The Bubble Hour

If you think sobriety has to be boring then this show is for you. Meaghan has a dream job as an interior designer and she keep things interesting by gigging as a stand up comic for fun. After more than three years of sobriety, Meaghan has learned alot about what fueled her addiction and how life has changed in recovery. 

Long before many of us turned to alcohol, we learned to numb our feeling with other behaviours. These old habits may resonate into adulthood and become normalized by a world full of quick fixes. For Ingrid, healing from alcohol addiction has meant simultaneously addressing other harmful behaviours that many people don't even question. Visit Ingrid's blog at totalfatty.com

Mary faced an issue that every parent dreads: seeing her children caught in the deadly grip of drug addiction. Her own alcohol use paled in comparison and even appeared helpful as she got her family through the time of crisis. Eventually, though, she turned to face her own problematic relationship with alcohol and began a life of sobriety. Her journey is detailed in the blog "Life Without Vodka Rocks".

How do we make time for recovery when our day already starts at 5 am and doesn't stop until late evening? This episode will cover everything from doggy day care to relapse to adult children of alcoholics, and more than a few things in between. Join Jean and Shauna as they talk about meeting online when Jean first got sober, and review where life has taken them since.

Jessica G. is recovering from alcohol addiction, bi-polar disorder, and an eating disorder. After more than a decade of trying unsuccessfuly to stay with a rogram of recovery, her final in-patient treatment led her to pursuit a career in recovery services as a sober house manager and later an outreach coordinator. She shares her story and an insider's view of recovery treatment on this episode. 

Revealing her true self meant redefining everything about her life but Lisa had no choice: living a lie was slowly killing her. Today, Lisa is a sober woman who stands in her truth and invites others to do the same. Her website, thesoberhipster.com, offers "The Story Box" - a tool designed for women to explore their recovery creatively through guided art therapy. Bubble Hours listeners receive a special discount - use the code BUBBLE at checkout for $10 off your Story Box.

Is it difficult to share knowledge without becoming a know-it-all? Is it possible to help thousands of people get sober and avoid becoming egotistical? Does shedding anonymity automatically make someone a spokesperson for recovery? What are the potential pitfalls of recovering out loud and how are they best avoided? Therapist and author Veronica Valli (www.veronicavalli.com), and recovery advocate and lifestyle blogger Julie Elsdon-Height (www.soberjulie.com) return to the show to discuss lessons they have learned from interacting with followers of their work.

Depression, addiciton and weight gain were slowly overtaking her life, so it is that Liv's recovery encompasses mental health, sobriety, and healthy eating. She understands the importance of recovery touching all aspects of life, so this approach is reflected in her blog, Liv's Recovery Kitchen, and her many other projects. Having recently relocated from UK to USA, she is currently facing the challenges of reestablishing herself personally and professionaly, while maintaining her recovery. A passionate advocate for people in recovery, Liv shares her personal story and her efforts to encourage stories of recovery that shatter stigma and spread hope.

Taryn's parents entered into recovery when she was a youngster, so she spent her childhood playing in church basements during their meetings and knew the language of recovery inside out. Later she applied her heart for recovery as a trauma-informed teacher of Yoga for Recovery and led SheRecovers retreats together with her mom Dawn. Yet still she found herself awakening to her own need for healing and turned to bravely face her inner demons with the same honest aproach she offered to others.

The death of a loved one has caused many in recovery to stumble. In this first Bubble Hour since the passing of her father, Jean shares some of the letters and comments that have helped her through this difficult time. 

Sasha Tozzi got sober when she was just 26 years old and learned a lot about herself in the process. In her words,"my strongest addictions were to alcohol, uppers, food, cigarettes, love relationships, people-pleasing & perfectionism."  Many young people are afraid that a sober lifestyle will be a less-than life, but Sasha proves otherwise. Learn how she is living life to the fullest and helping others to do the same.

Veronica Valli is a woman in recovery who has devoted her life to informing the public on problematic drinking and addiction. She is a therapist specializing in addiction, as well as an author of two books, "Why You Drink and How to Stop" and "Get Sober, Get Free". She joins Jean to share her story, as well as discussing relationships and parenting in sobriety. Learn more about Veronica's work and read her blog at http://veronicavalli.com.

Jean talks to one of the recovery world's most popular bloggers, Julie Elsdon-Height of SoberJulie.com. Julie knows there is nothing boring about life after alcohol, and she wants the rest of the world to know it, too! She tells her story of addiction and recovery, plus gives great tips for sober people on every topic, from traveling to finding recovery support and even parenting.

Laura was a party girl, the friend that had that had to be "babysat" by others because her antics with alcohol were dramatic and full of calamity. That ended in 2007 with a girls' trip to NYC, when police officers found her drunk, lost, crying and wearing one flip flop in Madison Square Gardens. At 24, she went into rehab and embarked on a new way of life. In the decade since, Laura has become a ray of light in the recovery world as the creator of The Sobriety Collective, a recovery hub of resources, information and creative works by and for people in recovery.

Louise worked in health care and saw devasting effects of liver disease from alcoholism first-hand. She saw herself as different from low-bottom alcoholics, but eventually, she realized she was in the grip of addiction and needed to quit. Now she uses her medical background to inform others about alcohol risks and to help people make important changes in their lives. In addition to her blog "A Hangover Free Life", Louise was written an ebook and an online course, and many other recovery-related pursuits.

The first guest of 2017 is THE person you've all been wondering about - series creator Ellie Strong. Ellie returns with an update of what has been happening with her life and recovery, and chats with Jean about The Bubble Hour and its impact.

Cory first wrote to Jean (via unpickledblog.com) when she was just 14 days sober. The two stayed in touch over the months that followed, encouraging one another and checking in with updates. When Cory wrote to say she was celebrating one year of sobriety, Jean invited her to share her story with listeners of The Bubble Hour. 

Still waters run deep. Kirsten was a quiet, thoughtful child who kept a lot in. She learned to be an outgoing, independent woman who moved through the world with competence and yet, the feelings and thoughts she kept to herself were eating away at her from the inside. Here is her story of pausing to turn inward and heal herself from the inside out.

Courtney is someone you wouldn't expect to struggle, but she has. Born with a malformation of her right hand, she always felt flawed and tried to compensate with exacting standards and high levels of acheivement. Her inner pain crept out in other ways, though. This episode is a solid reminder about comparing our insides to others' outsides.

The mother and daughter relationship can be complicated under the best of circumstances. Many times more so when addiciton comes into play. Mom Leslie recently celebrated one year of sobriety. She and her daughter Amy share their individual perspectives on life before and after Leslie quit drinking.