At a table for 3, Karen joins Mike & Glenn to talk about sponsors in the 12 steps. What is a sponsor? How do you pick a sponsor? How do you fire a sponsor? What about paid sober coaches? What benefits have you received from being a sponsor? Join Karen, Mike & Glenn as they get real in their discussion of sponsors, the value of sponsorship, and talk about their own journey along the 12 steps. If you know someone who needs to hear this episode, share it with them! For more about this podca...
May 03, 2023•36 min•Ep. 110
Karen joins Sober.Coffee at a table for three, talking about owning your own shit. In her words, “It’s your fault, asshole”. How does owning your own shit affect sobriety? Human nature is to find fault. Instead of looking inward, we look outward for whose fault it is. Karen talks about her own recovery journey and tells us when she can own her shit, blame herself for her own problems, then she can truly recover - because if she can’t be honest with herself, she can’t recover. If you know someone...
Apr 26, 2023•31 min•Ep. 109
Darren joins Mike & Glenn in the coffee shop to talk about Celebrate Recovery. Darren has dealt with alcohol addiction in his own life for 30 years, off again and on again. He went to hundreds of AA meetings but never really connected with it - then found Celebrate Recovery. Celebrate Recovery is about hurts, habits and hangups. While Celebrate Recovery is still a 12 step program with very similar steps to AA, Celebrate Recovery talks about God and Jesus and is very religious based including...
Apr 19, 2023•30 min•Ep. 108
Listen in as Mike & Glenn intoduce a “sister” podcast - As We Understand HIM - We often get asked about OUR spiritual journey. Well, we share it….
Apr 16, 2023•19 min
When things are off and you’re left feeling restless, irritable, and discontented - it might signal an emotional relapse. But how do you identify these feelings? Can you trust yourself to know them? What do you do if you’re restless, irritable and discontent? Explore these questions and listen in with Mike & Glenn as they walk through their own experiences and recovery journey. If you know someone who needs to hear this episode, share it with them! In this episode: Book: Program For You http...
Apr 12, 2023•30 min•Ep. 107
Is there 100% proof that sobriety can work for you? Recovery Research Institute says, “AA has helped countless tens of millions of individuals recover from addiction” and Stanford University tells us, “AA is the most effective path to alcohol abstinence…the fellowships help more people achieve sobriety than any therapy does.” Listen in as Glenn and Mike talk about AA, introduce a real life case study of someone 12 months into the program, and discuss what their response is to someone who says AA...
Apr 05, 2023•30 min•Ep. 106
Claire joins Mike & Glenn at a table for three in the coffee shop with a message: Drug use and overuse of alcohol has been glamorized in the media for a long time - but drinking is not sexy. It’s chaos and vomit. Claire’s mission is to glamorize recovery and she’s going big! Claire launched her apparel brand earlier this year: Rehab Studios. Inspired by Claire’s personal recovery from addiction and struggles with mental health, she designs apparel, jewelry and accessories to celebrate and ta...
Mar 29, 2023•21 min•Ep. 105
Talking about challenges in sobriety, Mike & Glenn are in the coffee shop and the conversation isn’t all unicorns and rainbows. From challenges like emotions, habits, relationships, money issues, loneliness, boredom, mental health issues and the fear or relapse - the biggest challenge for Glenn? Change. “If I wasn’t open and willing to change, then I wouldn’t have been able to take even 5 steps in this program.” Psychic change is the change that’s going to take away your obsession and make y...
Mar 22, 2023•29 min•Ep. 104
How is your recovery program like a chocolate chip cookie? Everyone has their own recipe that they think is best and it all has to do with the ingredients. Will those ingredients include AA, or will they include a different recovery program like Refuge Recovery? At a table for 3 in the coffee shop talking with Tori, a substance abuse counselor, and her own experiences with Refuge Recovery. Refuge Recovery and the Buddhist path to recovery is all about the path to awakening - awakening being the ...
Mar 15, 2023•25 min•Ep. 103
At a table for three, Quint shares his experience with alcoholism from growing up with a father who drank, and his own road to recovery. Quint began drinking at 15 and gradually discovered anxieties and concerns would be magically misted away through a haze of beer and wine - and that started a pattern for the next 40 years. Eventually deciding his future was more important than alcohol, Quint started his road to recovery. The first 5 years were spent trying to stop drinking with bargaining, “I’...
Mar 08, 2023•31 min•Ep. 102
From myth to truth, it’s a rapid fire espresso shots with Mike and Glenn. As they talk about things they’ve heard, questions from emails, inquiries from social media, Mike and Glenn fire true and false statements at each other with a little back and forth banter mixed in. It’s all about sobriety, recovery and addiction and the myths, misconceptions and truths that go with it. If you know someone who needs to hear this episode, share it with them! In this episode: Previous Rapid Fire 6 Sober Espr...
Mar 01, 2023•27 min•Ep. 101
Megan is a familiar face at AA Mokena Fellowship, and with AA meetings 5 times a day, it takes a lot of volunteer hours to keep things running smoothly. From opening the door to helping out in the community - Megan tells us that service leads to the world turning a different shade of wonderful. Service saved her life, and it started with cleaning up coffee pots, clearing tables and taking out trash. Find out why Mike, Glenn and Megan find service work important and why they still do it today. If...
Feb 22, 2023•26 min•Ep. 100
How do you get undrunk quickly? Easy, it’s a math calculation - it takes an hour to eliminate .01 of alcohol in your system. But how long does it take to get sober? That’s a loaded question starting with what you mean by sober. In the coffee shop Mike & Glenn tell us how long it takes to get undrunk, and discuss how long it takes to get truly sober where you’re living a quality rewarding life with passion and purpose. Is it less than 3 months? 1-2 years? 5-10 years? Listen in as Mike & G...
Feb 15, 2023•30 min•Ep. 99
Laura joins Mike & Glenn in the coffee shop to talk about SMART Recovery. Laura found SMART Recovery after she ended her chaotic relationship with drugs 40 years ago. Why after? Ten years ago she discovered her son was a heroin user. Knowing him, she knew he wouldn’t buy into the 12 step program, so she went looking for answers. While her son never attended any meetings, SMART Recovery changed her life and Laura is now a recovery coach. An alternative to AA, SMART Recovery has a large online...
Feb 08, 2023•24 min•Ep. 98
The Webster Dictionary definition of sober - not drinking or using mind altering substances - is more of a definition of being dry. Mike and Glenn discuss how sober is more than not drinking, it’s the byproduct of working a quality recovery program. So what does sober really mean? Sober is characterized by reason, sanity, or self-control; showing mental and emotional balance. Are you emotionally balanced? Physically balanced? Spiritually balanced? Glenn and Mike lay it out at the coffee shop lik...
Feb 01, 2023•25 min•Ep. 97
Getting to know Danny we find out he’s not a human lie detector and while an introvert at heart, he believes we do our best work in community. Digging in deeper with the Clinical Director at Aspen Ridge Recovery in Colorado, Mike and Glenn hit Danny with a few hard questions about addiction and recovery: How do you know if you’re a good candidate for treatment? How important is therapy in treatment? Is abstinence the only option, or is there help to control drinking and how effective is it? List...
Jan 25, 2023•29 min•Ep. 96
Glenn and Mike describe dry drunk as the grumpy guy that hasn’t had a drink but is miserable and complains about everything in their life. Why? Because stopping drinking is one thing, but then what? If you’re drinking to escape, then stop drinking without surrendering to recovery, you are still miserable but without the alcohol - and the same sh%^ behavior is still there. Glenn and Mike elaborate on the difference between drunk, dry and sober. You can be drunk by yourself, you can be dry by your...
Jan 18, 2023•28 min•Ep. 95
You can learn from anyone. You can learn what to do. You can learn what not to do. If you listen to their story, listen to their life and the challenges they face, if you truly listen - their story is suggesting to you how to overcome an obstacle in your life. That’s what we hear from James C. James shares that he was given the gift of surrender on a cold January night in Michigan. It was the end of the road. He was highly addicted to alcohol, heroin, methadone, and valium and spent detox in a d...
Jan 11, 2023•29 min•Ep. 94
Alcohol is a depressant, it affects your nervous system and slows down your breathing, heart rate and other important tasks your body does. Mike & Glenn share their experiences with alcohol poisoning - from friends who have been hospitalized, friends that didn’t have a chronic drinking problem and died from alcohol poisoning, and even being in the hospital for alcohol poisoning themselves. Think someone you know has alcohol poisoning? Do: Call 9-1-1 Don’t leave them alone Try to get them sit...
Jan 04, 2023•22 min•Ep. 93
It’s a sober new year. But what does that look like? Join Mike & Glenn in the coffee shop as they discuss what their game plan is for the new year. With a trip down memory lane and a look at the past, each discusses how sobriety has changed their new years - from removing the remorse, regret and anxiety, to looking at the past as a scorecard and making plans for the year ahead, trying to point the ship in the right direction. If you know someone who needs to hear this episode, share it with ...
Jan 01, 2023•29 min
Mike & Glenn sit down in the coffee shop to discuss the signs and symptoms of drug addiction. Are they experts? No. But Mike shares that drugs are part of his story of recovery. With almost everyone he knows, they know someone who has a tragic addiction to Fentanyl or Opioids. Knowing the signs and symptoms to look for can help loved ones recognize a problem, and Sober.Coffee has collected a list of physical and behavioral signs of drug addiction. Keep in mind, some of these symptoms - like ...
Dec 28, 2022•28 min•Ep. 92
How do you get through the holidays with a focus on sobriety? The invites say go party, go drink, have spiked eggnog. Hallmark commercials and movies portray a joyous holiday season with bells ringing and happy family gatherings. But Christmas time can be a challenging time - full of stress, emotions and triggers. Listen in as Glenn & Mike talk about sobriety and staying on the path of recovery. They discuss: Memories and what to do about them Tips for Christmas parties Talk about Steps #8 #...
Dec 21, 2022•34 min•Ep. 91
When discussing early signs of alcoholism, Mike and Glenn take a look backwards at themselves, their experiences, and what others saw in them as they struggled with addiction. If you are looking at this for yourself, pay attention and ask the questions laid out in the podcast. Glenn shares that by the time he was researching alcoholism, he was already on the path to addiction. If you are looking at this for someone else, realize there is very little you can do for someone else until they decide ...
Dec 14, 2022•21 min•Ep. 90
In her second year of recovery, Alexis had 4 kids. She was blessed with lots of family that really helped out, and in 2013 received a lot of holiday gifts her kids would not use. They decided to give the extra gifts to a men’s treatment center so the men could give the gifts to their kids. But five gifts didn’t go very far, and Alexis found herself reaching out to others to do more - and filled an entire wish list for the treatment center! That’s how RecoveryKidz was born. Recovery Kidz partners...
Dec 11, 2022•20 min
At a table for 3 in the coffee shop, Megan shares her experience as a woman in recovery and her journey from first admitting she had an alcohol problem to her recovery path with counselors, women’s groups and eventually coed groups. As a woman, AA meetings with 80% men can be intimidating. But once you sit down and listen to what men have to say, it goes out the window because we all suffer. Listen in to Megan’s journey to sobriety, some of the issues she’s faced and overcome, and her advice to ...
Dec 07, 2022•19 min•Ep. 89
California Sober is like being semi-sober. It’s trading one substance for another…for example, I’m not doing opioids anymore but I’m drinking alcohol. I’m sober, but I smoke pot. I’m sober but I take pain pills. Join Mike and Glenn in the coffee shop as they discuss this #trending topic and why it all comes down to this: how do you define sober? If you know someone who needs to hear this episode, share it with them! Want more clinical information about California Sober? Visit Care Addiction Cent...
Nov 30, 2022•17 min•Ep. 88
Holidays are loaded with stress, so grab a drink. No, not alcohol. Soda, coffee, tea - anything that gets your mind off what others are drinking. That’s the first tip for newly sober individuals going into family situations this Thanksgiving. Mike and Glenn share more tips and talk about their favorite holiday memories before alcoholism, their worst holiday memories, and what it looks like now in sobriety. If you know someone who needs to hear this episode, share it with them! For more about thi...
Nov 23, 2022•24 min•Ep. 87
Mindful drinking increases awareness and avoids crashing the plane. How? By being aware of why and how much you drink. It’s like keeping score. Mike tells us his score is something like “Drinks: 7353 vs Mike: 0” But admittedly you don’t have to get to the point where you lose everything or hit rock bottom and pay the ultimate consequences to pay attention to drinking. In this episode you’ll learn mindful drinking is: Pausing and evaluating each drink. Making a drinking or alternative game plan. ...
Nov 16, 2022•23 min•Ep. 86
Through his own path to recovery, Stevie G stayed at a halfway house. While there, he found connections and moved forward in his own recovery, but he saw some things that were disturbing, as if the halfway house had lost the focus on helping recovering alcoholics. After leaving, Stevie was presented with the opportunity - a friend owned some 3 flats - and Stevie said “I think we can do better for people”. That was 30 years ago and he continues to work in the sober community with RCOSA sober livi...
Nov 09, 2022•27 min•Ep. 85
Dr. John shares three ways to go: Drunk, Dry, or Sober. While dry is miserable, restless, irritable, and filled with discontent, and obsessive worry - sober should be the opposite, right? Wrong. Join Mike & Glenn and special guest Dr. John to discuss what it means to be sober. If you know someone who needs to hear this episode, share it with them! Mentioned in this episode: The Wounded Healer: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0385148038/ref=as_li_tl H.O.W. in Recovery: https://www.careaddic...
Nov 06, 2022•25 min
