I want to thank my friend Matthew Toth for his insight into the importance of self forgiveness in recovery. Here's a list of 7 points that Matt views as vital as you walk the path of self forgiveness. You can learn more about Matt by searching him on Facebook. He posts often about his walk in recovery and calls ir ODAATwithMatt.

How do you get to the point in your recovery to be able to say "Nothing's Going to Stop Me"? What measuring stick are you using to determine that you are ready to return to community? In this episode we look at the stuff in our thoughts and the voices that we hear which make us unsure if we are ready. It's time now to sort them out so you know that Nothing's Going to Stop your recovery!

How do you handle shocking news that you receive in your recovery? Does it fuel old thoughts of using to nunb the pain? Do you want to simply give up and believe this confirms that you'll never make it? Who do you trust to be able to talk about it? Colin Powell is quoted as saying "Bad news isn't wine. It doesn't improve with age." Join us in this episode as we look at learning how to process news that we've always numbed, escaped or stuffed.

Have you ever left a social gathering without saying goodbye? What were your reasons? In addiction, we are experts in Irish goodbyes! How do you think people feel when we disappear without a goodbye? When we stay away for days and never check in? So whether you are the one who gave the Irish goodbye, or if you have been the receiver of one, or if you've been ghosted by someone on social media, this epieosde is for you!

If we expect recovery to be transactional , we just focus on closing the deal and get on with our life. But it's not a quick sale! Recovery is transitional where we build relationships and make lifelong commitments to the journey. What is involved in this journey? Listen to today's episode to find out.

Is it time for you to deal with your stuff? Those negative feelings, emotions and memories that you suppressed, stuffed in a box and put in the attic! It may have felt like life became easier when you did that because you didn't have to face that stuff everyday. But those boxes of stuff in the attic of your mind may be the very things stand between you and the life you want to be living. It's time to clean out your attic!

Are you actively working on your healing? Or are you just focused on getting clean and sober? What if the thing that kept you in addiction was the pain of your wound? What if your hurt was controlling your behavior more than your drug of choice? These questions and more on tiday's episode.

The Japanese term "Shoshin" means a beginner's mindset. Too often I meet guys struggling in recovery who have closed their mind to new ideas. It's like they are the experts, even though they keep relapsing! If we can set aside our old assumptions and ideas we , like a beginner, can pick up a new nugget or wisdom every day. Shunryu Suzuki said, "In the beginner's mind there are many possibilities, in the expert's mind there are few."