Disease or not? Media make-believe? Kombucha?

SHHRP Radio Valencia Episode 006!

The Sober Happy Hour | Radio Podcast! is back from Radio Valencia with episode 6.
Saturday night, the guys answered the age-old question: is addiction a disease?

Chaz and Mike talk recovery and addiction and how it's portrayed in the media, where's Robinson, you may ask? Well, he..er..um.. ok ok ok, part of this whole recovery thing means being honest... Robinson fell asleep! Mid-way through the Sober Happy Hour, it became the Sober Sleepy Hour and we even caught a few snoring moments out of him. It's hard staying up this late on a Saturday night, and even harder because we broadcast from the comfort of our own computer chairs. So cut him some slack, we'll make sure he makes up for it next Saturday night, Sunday morning at 12am (PDT)!

The first bit of the show gets into a deep and serious discussion about Tea. Kombucha tea to be precise, to drink, or not to drink? That was apparently the question.

So enjoy, have a few laughs at our expense, but be warned, there are no technical difficulties at the start of THIS episode! It's not that we're getting any better, it's that we just got a little smarter and didn't go on the air before we had it figured all out.

-SHHRP Crew

Rat Park. Picnic, or Panic?

Episode 005 of SHHRP on Radio Valencia!

Chaz, Mike and Robinson spend this episode talking about Rat Park. A conversation about isolation and the rarely considered consequences, and I'll effects, being shut out and alone can have on an addict. 

Rat Park, the nickname given to a study about the effects of isolation on rats, drives the conversation as we debate whether the rats would choose the drugs over companionship if they already had a habit of using drugs. 

We get some updates to stories and listener email. 

Enjoy! And don't forget to like us on Facebook, follow us on Twitter, email us and join the video feed at: 

soberhappyhour@gmail.com

Facebook.com/SoberHappyHour

@soberhappyhour (Twitter)

And sont forget to listen every Saturday night / Sunday morning from 12-2am Pacific time on:

RadioValencia.fm

Our Personal Recovery Methods

SHHRP Radio Valencia Episode 004


On this episode of the Sober Happy Hour | Radio Podcast! The SHHRP cast talks about their personal perspective on recovery methods. It's interesting to see the similarities and differences each of our hosts brings to the conversation.

Mike reads an email from a listener that sheds some light on the power of this Podcast and ignites a great conversation about one person's power in other people's recovery.

Enjoy!

-SHHRP Crew

Prescription Drugs: The Good, Bad, & Disgustingly Rich!

SHHRP - Radio Valencia Episode 003

On tonight's show, we take a long hard look at the CDC described "epidemic" that is prescription drug abuse in the US.

(Show notes soon)

Enjoy,
SHHRP Cast

P.S. Do you prefer the Radio Valencia podcast split into shorter parts, or the whole 2 hour show in one large file? Let us know!

Resolution Rebound, Don't Beat Yourself Up Part 3

SHHRP Radio Valencia Episode 2 Part 3

Part 3 of the Sober Happy Hour broadcast from January 24/25 2015.

Resolution Rebound, Don't Beat Yourself Up Part 2

SHHRP Radio Valencia Episode 002 Part 2

Part 2 of episode 2 of the Sober Happy Hour on Radio Valencia, San Francisco!

Saturday nights at 12am pacific.

Resolution Rebound, Don't Beat Yourself Up Part 1

SHHRP Radio Valencia Episode 002 Part 1

Happy new year! ... Or is it?

We make ourselves a lot of promises every January. Promise making for an Addict can be trouble. One of the most important elements of any good recovery program is honesty, not just toward others, but with yourself. When we make promises that we are unlikely to keep, we set ourselves up for failure. Unfortunately, failure to an Addict, typically means relapse.  Is quitting smoking really the most important thing you need to do this month, or even this year? If you're early in recovery, maybe that's too big a mountain to climb. 

If you're the resolution type, keep it simple. Don't bog yourself down with an unachievable goal. Resolutions to eat better, start exercising, clean out the garage, start the 12 steps again, pickup the guitar again, start a journal, start flossing, start saving all the money you used to spend on scoring and put it toward a vacation, these are good examples of achievable resolutions that won't derail your recovery, even if you fail. 

Resolutions like, quitting smoking, losing large amounts of weight, making amends with long estranged friends or family members, finding work if you've been unemployed for a while, kicking any other significant habit, or even deciding for the very first time that this brand new year is the right time to jump head first into sobriety; these types of monumental self promises can reek havoc on your recovery. Or prevent you getting properly sober in the first place. 

New year's resolutions are great, don't get me wrong, but deciding to get sober on a whim will rarely yield success in the long term. And deciding to bite off something bigger than you can chew can set off a chain of events even the most well intentioned Addict in early recovery can't overcome. 

Here's the good news: choosing to get sober is always the best idea you've ever had. Just be sure you are ready, willing, have a support system in place, and an actual plan.

Best of luck with your resolution! Mine was to start an exercise routine again.  That's been going pretty well!

Tell us your resolution success stories in the comments. We'd love to hear them! Hell, we'd love to hear your resolution failure stories too. If we can't laugh at our own dumb selves, we're doing Life wrong.


The happiest of years,
SHHRP Crew