Many you asked for this topic after you listened to episode # 202. I hope you enjoy this look at how we find a Glimmer of Hope in the darkness that surrounds us and crushes our incentive to risk hoping again. --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/a2…
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In today's group episode or guys in recovery discuss the quote by Desmond Tutu "There comes a point where we need to stop just pulling people out of the river. We need to go upstream and find out why they're taking in." Listen to our guys input about faith, connectedness, fellowship and relationship as well as their warning to not pull someone out …
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Today's episode is a walkabout. Join me as we walk through a park dedicated to the poetry of Pablo Neruda, Chilean who won the Nobel Prize for Literature. In this path we look at his poem entitled "You Start Slowly Dying." We'll use his poem to see ways that we may be slowly dying in our addiction and begin to uncover small steps of life that we ca…
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Do you know what glimmers are? Well, think of them as the opposite of triggers. In this episode we look at the importance of knowing our glimmers, seeking them out, gathering them and understanding how they are related to each of our five senses. I hope as you listen to this episode you will see how glimmers let you know that the world is okay!--- …
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In this walkabout episode we go on a walk on Flat Tire Trail. The trail has that name because many of us don't realize that we have attitudes in our life that have become a flat tire. Listen to this episode to understand what your flat tire may be and to find the encouragement to change that attitude, change that flat tire, so you can reach your de…
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Join us on celebrating 200 episodes as guys in recovery from the US, South Africa and Australia share their favourite memories from this podcast and why they like being part of it. If you're not in a group please feel free to contact me and I'll do my best to get you connected.--- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/a2d--f…
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Today's episode is another walkabout as we look at emotional, social and existential loneliness. Being lonely is a physical state. Feeling lonely is an emotional state. Today we dig into the emotions of loneliness and being broken or brokenhearted. Two key quotes from this episode are: "The only thing keeping you from being happy is the belief that…
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This episode is a walkabout to reflect on the prison of addiction and things that made us feel like we were in chains. Here's two opening signs as we enter the park for this walkabout: 1) Addiction imprisons your mind, your body, your spirit, your soul. We put ourselves in that prison. We don't need to be arrested by the police. 2) A quote by Keith…
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Let's take a walkabout together to look at addiction and where we or our loved ones fit in the spectrum of substance use disorder. On this walk we'll look at the 11 evaluation criteria of the DSM 5 as well as a variety of other definitions of addiction. Is it a disease? A brain disorder? Bondage? Or simply choosing to chase pleasure?--- Support thi…
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Have you ever said to yourself "I can get clean, I just can't seem to stay clean"? Does it seem like every door to recovery that you try is a revolving door, which only leads to relapse and return to rehab for another try at sobriety? Today we look at four stages of recovery: stability, strategy, security and freedom. These help us focus on the jou…
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Today we look at several acronyms for fear and how they apply in recovery. This is not another time of saying False Evidence Appearing Real. Fear is a real emotion. We need to look at our response to fear when it rises up. Maybe you're one who has always responded with Forget Everything And Run. Now is the time to develop the strength, courage and …
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Today is a group episode with our friends in recovery from the US and South Africa. Listen to their insight as they share their experience about the journey from wanting revenge to sitting still in patience. They share their wisdom in response to this quote "If you sit by the river for long enough, you will see the body of your enemy float by." As …
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Do you struggle with negative thoughts and intrusive voices? Do you find yourself informed by these thoughts and reacting with poor choices? Then it's time to begin to develop Power Over Your Mind! Marcus Aurelius reminds us that we do have power over our mind and that helps us to avoid getting caught up in outside events. He also said "The happine…
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Enjoy as you listen to our group of six guys in recovery from Australia, South Africa and the US as they react to the following quote by Mother Theresa "We think sometimes that poverty is only being hungry, naked and homeless. The poverty of being unwanted, unloved and uncared for is the greatest poverty." I'm sure they will touch your memories and…
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Do you find yourself slipping and stumbling in your recovery? Today we look at what causes us to lose our footing in recovery. AND then we discuss four things we can do to get our foundation established and have strong and stable footing in recovery. We don't have to live in fear of slippery floors or road surfaces as we travel our journey of recov…
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What is the damage done by your years in addiction? In this episode we look at many areas of damage and how we learn to accept them with grace in our recovery. How do we find grace when we're battling so much grief for all that we lost because of our addiction? One of the keys is realizing that in our addiction we knew the price of everything and t…
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Today's group episode looks at the necessity of learning to manage the triggers that you cannot avoid. This includes people like friends and family, places like work situations and family gatherings, and things like money or thoughts that tempt us. Our guys in recovery share the things they employ to help them manage their triggers like pictures of…
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Are you stuck in mediocrity? Do you struggle to keep your momentum going as you walk in recovery? In this episode we look at things that slow down our momentum, drain our energy or sap our enthusiasm. How can we get our momentum back when we find ourselves sliding into that same old level of mediocrity? I believe a key is in the choices we make eve…
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Today's group episode looks at books or quotes that are precious to each of us in our recovery. The guys in the group react to this quote by Wilferd Peterson "It is time to browse through the precious books that have meant the most to you, that you may rediscover illuminating phrases and sentences to light your pathway to the future." I hope as you…
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The old proverb says that opportunity knocks but once. This has led to that "seize the day" mantra. In today's episode we look at what keeps us from seizing an opportunity and how we prepare to know if the opportunity is the right one for us. We're challenged with the thought of opportunities seeking you rather than you chasing after them. And what…
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Today's episode deals with making amends. Got other episodes on this topic check out #44 and #131. In this episode we look at our hopes as a result of making amends. Do you hope for reconciliation in your marriage, in the lives of your children, etc? Do you hope to have your status as head of the household and your respect and dignity restored? Are…
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This episode is another group session with my friends in recovery from the US, South Africa and Australia. I'm sure you will be motivated as you listen to their answers to this question: One issue in recovery is developing compassion for those parts of ourselves that are unwanted or ignored or misunderstood by those we care about. Can you share one…
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What keeps you strong in recovery? Is it stuff like meetings, programs, or a good job? Today we look at the importance of learning how to be resilient in the midst of all the burdens, demands, expectations, pressures and stressors we gave every day in recovery. How do we bounce back from life's situations and circumstances before they knock us down…
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What does "catch you on the flip side" mean? Where did that phrase come from? Today we look at writing our flip side of life. A chance to start over and to turn from our past vices to tomorrow's virtues. What have we learned from the past? What good aspects of our past can we hold onto in our recovery? I hope you enjoy today's episode.--- Support t…
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In today's group session episode we look at this question. People say we all have 3 versions of ourselves: 1) the person you think you are 2) the person other people see and 3) the person you really are. What does it mean to be the best version of yourself? How do you live that out or walk in it? Listen as our guys in recovery reflect on this quest…
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Are you someone who always says the grass is greener on the other side of the fence? Do you find yourself hesitant at new opportunities in recovery? Are you focused on and always talking about the things you can't do? If so, then this episode is for you. Remember "There is no flak jacket against self sabotage!" See episode #120 for more on Self Sab…
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This episode is another group meeting with guys in recovery from the US, Australia and South Africa. Listen to their ideas on the differences between the world view of being identified because of our past behaviors vs the kingdom view of finding your identity in your faith. Hear how each guy looks at his past, finds strength and safety in the prese…
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In this episode we take a look at what we do in From A2D. How we are motivated by all three: passion, purpose and compassion to walk in living what we do and sitting love for people caught in the snare of addiction. Not simply focused on fixing them or having them come right, but helping them find healing and wholeness. We do this by meeting them w…
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Let's look at those situations and relationships we get ourselves into where we feel like we're stuck in quicksand and it's going to swallow us up. Why do we keep running back to the same people and situations that are quicksand to us? We need to not just deal with it, but to process it and feel it so that we can find our second wind which will car…
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We all need to develop a lifestyle of course correction to keep us focused on our destination. It's normal to get distracted, side-tracked or to veer off course every now and then. The key is to continue the journey, not stop and wallow in the shame of our mistake or the self-pity of the unfair thing that happened to us. Winds change and we need to…
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Today's episode is a group session as our guys in recovery from Australia, South Africa and the US share their feelings from episode # 173. Listen to their just of complicated grief in seeing the hurt their children carry, in stab wounds from the church, in physical and mental Spectra that make us feel like we're 70 even though we're 40, and in mor…
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Today's episode is a walkabout on last week's Complicated Grief episode. We'll look at four listeners' comments as they reached out to me with their issues of grief. Maybe you feel like everyone is ready to throw stones of condemnation at you. Or you now realize that you have glossed over many things that you should have processed earlier in life. …
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Today's episode is about an often overlooked aspect of recovery, Complicated Grief. Specifically we'll be discussing the grief about the things we lost as consequences of our addiction. This includes things like: the loss of your marriage, the ability to see or maintain a relationship with your kids, loss of your career, your house, etc. This grief…
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This is a group session podcast as the guys share what they would plant in their garden that would be a good reminder in their journey of recovery. What trees, bushes, tall grasses, short grasses, teas, herbs and flowers would you plant AND why? Listen as the guys share their thoughts and share this episode with friends.--- Support this podcast: ht…
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Let's look at what core values are and why it's so important to know your own personal core values. Many people think they're the same as your beliefs, but I propose that our core values are stronger than our beliefs. And we need to understand what our core values are that were caused by and shaped by childhood trauma and emotional wounds. For a li…
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This episode is a group meeting with the guys in recovery from the US, Australia and South Africa. The discussion question is "How do you deal with being hurt by the church (people in your church and other believers) when they judge where you're at in your recovery from the world's perspective? Listen to advice from "stay in your lane" to "draw clo…
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In this episode we look at the belief that we have time to change and we can wait until we're ready. But before we know a decade has gone by and we're still caught up in pornography, drugs or alcohol addiction. When asked what's the biggest mistake we make in life the Buddha replied, "The biggest mistake is you think you have time." Yes time is fre…
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Are you tempted by forbidden fruit? Is it because you're rebellious? Or maybe you're innocently curious because it's "forbidden". In today's episode we look at why we want to grab ahold of forbidden fruit and how we can get empowered to break free from that temptation. Share it with two friends and chat with each other about your journey in this ar…
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This is a walkabout episode where I "meet" four people and ask for their thoughts about Father's Day. Listen to how they are handling not seeing dad on Father's Day. One young man never met his dad and now he's deceased. Another who never met his dad is dealing with the fact that now that he's 25 his dad wants to meet him. The third is an elderly m…
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We take a walkabout on "Motivation Mountain" for today's episode and look at questions like: Are you always trying to take the easy way out? Looking for shortcuts? Sliding through life without facing challenges or handling consequences? If the answer is yes, you may be a day tripper! As we walkabout we look at motivational quotes feeling with adver…
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