Untoxicated Podcast

SHOUT Sobriety

Ep12 – SHOUT Sobriety Week 2

In week 2 of SHOUT Sobriety, the topic could not be more important. This week we are focused on brain chemistry. We lean how our alcohol consumption hijacks our neurotransmitters and controls the reward pathways in our brains withholding pleasure from us unless we give our brains alcohol. We also learn about the power of the subconscious mind. It really doesn't matter that we have decided on a conscious level to quit drinking. Until we give our massively powerful subconscious time to learn new patterns, our brain will be screaming for us to give it alcohol. This truly is vitally important, life changing stuff, and I hope you enjoy and feel insightful relief from what you hear. To learn more about SHOUT Sobriety, or to enroll in the program, check out our SHOUT Sobriety website.

SHOUT Sobriety

Ep11 – SHOUT Sobriety Week 1

Learn about our program to help people navigate the treacherous waters of early sobriety. It is called SHOUT Sobriety, and we offer this six week strategy for free for those concerned about their drinking, and for the families of those who abuse alcohol. To learn more, listen to this podcast episode or check out our SHOUT Sobriety website. Hear my story and what worked for me to achieve permanent sobriety. Editorial note - when I say, "strokes," I mean, "seizures."

Addiction

Ep10 – Sink or Swim with Author Michael Arnold

Michael Arnold is an alcoholic and drug addict in recovery, and she is loud and proud about it. Her rock bottom was when her heart stopped in an ambulance after suffering a seizure when she detoxed too fast. She almost died. That explains why she is so enthusiastic about her life in recovery. I am excited to have her on the podcast to talk about all of this, and her new book, Drowning in Addiction: Sink or Swim.

Addiction
Relationship

Ep9 – Sheri’s Story: Matt’s Wife on an Alcoholic Marriage

I've talked and written extensively about my relationship with my wife. Now it is her turn to talk. Hear about the damage done to our marriage as we suffered decades of alcoholism and emerged clinging to survival. This is the most emotional and raw episode we've ever recorded. Hear what an alcoholic marriage is all about.

Addiction
Relationship

Ep8 – When Love Survives Addiction

Jason and Matt have interviewed experts on addiction and relationships. Now it's time to hear the stories of the damage their addictions have caused in their own marriages. These are painful stories, but they are also the stories of survival and love.

Addiction

Ep7 – Drugs, Alcohol and Teenage Invincibility with Dave Friedentag

We asked Dave Friedentag why he works with troubled youth to help them move past their drug and alcohol abuse problems and find a better way forward. He explained that high school is when he started getting into trouble and began a journey that led to the death of his brother. When we experience trauma, we want to help others avoid the same life-altering pitfalls. And we are all glad Dave chose to have the impact he has on our kids.

Addiction
Relationship

Ep6 – Relationships in Recovery with Therapist Melissa Ryan

Counseling couples to help them navigate challenges in their relationships often involves tackling the many issues surrounding addiction. In Ep6, our Untoxicated Podcast guest, Therapist Melissa Ryan, talks with us about the ways addiction effects our interactions with the ones we love. From open and communicative partners who are willing to work to improve their relationships, to quiet and closed partners who struggle to open up, Melissa is adept at working with even the most challenging relationship dynamics. If you like Melissa as much as we do, check out her therapy practice, Cambium Counseling in Golden, Colorado. Melissa's office number is 970-235-0913.

Addiction
Relationship

Ep5 – When Sobriety Ends the Marriage

Everyone knows addiction is a leading cause of divorce, but did you know sobriety destroys marriages, too? Sometimes - quite often, really - couples adapt their behaviors and reactions to manage heavy drinking in the marriage. It isn't until one or both people in the relationship get sober, and the marriage dynamics change so drastically, that the bond cannot survive. Getting healthy can poison a marriage. Matt's good friend and outspoken recovery warrior, Simone Meyer, bravely and openly discusses her alcoholism and the damage it inflicted on her family. Her relationships with her children suffered, and there is a lot of repair work ongoing in recovery. But her marriage didn't survive Simone's transformation in sobriety. Listen to her brutally honest account of the collateral damage of addiction.

Addiction
Nutrition

Ep4 – The Addiction Nutritionist: What You Eat Can Heal You

Why do traditional addiction recovery programs have such terrible success rates? Talk therapy, group sessions, working the steps, etc. are key components to health in sobriety, but is something missing? The Addiction Nutritionist, Kelly Miller, explains that trying to recover without a nutrition plan designed to repair the damage done in addiction is like trying to build a house without a solid foundation. Kelly explains the Recovery Diet and how eating the right foods restores our damaged neurotransmitter function. We discuss hypoglycemia, the bio types of alcoholism, gut health, the role of amino acids in recovery and the wrong advice that is so commonly given to people in early sobriety. The information Kelly shares is so fundamental it is astonishing how under-discussed nutrition is in the world of recovery. Have a little fun with this episode - try to count how many times Jason and Matt say, "Fascinating!" The Addiction Nutritionist Kelly Miller

Kelly's page is The Addiction Nutritionist on facebook, and she is @theaddictionnutritionist on Instagram. She can also be contacted at kellyjomiller3@gmail.com.

Addiction

Ep3 – So What’s Matt Salis’ Story?

Matt's love affair with alcohol began with sips of his dad's beer as a kid, continued with experimentation in high school and binge drinking in college, and developed into full-blown addiction with after work cocktails and beer filled weekends as a young adult. He struggled and fought his way through life as a high-functioning alcoholic somehow managing to conceal the extent of his disease while he clung to his marriage, raised children and maintained a career.

Matt's is a unique story. It's only been repeated millions upon millions of times. Maybe you've heard it before. Listen and see if it sounds familiar.

Ep13 – SHOUT Sobriety Week 3

Sheri’s Story, Part 2: Marriage in Recovery