At this year’s National Conference on Gambling Addiction & Responsible Gambling, I was fortunate enough to meet Adam Lyons, host of The Modern Meeting Podcast. We sit down for a casual conversation around gambling-related topics that include changing the narrative that help is not out there, reducing the stigma related to having a problem with gambling and what can be turning points for those being more comfortable sharing their story, and what led to creating his podcast and how it’s changed over the years. With lived experience and a mission to help those impacted by gambling, Adam’s story and purpose allows for exploration and discovery of how we can continue to thrive in this profession.

About the Guest:

Adam Lyons is a compulsive gambler in recovery and creator and host of The Modern Meeting podcast. For 20 years Adam's addiction controlled every part of his life -- leading to job loss, relocation, financial collapse, and even illegal acts to fuel his gambling. Over those two decades, he cycled through more than 25 jobs and 15 addresses in six different cities, always looking for the fresh start that never came to fruition.

On February 8, 2022, he finally sought help through Gamblers Anonymous and he hasn't placed a bet since. After two years in recovery, Adam wanted to share everything that he had learned in these rooms, so he created The Modern Meeting Podcast out of a belief that as gambling continues to evolve and expand, the recovery conversation should evolve with it. The Modern Meeting is about consistently reaching for community, honesty, and support -- especially in recovery, where disconnection fuels addiction. The podcast exist to bridge that gap and offer a space where people can share their stories and know they're not alone and what they've lived.

Links:

Join us for The Modern Meeting Meeting every Monday night at 8pm EST on Zoom. It's a safe space to share, connect, and grow together. For more details email at: modernmeetingpod@gmail.com

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/1jMSSKkadnvzbvZl33dzZc

Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-modern-meeting/id1779060982

You can also watch full episodes, interviews, and bonus content on The Modern Meeting YouTube Channel : https://www.youtube.com/@ModernMeeting

Support the show

Thank you for listening to this episode of Talking Addiction & Recovery Podcast.

To learn more about the podcast visit www.andrewjschreier.com

To inquire being a guest on the podcast or sponsorship opportunities you can e-mail talkingaddictionandrecovery@gmail.com

Talking Addiction & Recovery Podcast is the follow-up to the book "Addiction & Recovery" by author and clinician Andrew J. Schreier. This podcast explores discussions regarding important issues related to addiction and recovery. Information you learn here is not typical of what you will find in academic textbooks and resources; and comes from the experiences of a clinical supervisor, clinical substance abuse counselor, and licensed professional counselor and the work with individuals and others involved in this field. Listen as guests join the show and cover a wide range of topics looking to educate individuals, families, communities, organizations, institutions, mental health professionals, educators, and anyone else impacted by addiction and recovery. Content is not intended to be treatment and is not affiliated with any specific group.

It’s marked on almost every calendar. The decorations are waiting to be brought down from the attic or out of the basement. Most of us would say we are aware of Christmas; but have we actually lost it? Donna VanLiere, author of The Lost Christmas, talks about the importance of the nativity scene. She brings it back to discovering that Jesus was born as an outcast, and only a trusted outcast can touch the lives of other outcasts. Listen as she talks about how this book was different from her previous writings, searching for joy and hope, and knowing that while the holidays aren’t the same for everyone there is a way for us to join someone in their journey.

About the Guest:

New York Times and USA Today best-selling author Donna VanLiere’s 18 books include The Christmas Shoes and The Christmas Blessing, which were adapted into movies starring Rob Lowe and Neil Patrick Harris. Both movies garnered stellar ratings for CBS, including the highest rated made-for-TV movie of the year. Four other novels have been adapted into television movies for Lifetime and Hallmark. Donna's non-seasonal novels The Good Dream, Angels of Morgan Hill, and non-fiction works like Finding Grace, The Time of Jacob’s Trouble, and High Calling—the biography of Space Shuttle Columbia Commander Rick Husband—capture the same warmth as her Christmas books. Donna has won a Retailer's Choice Award for Fiction, a Dove Award, a Silver Angel Award, two Audie Awards (seven nominations) for best inspirational fiction, and a Gold Medallion Book of the Year nomination, and she is an inductee in the Ohio Foundation of Independent Colleges Hall of Excellence. One of Donna’s great loves is teaching and speaking. She has spoken at the prestigious Patricia Adams Lecture Series at Heidelberg University, Among Friends conferences, Women of Faith events, and Extraordinary Women conferences. Donna’s newest book, Looking for Christmas, is available now for pre-order, and she is currently finishing Looking for God, which will release in the spring of 2026.

Links:

Email: marianna@jonesliterary.com

Website: www.donnavanliere.com

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/donnavanliere

Support the show

Thank you for listening to this episode of Talking Addiction & Recovery Podcast.

To learn more about the podcast visit www.andrewjschreier.com

To inquire being a guest on the podcast or sponsorship opportunities you can e-mail talkingaddictionandrecovery@gmail.com

Talking Addiction & Recovery Podcast is the follow-up to the book "Addiction & Recovery" by author and clinician Andrew J. Schreier. This podcast explores discussions regarding important issues related to addiction and recovery. Information you learn here is not typical of what you will find in academic textbooks and resources; and comes from the experiences of a clinical supervisor, clinical substance abuse counselor, and licensed professional counselor and the work with individuals and others involved in this field. Listen as guests join the show and cover a wide range of topics looking to educate individuals, families, communities, organizations, institutions, mental health professionals, educators, and anyone else impacted by addiction and recovery. Content is not intended to be treatment and is not affiliated with any specific group.

Communication in relationships is vital; and yet, so many parents and families struggle with having important conversations that can have a significant impact on someone’s future. In what was inspired by writing letters to his daughters, Kepler Knott, author of “Raising Tomorrow” talks about how to have conversation, healthy dialogue, and the importance of listening when it comes to his message of “connecting parents and kids to inspire the next generation.”

About the Guest:

Kepler has been a writer, teacher, soldier, entrepreneur and, most importantly, a husband and father to his two daughters. He has lived his life as a “traveler” across places, jobs, classes and cultures. He is always learning that some ways of living are better than others to make life full. Though there are often as many questions as answers, his book aims to impart some of what he’s discovered, and to invite other parents and their kids to do the same. Grab your copy of Raising Tomorrow and join the conversation.

Links:

https://www.amazon.com/Raising-Tomorrow-Talks-Prepare-Ahead/dp/B0F7S1L5ZQ

https://www.raisingtomorrow.org/

Support the show

Thank you for listening to this episode of Talking Addiction & Recovery Podcast.

To learn more about the podcast visit www.andrewjschreier.com

To inquire being a guest on the podcast or sponsorship opportunities you can e-mail talkingaddictionandrecovery@gmail.com

Talking Addiction & Recovery Podcast is the follow-up to the book "Addiction & Recovery" by author and clinician Andrew J. Schreier. This podcast explores discussions regarding important issues related to addiction and recovery. Information you learn here is not typical of what you will find in academic textbooks and resources; and comes from the experiences of a clinical supervisor, clinical substance abuse counselor, and licensed professional counselor and the work with individuals and others involved in this field. Listen as guests join the show and cover a wide range of topics looking to educate individuals, families, communities, organizations, institutions, mental health professionals, educators, and anyone else impacted by addiction and recovery. Content is not intended to be treatment and is not affiliated with any specific group.

In this episode of Talking Addiction & Recovery, we are joined by Julia Brunson, Communications Manager at the National Council on Problem Gambling, about the Gift Responsibly Campaign — an annual initiative educating communities on the risks of giving lottery tickets to children. Julia shares how the campaign has evolved over the years, expanding from a lottery-focused effort to a broader movement that now includes community organizations and the new Too Young to Bet. Together, we explore why gifting lottery tickets to minors isn’t as harmless as it seems, how early exposure increases the risk of future gambling problems, and how the campaign uses positive, accessible messaging to drive awareness and cultural change. We also discuss this year’s updates, key deadlines, and how organizations can get involved before the November 26th registration cutoff for inclusion in the official press release.

About the Guest:

Julia Brunson joined the National Council on Problem Gambling in May 2022. In this position, she assists in the development of multi-channel content, manages social media accounts, and helps execute communications strategy across all NCPG digital channels. Julia is an experienced communicator with several years of marketing and development experience in a non-profit setting. She has a BA in history from the University of Wisconsin-Madison and has received several leadership certificates and fellowships. She has a passion for all things digital and Gen Z. In her spare time, Julia enjoys writing, hiking, and browsing Tik Tok.

Links:

https://www.ncpgambling.org/

https://www.ncpgambling.org/responsible-gambling/gift-responsibly-campaign/

Support the show

Thank you for listening to this episode of Talking Addiction & Recovery Podcast.

To learn more about the podcast visit www.andrewjschreier.com

To inquire being a guest on the podcast or sponsorship opportunities you can e-mail talkingaddictionandrecovery@gmail.com

Talking Addiction & Recovery Podcast is the follow-up to the book "Addiction & Recovery" by author and clinician Andrew J. Schreier. This podcast explores discussions regarding important issues related to addiction and recovery. Information you learn here is not typical of what you will find in academic textbooks and resources; and comes from the experiences of a clinical supervisor, clinical substance abuse counselor, and licensed professional counselor and the work with individuals and others involved in this field. Listen as guests join the show and cover a wide range of topics looking to educate individuals, families, communities, organizations, institutions, mental health professionals, educators, and anyone else impacted by addiction and recovery. Content is not intended to be treatment and is not affiliated with any specific group.

Life at times can feel like a knot. Whether that’s the physical tension in our bodies, the emotional turmoil, the mental confusion, or the spiritual exhaustion; many of us can relate to the connection of feeling twisted and the impact it has on several areas of our lives. Elena Huggins, author of “Untwist Me”, guides readers through common, but often unspoken, challenges like trauma, anxiety, addiction, shame, and spiritual battles. Listen as she offers raw, biblical grounded strategies to reframe mind, body, and soul to help us untwist and break free from feeling stuck.

About the Guest:

Elena Huggins is a passionate communicator who desires to inspire, challenge, and empower her audience to make the changes they need to live better lives. She is a lover of Jesus, a musician, and an entrepreneur. Over the last eighteen years, Elena has spoken across a variety of stages to different audiences using a straightforward approach, unapologetic challenges, and biblical truths.

She is devoted to the Gospel and seeing God's people strengthened, free and more in love with Jesus. She has had much experience in the area of mental and emotional health, with her journey to overcoming trauma, PTSD, anxiety, and depression. Her experience includes: working with trafficked victims, working at the rape crisis center, endless one-on-one coaching sessions, and pastoral care.

She resides in the mountains with her two beautiful daughters.

Links:

Get a copy of Untwist Me: https://www.amazon.com/Untwist-Uncomplicated-Life-Hacks-Emotional-Liberation/dp/B0CPCQ2VP1

Learn more about Elena here: https://www.elenahuggins.com/

Support the show

Thank you for listening to this episode of Talking Addiction & Recovery Podcast.

To learn more about the podcast visit www.andrewjschreier.com

To inquire being a guest on the podcast or sponsorship opportunities you can e-mail talkingaddictionandrecovery@gmail.com

Talking Addiction & Recovery Podcast is the follow-up to the book "Addiction & Recovery" by author and clinician Andrew J. Schreier. This podcast explores discussions regarding important issues related to addiction and recovery. Information you learn here is not typical of what you will find in academic textbooks and resources; and comes from the experiences of a clinical supervisor, clinical substance abuse counselor, and licensed professional counselor and the work with individuals and others involved in this field. Listen as guests join the show and cover a wide range of topics looking to educate individuals, families, communities, organizations, institutions, mental health professionals, educators, and anyone else impacted by addiction and recovery. Content is not intended to be treatment and is not affiliated with any specific group.

Unlock true freedom from addiction, trauma, and mental health struggle with Jason Shiers who is founder of The Infinite Recovery Project. Drawing from his own journey through early loss, addiction, and the limits of traditional recovery, Jason reframes the path to healing. He argues that recovery isn’t about perfect fixes or rigid treatments. It’s about remembering who you already are and reconnecting to the wholeness beneath the pain as part of our intuition of home.

In this episode, you’ll hear about how addiction can be a meaningful, though misaligned, response to life’s challenges; what recovery looks like when it grows from insight instead of force; and how spiritual awareness, somatic healing, and compassionate truth lead not away from your story, but deeper into your freedom.

About the Guest:

Jason Shiers is the founder of The Infinite Recovery Project, a movement born from his decades-long journey through loss, addiction, and healing. After witnessing his father’s tragic death at age five, Jason turned to food, isolation, and eventually substances as coping tools. By his early teens, that path led him into crime, homelessness, psychiatric wards, and rehab.

Though he committed for many years to traditional recovery—12-step work, therapy, endless credentials—he came to realize that peace and healing can’t be found only in external solutions. The breakthrough came when he turned inward: embracing presence, somatic healing, spiritual awakening, psychological awareness, and acknowledging that addiction is often a survival mechanism.

Today, Jason helps others rediscover their own inner wholeness, not through rigid formulas, but through deeper truth, embodied knowing, and real transformation from the inside out.

Links:

Website:https://infiniterecoveryproject.com/

Book: https://www.amazon.com/Infinite-Recovery-Project-Intelligence-Addiction-ebook/dp/B0FD8QSYFP/

Support the show

Thank you for listening to this episode of Talking Addiction & Recovery Podcast.

To learn more about the podcast visit www.andrewjschreier.com

To inquire being a guest on the podcast or sponsorship opportunities you can e-mail talkingaddictionandrecovery@gmail.com

Talking Addiction & Recovery Podcast is the follow-up to the book "Addiction & Recovery" by author and clinician Andrew J. Schreier. This podcast explores discussions regarding important issues related to addiction and recovery. Information you learn here is not typical of what you will find in academic textbooks and resources; and comes from the experiences of a clinical supervisor, clinical substance abuse counselor, and licensed professional counselor and the work with individuals and others involved in this field. Listen as guests join the show and cover a wide range of topics looking to educate individuals, families, communities, organizations, institutions, mental health professionals, educators, and anyone else impacted by addiction and recovery. Content is not intended to be treatment and is not affiliated with any specific group.

Join us in a profoundly inspiring episode with Dr. Samantha Harte, author of Breaking the Circuit: How to Rewire Your Mind for Hope, Resilience, and Joy in the Face of Trauma. A doctor of physical therapy, yoga-certified practitioner, and fourteen-year sober survivor, Dr. Harte weaves together her harrowing personal story marked by addiction, betrayal, loss, miscarriages, a mother’s mental illness, and a life-altering near-death experience. She invites listeners into a modern, trauma-informed reimagining of the Twelve Steps; and not just for those in recovery, but for anyone striving to heal emotional wounds and reclaim joy. This episode explores how we can interrupt self-destructive patterns, cultivate hope, and rewire our minds toward resilience without judgment.

About the Guest:

Samantha Harte has had her share of heartbreak. Now sixteen years sober, she has suffered through her mother’s mental illness; betrayal by partners; the loss of her sister, friends, and father; multiple miscarriages; and her addiction to drugs and alcohol. Desperate for a path through the pain, she was forced to confront the hardwiring toward perfectionism that kept her sick and embrace the rewiring required to truly recover and heal. Through her medical practice, Samantha came to realize that, whether we’re addicted or not, we all suffer from some degree of soul sickness. We navigate love and loss throughout our lives with little or no guidance, often fumbling our way through with self-sabotaging behaviors. Despite her initial resistance to the well-known Twelve Steps of Alcoholics Anonymous, Samantha eventually reimagined them so that they worked in her own life. In the process, she discovered that the spiritual concepts in each step have universal application and can help people learn new ways of navigating adversity—not just addiction. In this book, she shows you how you, too, can change your life with the power of these steps.

Links:

https://drsamanthaharte.com

https://drsamanthaharte.com/book

https://www.amazon.com/Breaking-Circuit-Rewire-Resilience-Trauma/dp/B0CVC31DZS

https://www.facebook.com/samantha.harte.5/

https://www.linkedin.com/in/drsamanthaharte/

https://www.instagram.com/drsamanthaharte/

Support the show

Thank you for listening to this episode of Talking Addiction & Recovery Podcast.

To learn more about the podcast visit www.andrewjschreier.com

To inquire being a guest on the podcast or sponsorship opportunities you can e-mail talkingaddictionandrecovery@gmail.com

Talking Addiction & Recovery Podcast is the follow-up to the book "Addiction & Recovery" by author and clinician Andrew J. Schreier. This podcast explores discussions regarding important issues related to addiction and recovery. Information you learn here is not typical of what you will find in academic textbooks and resources; and comes from the experiences of a clinical supervisor, clinical substance abuse counselor, and licensed professional counselor and the work with individuals and others involved in this field. Listen as guests join the show and cover a wide range of topics looking to educate individuals, families, communities, organizations, institutions, mental health professionals, educators, and anyone else impacted by addiction and recovery. Content is not intended to be treatment and is not affiliated with any specific group.

September was both Recovery Month and Suicide Prevention Month, two observances that highlight hope, resilience, and the life-saving importance of support. In this special episode, we explore the often-overlooked connection between gambling and suicide—a link that remains hidden to many but is devastatingly real for those struggling. We’ll discuss how gambling helplines not only connect people with treatment resources, but often act as suicide prevention lifelines for those in crisis.

We’ll also address the current state of the National Problem Gambling Helpline, including the recent court decision impacting access to 1-800-GAMBLER and the transition to 1-800-522-4700 as the active national number. This episode emphasizes why helplines matter, what resources are available, and how we can continue to break stigma while ensuring people have a place to turn when they need it most.

Links:

https://www.ncpgambling.org/helpline-stakeholder-faq/

https://www.ncpgambling.org/help-treatment/about-the-national-problem-gambling-helpline/

Support the show

Thank you for listening to this episode of Talking Addiction & Recovery Podcast.

To learn more about the podcast visit www.andrewjschreier.com

To inquire being a guest on the podcast or sponsorship opportunities you can e-mail talkingaddictionandrecovery@gmail.com

Talking Addiction & Recovery Podcast is the follow-up to the book "Addiction & Recovery" by author and clinician Andrew J. Schreier. This podcast explores discussions regarding important issues related to addiction and recovery. Information you learn here is not typical of what you will find in academic textbooks and resources; and comes from the experiences of a clinical supervisor, clinical substance abuse counselor, and licensed professional counselor and the work with individuals and others involved in this field. Listen as guests join the show and cover a wide range of topics looking to educate individuals, families, communities, organizations, institutions, mental health professionals, educators, and anyone else impacted by addiction and recovery. Content is not intended to be treatment and is not affiliated with any specific group.