When Drinking Becomes a Daily Requirement w/ Mike Schuab | The Hopeaholics Podcast


In this deeply personal episode, Mike Schuab shares an unfiltered account of how alcohol gradually took control of his life while he worked tirelessly to convince everyone—including himself—that everything was fine. What began as normal social drinking slowly evolved into secretive behavior, isolation, and a daily reliance on alcohol just to feel steady, leading to broken relationships, constant lying, and an overwhelming sense of shame. Mike walks through the moments when drinking stopped being fun and started feeling necessary, the fear of being exposed, and the painful realization that his life was shrinking around his addiction. He opens up about confronting his family, facing the possibility of losing everything he cared about, and finally surrendering by walking into treatment emotionally exhausted and out of options. This conversation dives into the emotional toll of addiction, the mental gymnastics of denial, and the relief that comes with radical honesty. Mike also reflects on the difficult process of learning how to live, cope, and find meaning without alcohol, and how recovery forced him to rebuild trust one day at a time. This episode is a powerful reminder that addiction doesn’t always look dramatic on the outside—but the internal struggle can be just as devastating—and that real change begins the moment someone admits they need help.


#thehopeaholics #redemption #recovery #AlcoholAddiction #AddictionRecovery #wedorecover #SobrietyJourney #MyStory #Hope #wedorecover #treatmentcenter #natalieevamarie


Join our patreon to get access to an EXTRA EPISODE every week of ‘Off the Record’, exclusive content, a thriving recovery community, and opportunities to be featured on the podcast. https://patreon.com/TheHopeaholics


Go to www.Wolfpak.com today and support our sponsors. Don't forget to use code: HOPEAHOLICSPODCAST for 10% off!


Follow the Hopeaholics on our Socials:
https://www.instagram.com/thehopeaholics
https://linktr.ee/thehopeaholics


Buy Merch:
https://thehopeaholics.myshopify.com


Visit our Treatment Centers: https://www.hopebythesea.com
If you or a loved one needs help, please call or text 949-615-8588. We have the resources to treat mental health and addiction.


Sponsored by the Infiniti Group LLC:
https://www.infinitigroupllc.com


Timestamps:
00:01:12 – Growing Up Around Alcohol and Chaos
00:05:48 – First Time Drinking Changes Everything
00:09:31 – Realizing He Can’t Drink Like Other People
00:13:06 – Drinking Becomes the Solution to Everything
00:17:42 – Alcohol Turns Into an Everyday Requirement
00:22:15 – Lying to Everyone While Falling Apart
00:27:08 – Drinking Alone and Hiding Bottles
00:31:54 – The Moment He Knows He’s Out of Control
00:36:29 – Family Finally Sees How Bad It Is
00:41:03 – Consequences Catch Up All at Once
00:46:18 – Facing the Reality of Losing Everything
00:50:42 – Saying “I Can’t Do This Anymore”
00:55:09 – Walking Into Treatment Broken
01:02:37 – Learning to Live Without Alcohol
01:11:44 – Finding Purpose Through Recovery

The Inner Shift That Ends the Need to Escape with Jay Stinnett | The Hopeaholics Podcast


In this powerful and deeply reflective episode, longtime sober member, historian, spiritual teacher, and filmmaker Jay Stinnett shares an extraordinary journey that spans addiction, surrender, awakening, and a lifetime of conscious spiritual practice. With more than four decades of continuous sobriety, Jay recounts hitting bottom at a young age, walking into his first recovery meeting broken and desperate, and experiencing a profound inner shift that changed him on a cellular level. He explores addiction as a spiritual malady, the illusion that something outside ourselves can make us whole, and how true healing comes through rigorous honesty, amends, service, prayer, and meditation. The conversation weaves through raw personal stories of early recovery, sponsorship, marriage, grief, and loss, while also diving into the deeper spiritual roots of the recovery movement and the importance of conscious contact with a higher power. Jay also shares the remarkable story behind producing the award-winning documentary Bill W: Conscious Contact, including risking everything to tell a story he felt spiritually called to share. This episode is a moving testament to faith, resilience, creativity, and the idea that a fully lived life—no matter how painful or beautiful—is the greatest spiritual adventure of all.


#thehopeaholics #redemption #recovery #AlcoholAddiction #AddictionRecovery #wedorecover #SobrietyJourney #MyStory #Hope #wedorecover #treatmentcenter #natalieevamarie


Join our patreon to get access to an EXTRA EPISODE every week of ‘Off the Record’, exclusive content, a thriving recovery community, and opportunities to be featured on the podcast. https://patreon.com/TheHopeaholics


Go to www.Wolfpak.com today and support our sponsors. Don't forget to use code: HOPEAHOLICSPODCAST for 10% off!


Follow the Hopeaholics on our Socials:
https://www.instagram.com/thehopeaholics
https://linktr.ee/thehopeaholics


Buy Merch:
https://thehopeaholics.myshopify.com


Visit our Treatment Centers: https://www.hopebythesea.com
If you or a loved one needs help, please call or text 949-615-8588. We have the resources to treat mental health and addiction.


Sponsored by the Infiniti Group LLC:
https://www.infinitigroupllc.com


Timestamps:
00:01:31 - Sober Since May 2nd, 1979
00:04:43 - Alcoholism as a Spiritual Malady
00:05:20 - The First Drink and the Unitive Experience
00:08:22 - Addiction as the Illusion Something Outside Makes Us Whole
00:13:47 - Arrests, Living in a Pinto, and Knowing the Jig Was Up
00:15:53 - Told to Choose AA or Die Trying
00:17:34 - Walking Into His First AA Meeting
00:19:28 - “You Don’t Ever Have to Feel This Way Again”
00:20:28 - Changed on a Cellular Level and Never Picking Up Again
00:26:37 - Listening to the Inner Voice for the First Time
00:28:35 - First Prayer and Spiritual Surrender
00:32:09 - Sponsoring Someone at 28 Days Sober
00:36:48 - Choosing Not to Act in Pain During Marriage Crisis
01:02:05 - Betting His Home to Tell the Story

Breaking the Cycle of Addiction as a Family w/ Rafael & Nodia | The Hopeaholics Podcast


In this emotionally charged episode, Rafael and Nodia sit side by side to share a raw, multi-generational story of addiction, denial, fear, and ultimately healing. What begins as Rafael’s attempt to escape the shadow of his past and Nodia’s effort to prove control through drinking spirals into cocaine, meth, psychosis, DUIs, hospitalizations, and moments where death or prison felt inevitable. Together, they recount confrontations, crashes, paranoia, and the terrifying realization that the same disease was quietly repeating itself within their family. Through brutal honesty, they unpack the pain, resentment, and misunderstandings that once defined their relationship, and how recovery reshaped everything. This episode goes far beyond sobriety—it’s a powerful testament to accountability, forgiveness, and the life-changing impact of choosing recovery not just for yourself, but for the people you love most. It captures the fear of watching someone you love disappear and the hope that comes when they finally ask for help. Their conversation reveals how recovery can reopen communication that once felt impossible. It also shows how shared vulnerability can rebuild trust where silence and anger once lived.


#thehopeaholics #redemption #recovery #AlcoholAddiction #AddictionRecovery #wedorecover #SobrietyJourney #MyStory #Hope #wedorecover #treatmentcenter #natalieevamarie


Join our patreon to get access to an EXTRA EPISODE every week of ‘Off the Record’, exclusive content, a thriving recovery community, and opportunities to be featured on the podcast. https://patreon.com/TheHopeaholics


Go to www.Wolfpak.com today and support our sponsors. Don't forget to use code: HOPEAHOLICSPODCAST for 10% off!


Follow the Hopeaholics on our Socials:
https://www.instagram.com/thehopeaholics
https://linktr.ee/thehopeaholics


Buy Merch:
https://thehopeaholics.myshopify.com


Visit our Treatment Centers: https://www.hopebythesea.com
If you or a loved one needs help, please call or text 949-615-8588. We have the resources to treat mental health and addiction.


Sponsored by the Infiniti Group LLC:
https://www.infinitigroupllc.com


Timestamps:
00:06:06 – “I Swore I’d Never Be Like My Dad”
00:08:27 – Cocaine Enters His Life Right Before Christmas
00:09:40 – Snorting Cocaine Before a Solo Night Drive
00:11:18 – Lost on the Freeway While High and Euphoric
00:13:31 – Armed, Paranoid, and Convinced People Were After Him
00:17:52 – Parents Show Up and the Secret Is Over
00:18:35 – Selling His Businesses to Go to Rehab
00:19:44 – Finding Out He’s Having a Baby While in Rehab
00:23:59 – Smoking Crystal Meth for the First Time
00:25:49 – Trapped in a Dark House With a Naked Stranger
00:35:52 – Found Wandering the Streets in His Underwear
00:53:36 – First Drink Ends in the Hospital
00:54:38 – Second Hospitalization Sparks Resentment
00:57:37 – Crashing Into a Jail Gate During a DUI
01:01:26 – First DUI at 21 Years Old
01:02:29 – Suicidal Thoughts After Second DUI
01:04:09 – Nearly Hitting a Bus While Drunk
01:11:28 – Finally Saying “Yes” to Treatment
01:38:51 – Father Says He’s Finally Getting to Know His Daughter
01:40:05 – Realizing Her Father Was Only Trying to Help