The Bubble Hour

Michael Gallagher is an author, speaker and coach, whose recovery has involved peeling back layers of childhood trauma and family instability while examining the effects of highly controlling religious teachings. His book, Waking Up: A Guide for Transformation, is part memoir and part self-help guide. In it, Michael details dramatic events that shaped his early life and how being disfellowed and shunned from his mother's religion fuelled his mental and physical decline into addiction.  For more information, visit www.michaelgallagherspeaks.com  * Host Jean McCarthy's blog is UnPickled, and her latest books are available at www.jeanmccarthy.ca/books  

Julie could feel the way that alcohol was creeping into her life in unwanted ways. She knew all too well what it's like to worry about a parent's drinking and didn't want her own children to live with that burden. Julie pre-empted her relationship with alcohol before it could go any further and celebrates the freedom this choice has given her. Visit Julie's website to learn more about her and to connect: www.juliedereshinsky.com   Find more info and other episodes at https://jeanmccarthy.ca/the-bubble-hour/ Host Jean McCarthy's latest book releases are at www.jeanmccarthy.ca/books and her blog is www.unpickledblog.com

Dr Maureen is a diagnostic radiologist whose work often includes the devastating effects of alcohol on the human body in the form of liver disease and cancer. She is also a woman in recovery, which allows her to have great compassion and understanding about the patient experience when having difficult conversations about the role of alcohol in her patient's lives. In this episode, Dr. Maureen explains the many ways that alcohol impacts health and why we need to think differently about drinking as a normal activity. *** Be sure to check out host Jean McCarthy's blog UnPickled at www.unpickledblog.com. Jean's latest book releases are available at www.JeanMcCarthy.ca/books.

Kate Baily and Mandy Manners of www.loversober.com share their personal stories and chat about their new book Love Yourself Sober. Their website includes links for personal coaching, an online community for women in recovery and tons of resources. Kate and Mandy are dedicated to helping others find a workable recovery plan that makes sense for the individual. *** The Bubble Hour is hosted by Jean McCarthy www.jeanmccarthy.cawww.unpickledblog.com Jean's books are available here: www.jeanmccarthy.ca/books

Jennifer had begun to question her relationship to alcohol when her body started to show some strange symptoms. Even though both Jennifer and her husband are medical professionals, it took a while to realize that alcohol was the root cause of her episodes of muscle weakness. Jennifer shares her story as a way to celebrate her one-year milestone and to give back to the podcast that helped her so much throughout the journey. Host Jean McCarthy's blog is UnPickledBlog.com and here latest books are available at www.jeanmccarthy.ca/books

Lotta Dann talks about her latest book "The Wine O'Clock Myth," which takes a look at the way alcohol seeps into all aspects of life and why we need to take a strong stand against the persuasion of the alcohol industry. Lotta's blog is Mrs. D is Going Without. She is the author of two other books as well, Mrs. D. is Going Without and Mrs. D is Going Within. Lotta runs an online recovery community called Living Sober Host Jean McCarthy's blog is UnPickled and you can find her books here.

MaryBeth Murphy is a registered nurse and a holistic wellness and recovery coach. Her style as a integrative nurse coach is to combine her medical training with alternative therapies such as reiki, craniosacral therapy, crystal healing and armoatherapy to develop strategies to heal the body, mind and spirit and restore balance to the nervous system. To learn more about MaryBeth's heart-centred care, visit her website at www.marybethmurphy.net For links to the books and resources mentioned in this episode, please click here Host Jean McCarthy's books are available at www.jeanmccarthy.ca/books and to read her blog UnPickled click here

Dawn left home in 1979 and didn't look back. She left behind cold Canadian winters and a turbulent relationship with her parents, and headed to LA to embrace all the glamour of the late 70s: sex, drugs, and parties were her life. Her lifestyle was dangerous and dramatic, but eventually she tired of it and returned to Canada full of regret and shame. Her past guided her choices over the years to come. Despite her efforts to live a good life, Dawn found herself in one desperate situation after another. Learn how she not only took her power back from the drugs, alcohol, and men who controlled her but then channelled her energy into helping other women in similar situations by becoming a lawyer. *** Host Jean McCarthy's blog UnPickled is available here and be sure to order her latest recovery books from www.jeanmccarthy.ca/books

Adam Fout is an addiction / recovery / mental health blogger and a speculative fiction / nonfiction writer in North Texas. Adam recounts his early experiences with drugs and alcohol, and describes how he tumbled instantly into addiction at a young age. His problems began to compound as drug use led to legal troubles, disrupted his education, and caused relationships to breakdown. Adam recounts how he worked through anger and resentments to find healing, and also how taking charge of mental health issues has affected his success in recovery. Visit Adam's website to connect and learn more about his work: www.adamfout.com  Host Jean McCarthy's blog, books, and other information are available at www.jeanmccarthy.ca

Heidi J. Dalzell, PsyD, is a Clinical Psychologist, with 25+ years experience specializing in addictive behaviors, eating disorders, and trauma. Dr. Dalzell has a busy private practice and also offers courses/ online coaching. Dr. Dalzell is prolific author covering subjects such as addiction, eating disorders, gender identity, mindfulness, racial justice and spirituality. She has spoken nationally and internationally on these topics. Dr. Dalzell is a featured contributor on She Owns It, and has had articles published on sites including Tiny Buddha, The Good Men Project, and Elephant Journal. She has been quoted in Forbes, My Fitness Pal Blog, Fatherly, Yahoo Style and A Sweat Life. Dr. Dalzell is a teacher on Insight Timer and has appeared on MLN network’s Minding Men. She has been a guest on podcasts including Peace Meal, The Bubble Hour and The Body Image Podcast. She is the co-author of A Clinician’s Guide to Gender Identity and Body Image and is currently working on a book about mindfulness and eating di

Chekesha Kay Ellis had a busy, full life that she loved. The product of a strict upbringing, she worked hard at two jobs and had no interest in partying or trouble. But trouble found her. A fall at work resulted in an injury that required surgery, and she developed an addition to the pain medication she was prescribed in followup care. A dacade-long sprial took her to lows she will never forget and impacted her health permanently as she lost her hearing due to opioid  abuse. Now after a decade of sobriety, Kay shares her joy and lives her truth by shinging a light for others. Visit www.chasenomore.org to learn more about Chekesha Kay Ellis and follow her on Instagram at www.instagram.com/chekeshaellis Host Jean McCarthy's website is www.jeanmccarthy.ca - visit it for links to her books, blog Unpickled and bio

Dennis Berry is a life coach in Colorado, but has been working with people worldwide for over 15 years.  His expertise is in Addiction Recovery for men. He has firsthand experience, having been sober since April 8, 2003. His journey in sobriety and recovery from drug abuse has helped him find his mission in life, which is to help others on their journey through sobriety and achieve inner peace and success in every area of their lives. Dennis knows what it is like to be helpless and hopeless with no positive direction. He was able to climb out of the gutter and transform his life and he spends his life helping others do the same. Connect with Dennis and learn more at www.dennisberry.com. Bubble Hour host Jean McCarthy's blog in UnPickled. Find her latest book releases at www.jeanmccarthy.ca/books

Kate grew up in a household with two alcoholic parents who constantly subjected her to neglect and abuse. Much as she swore she would never follow in their footsteps, the pain she carried in her heart called for escape and she turned to drugs and alcohol as a teen. Over her 9 years of sobriety, Kate has been working on a memoir that is now available. Visit www.KateRussellAuthor.com to find her book, Down the Rabbit Hole: A Memoir of Abuse, Addiction and Recovery. Host Jean McCarthy's website is www.jeanmccarthy.ca - pop by for links to Jean's blog UnPickled and her lastest book releases.

Jenny, the youngest child in a big family with little parental supervision, was introduced to alcohol at a young age by her older siblings. She soon became an episodic blackout drinker and the pattern continued into her adult years.  Now in her 40s, Jenny is celebrating a year of sobriety and shares her story to mark the occasion.  For links to resources mentioned in this episode, click here: www.jeanmccarthy.ca/the-bubble-hour Visit host Jean McCarthy's blog UnPickled and be sure to check out her latest book releases at www.jeanmccarthy.ca/books

After 25 years of freedom from heroine addiction, Ben realizes that his sobriety has the power to transform every aspect of his life. When he and his wife divorced, he used the principles of recovery to examine his role in the breakdown of the marriage and shifted from anger and resentment into a solution-seeking frame of mind. Ben and his ex-wife Nikki DeBartolo wrote about the experience in their book, Our Happy Divorce.     Host Jean McCarthy's books and blog are available via www.jeanmccarthy.ca and www.unpickledblog.com

Topics discussed in response to questions from listeners include: OCD/BFRB (body-focussed repetitive behaviours)What happens if a former podcast guest relapses?Former co-hostsStaying creativeShedding anonymityA few poems about recovery from The Ember Ever There by Jean McCarthy  Links to purchase Jean's books are at www.jeanmccarthy.ca/books  

"Being a grateful alcoholic means no living in the wreckage of my past," says Maria R. as she looks back on six years of sobriety. Maria did not start drinking problematically until her 40s, but once addiction took hold of her life it dragged her to a bottom that would not be easily escaped. Learn more about Maria on her blog, Sober Blessings Read host Jean McCarthy's blog UnPickled at www.unpickledblog.com and learn abou ther latest book releases at www.jeanmccarthy.ca/books  

A must-listen episode for anyone struggling to understand chronic relapse. Erica C. Barnett had her first sip of alcohol when she was thirteen, and she quickly developed a taste for drinking to oblivion with her friends. In her late twenties, her addiction became inescapable. Volatile relationships, blackouts, and unsuccessful stints in detox defined her life. By the time she was in her late thirties, Erica Barnett had run the gauntlet of alcoholism. She had recovered and relapsed time and again, but after each new program or detox center would find herself far from rehabilitated. “Rock bottom,” Barnett writes, “is a lie.” It is always possible, she learned, to go lower than your lowest point. She found that the terms other alcoholics used to describe the trajectory of their addiction–“rock bottom” and “moment of clarity”–and the mottos touted by Alcoholics Anonymous, such as “let go and let God” and “you’re only as sick as your secrets”–didn’t correspond to her experience and could actually be detrimental

George Marriner Maull is a conductor, violist, television host and music educator with over 50 years of experience as a professional classical musician. He has conducted at Carnegie Hall, Lincoln Center and venues in Europe and has recorded for the Naxos label leading the Polish National Radio Symphony Orchestra.  Founder and Artistic Director of The Discovery Orchestra, a nonprofit music education organization, Maull has devoted his career to making classical music accessible. He has helped millions of individuals around the world develop the active listening skills to deeply connect with music and become "virtuoso listeners."  Maestro Maull reflects on the ways in recovery has changed his life. With over 36 years of sobriety, Maull continues to maintain an active program of recovery and exlain why this is important to him. Resources discussed in this episode: The Discovery Orchestra www.discoveryorchestra.org "Inside Music" on WWFM https://www.wwfm.org/programs/inside-music-george-marriner-maull#stream

Her mother died of alcoholism when she was six and left behind seven children some of whom later lost their lives to substance abuse. The impression her mother left in her life inspired Lucy to reach out to women who suffer from addiction and women with children. She desired to help bridge the gap from troubled lives and help women become independent and self-sufficient. Today, her dream has become a reality with Mary Hall Freedom House (MHFH), named in memory of her mother. Through a community of sisterhood, Lucy coaches women to free themselves from the past and live every day for the future. Over 10,000 women and children have achieved recovery through Mary Hall Freedom House since founded in 1996; by empowering them to end the cycle of generational addiction, poverty and homelessness. Visit www.hopevillageproject.com to learn more about Lucy's book Hope Dealer and to find the documentary about Mary Hall Freedom House entitled Hope Village.   Host Jean McCarthy writes the blog UnPickled www.unpickledblo