Addiction & Recovery

Gillian Tietz is the host of Sober Powered, a top 50 mental health podcast, and the founder of Sober Powered Media, a podcast network of top mental health shows. She has a master’s in biology and worked in research labs in the Boston area. Getting sober in 2019 inspired her to start her podcast to help others understand why addiction happens and how to develop the coping skills they need to stay sober. After 2 years of consistent, hard work she left her career in biochemistry to start her network. 

Eric and Gillian discuss her journey to sobriety and how she shares what she has learned with others on her podcast, Sober Powered.

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Gillian Tietz and I Discuss How to Embrace Sobriety and …

• Her podcast, Sober Powered
• How she learned that watching TV did not support the life she wanted
• The start of her journey to sobriety
• Struggling with emotions that lead her to destructive habits
• Her struggles with body image
• Realizing how drinking caused her mental health to deteriorate
• How alcohol enhanced the problems she was trying to hide from
• Learning to accept that moderating drinking wasn’t possible
• The idea of harm reduction and the controversial opinions
• Finally seeking professional help when at the start of the quarantine
• How she wanted to start the podcast to share what she had learned to help others
• The value of finding support from sober communities on social media
• How we often don’t see the cause and effect of drinking when you’re in it
• The effects that alcohol has on the brain and mental health
• Post acute withdrawal and how the brain needs to learn to re-regulate without alcohol

Gillian Tietz Links

Gillian’s Website

Instagram

Facebook

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If you enjoyed this conversation with Gillian Tietz check out these other episodes:

The Unexpected Joy of Being Sober with Catherine Gray

The Magic of Being Sober with Laura McKowen

Josh Peck is an actor, comedian, podcast host and author who began his career as an actor in the late 90s, originally rising to prominence for his role in the sitcom Drake and Josh. He has had a successful acting career ever since, appearing in films like The Wackness and 13. He is also the voice of Eddie in the Ice Age franchise.

In this episode, Eric and Josh discuss his book, Happy People are Annoying

But wait, there’s more! The episode is not quite over!! We continue tathe conversation and you can access this exclusive content right in your podcast player feed. Head over to our Patreon page and pledge to donate just $10 a month. It’s that simple and we’ll give you good stuff as a thank you!

Josh Peck and I Discuss The Challenges of Searching for Happiness with Josh Peck and…

• His book, Happy People are Annoying
• How we can be self centered even when we don’t think highly of ourselves
• How any asset in excess can become a defect
• Learning to let go of the thing that feeds your ego
• His unhealthy relationship with food
• What doing drugs felt like to him
• Learning there was nothing from the outside world that would fix his inner self
• Entering the twelve step community
• How addiction creates suffering for the entire family unit
• Religion and spirituality is about reimagining ancient truth
• The challenge of learning to enjoy things fully,even if it doesn’t work out
• Asking what are you willing to let go of that stands between you and happiness
• Why he titled the book “Happy People are Annoying

Josh Peck links:

Twitter

Instagram

By purchasing products and/or services from our sponsors, you are helping to support The One You Feed and we greatly appreciate it. Thank you!

If you enjoyed this conversation with Josh Peck, check out these other episodes:

Discovering Spiritual Truths with Pete Holmes

Paul Gilmartin on Mental Illness Happy Hour

Laura McKowen is the founder and CEO of The Luckiest Club, a global sobriety support organization, and host of Tell Me Something True podcast.  Laura has been published in The New York Times, and her work has been featured in The Atlantic, The Wall Street Journal, the TODAY show and more and is the bestselling author of We Are The Luckiest: The Surprising Magic of a Sober Life,

In this episode, Eric and Laura discuss her important work in building a sobriety support community.

But wait – there’s more! The episode is not quite over!! We continue the conversation and you can access this exclusive content right in your podcast player feed. Head over to our Patreon page and pledge to donate just $10 a month. It’s that simple and we’ll give you good stuff as a thank you!

Laura McKowen and I Discuss Community and Support in Sobriety and…

• Her tendency for people pleasing
• The use of fawning as a coping mechanism
• Recognizing codependency in relationships
• Why she loves reading fiction
• Her creation of “TLC” – The Luckiest Club as a sobriety support community
• How there’s sanity and discernment in community
• Understanding that it’s not your fault, but it is your responsibility
• Living your own values versus someone else’s values and choosing your actions accordingly
• Taking on the mission of learning the role we are meant to play in life

Laura McKowen links:

Laura’s Website

The Luckiest Club Online Sobriety Community

Tell Me Something True Podcast

Instagram

Explore the science behind weight loss and partner with your healthcare provider for a healthy approach to your weight management, visit truthaboutweight.com

When you purchase products and/or services from the sponsors of this episode, you help support The One You Feed.  Your support is greatly appreciated, thank you!

If you enjoyed this conversation with Laura McKowen, you might also enjoy these other episodes:

The Magic of Being Sober with Laura McKowen (2020)

The Freedom of Sobriety with Veronica Valli

Catherine Gray is a Sunday Times Bestselling author of five books, including debut smash hit The Unexpected Joy of Being Sober. She’s sold well over a quarter of a million books and her books have now been translated into nine languages. She’s been sober since 2013. Catherine has also written about being single later in life and learning to appreciate the ordinary.   

Eric and Catherine discuss her latest book, Sunshine Warm:  Unexpected Sober Joy That Lasts

But wait – there’s more! The episode is not quite over!! We continue the conversation and you can access this exclusive content right in your podcast player feed. Head over to our Patreon page and pledge to donate just $10 a month. It’s that simple and we’ll give you good stuff as a thank you!

Catherine Gray and I Discuss The Lasting Joy of Being Sober and…

• Her book, Sunshine Warm:  Unexpected Sober Joy That Lasts
• The power of getting more specific with your gratitude lists
• Being several years removed from addiction and in the advanced stages of recovery
• Understanding that addiction doesn’t have to define you, but that it’s always there
• No longer defining herself as an alcoholic after several years of sobriety
• Addiction can be the difference between what you intend to do and what you actually do
• How addiction is a spectrum and not black or white
• The issues with labeling yourself as an addict
• What matters most is asking yourself if your life would be better without the substance or behavior
• The challenge with addictions that are considered  socially acceptable 
• How most experts agree there isn’t such a thing as an addictive personality
• Some people may have addictive tendencies based on various traits
• Understanding that our perception of ourselves is what shapes our reality

Catherine Gray Links:

Catherine Gray

Twitter

Instagram

When you purchase products and/or services from the sponsors of this episode, you help support The One You Feed.  Your support is greatly appreciated, thank you!

If you enjoyed this conversation with Catherine Gray, you might also enjoy these other episodes:

Catherine Gray (2018 Interview)

Catherine Gray on Unexpected Joy (2019 Interview)

Maia Szalavitz is an American reporter and New York Times best-selling author who has focused much of her work on the topic of addiction. She has won awards from the National Institute on Drug Abuse, the Drug Policy Alliance, the American Psychological Association and the American College of Neuropsychopharmacology for her 30 years of groundbreaking writing on addiction, drug policy and neuroscience.

In this episode, Maia and Eric discuss her book, Undoing Drugs: The Untold Story of Harm Reduction and the Future of Addiction.

But wait – there’s more! The episode is not quite over!! We continue the conversation and you can access this exclusive content right in your podcast player feed. Head over to our Patreon page and pledge to donate just $10 a month. It’s that simple and we’ll give you good stuff as a thank you!

In This Interview, Maia Szalavitz and I Discuss The Case for Harm Reduction and…

• Her book: Undoing Drugs: The Untold Story of Harm Reduction and the Future of Addiction
• What “harm reduction” means in the case of addition
• The truth behind why we have the drug policies that we currently have
• Differentiating between the terms dependence and addiction
• The real problem of addiction being the compulsive behavior that’s ruining your life
• The role of moderation in substance use in people in recovery
• How to know whether or not moderation or abstinence is right for you
• The problem with a binary approach to drug use
• The harm reduction recovery approach as any positive change
• The difficult but crucial role of being a beginner to learn what’s right for you

Maia Szalavitz Links:

Maia’s Website

Twitter

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If you enjoyed this conversation with Maia Szalavitz, you might also enjoy these other episodes:

Maia Szalavitz on a Different Lens of Addiction (2017)

Judson Brewer on Addiction and the Craving Mind

Dr. Judith Grisel is a professor of Psychology at Bucknell University.  Judith is a behavioral neuroscientist with a particular interest in addiction.  Her work includes trying to determine what is different about people who develop drug addictions before they ever try a drug. 

In this episode, Judith and Eric discuss her book, “Never Enough:  The Neuroscience and Experience of Addiction” where she shares her personal experience of overcoming addiction as well as her passion for research into the neuroscience of addiction.

But wait – there’s more! The episode is not quite over!! We continue the conversation and you can access this exclusive content right in your podcast player feed. Head over to our Patreon page and pledge to donate just $10 a month. It’s that simple and we’ll give you good stuff as a thank you!

In This Interview, Judith Grisel and I Discuss the Neuroscience of Addiction, and…

• Her book, Never Enough:  The Neuroscience and Experience of Addiction”  
• Channeling her strong will and enthusiasm for addiction into recovery 
• Focusing on what she wanted rather than what she didn’t want
• The complexity of addiction is there are so many factors that lead to it
• Nature via nurture as well as the inherited risks of addiction
• The increased risk of teenagers with addictive disorders when using drugs or alcohol while the brain is still developing.
• The neural states associated with addiction also come from our history, culture, socialization, communication, and even microbiomes.
• The “debt of addiction is accrued when borrowing good feelings from the future is due”
• Mechanisms of what happens in the brain when abusing substances
• Tolerance is when the brain adapts and counteracts the effects of the drug
• Dependence is when you no longer like yourself without the drug
• Younger adults may be more prone to addiction, but also more resilient.
• Her experience of receiving tough love from her parents that ultimately led to recovery.
• How isolation causes addiction and addiction causes isolation
• Connection is crucial in the process of recovery

Dr. Judith Grisel Links:

Judy Grisel

Ted Talk

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Jordan Harbinger Show:  One of Eric’s favorite podcasts, the Jordan Harbinger Show, is where self-motivated people, just like you, dig deep into the untapped wisdom of the world’s sharpest minds- from legendary creators to intelligence operatives, iconoclastic writers to visionary change-makers. You’ll learn new strategies, perspectives, and tactics you won’t find anywhere else, then take these valuable insights into your own life and live what you listen to.  You can find it on Apple Podcasts or Spotify

If you enjoyed this conversation with Judy Grisel on the Neuroscience of Addiction, you might also enjoy these other episodes:

Dr. Gabor Mate

Johann Hari

Maia Szalavitz