The Bubble Hour

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Chekesha Kay Ellis Sep 07, 2020

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Chekesha Kay Ellis had a busy, full life that she loved. The product of a strict upbringing, she worked hard at two jobs and had no interest in partying or trouble. But trouble found her. A fall at work resulted in an injury that required surgery, and she developed an addition to the pain medication she was prescribed in followup care. A dacade-long sprial took her to lows she will never forget and impacted her health permanently as she lost her hearing due to opioid abuse. Now after a decade of sobriety, Kay shares her joy and lives her truth by shinging a light for others. Visit www.chasenomore.org to learn more about Chekesha Kay Ellis and follow her on Instagram at www.instagram.com/chekeshaellis Host Jean McCarthy's website is www.jeanmccarthy.ca - visit it for links to her books, blog Unpickled and bio

Dennis Berry Sep 01, 2020

Show notes

Dennis Berry is a life coach in Colorado, but has been working with people worldwide for over 15 years. His expertise is in Addiction Recovery for men. He has firsthand experience, having been sober since April 8, 2003. His journey in sobriety and recovery from drug abuse has helped him find his mission in life, which is to help others on their journey through sobriety and achieve inner peace and success in every area of their lives. Dennis knows what it is like to be helpless and hopeless with no positive direction. He was able to climb out of the gutter and transform his life and he spends his life helping others do the same. Connect with Dennis and learn more at www.dennisberry.com. Bubble Hour host Jean McCarthy's blog in UnPickled. Find her latest book releases at www.jeanmccarthy.ca/books

Kate Russell Aug 25, 2020

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Kate grew up in a household with two alcoholic parents who constantly subjected her to neglect and abuse. Much as she swore she would never follow in their footsteps, the pain she carried in her heart called for escape and she turned to drugs and alcohol as a teen. Over her 9 years of sobriety, Kate has been working on a memoir that is now available. Visit www.KateRussellAuthor.com to find her book, Down the Rabbit Hole: A Memoir of Abuse, Addiction and Recovery. Host Jean McCarthy's website is www.jeanmccarthy.ca - pop by for links to Jean's blog UnPickled and her lastest book releases.

Jenny's Story Aug 03, 2020

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Jenny, the youngest child in a big family with little parental supervision, was introduced to alcohol at a young age by her older siblings. She soon became an episodic blackout drinker and the pattern continued into her adult years. Now in her 40s, Jenny is celebrating a year of sobriety and shares her story to mark the occasion. For links to resources mentioned in this episode, click here: www.jeanmccarthy.ca/the-bubble-hour Visit host Jean McCarthy's blog UnPickled and be sure to check out her latest book releases at www.jeanmccarthy.ca/books

Guest Ben Heldfond Jul 28, 2020

Show notes

After 25 years of freedom from heroine addiction, Ben realizes that his sobriety has the power to transform every aspect of his life. When he and his wife divorced, he used the principles of recovery to examine his role in the breakdown of the marriage and shifted from anger and resentment into a solution-seeking frame of mind. Ben and his ex-wife Nikki DeBartolo wrote about the experience in their book, Our Happy Divorce. Host Jean McCarthy's books and blog are available via www.jeanmccarthy.ca and www.unpickledblog.com

Listener Q&A with Jean Jul 20, 2020

Show notes

Topics discussed in response to questions from listeners include: OCD/BFRB (body-focussed repetitive behaviours)What happens if a former podcast guest relapses?Former co-hostsStaying creativeShedding anonymityA few poems about recovery from The Ember Ever There by Jean McCarthy Links to purchase Jean's books are at www.jeanmccarthy.ca/books

Maria's Story Jul 13, 2020

Show notes

"Being a grateful alcoholic means no living in the wreckage of my past," says Maria R. as she looks back on six years of sobriety. Maria did not start drinking problematically until her 40s, but once addiction took hold of her life it dragged her to a bottom that would not be easily escaped. Learn more about Maria on her blog, Sober Blessings Read host Jean McCarthy's blog UnPickled at www.unpickledblog.com and learn abou ther latest book releases at www.jeanmccarthy.ca/books

Erica C. Barnett, author of QUITTER Jul 06, 2020

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A must-listen episode for anyone struggling to understand chronic relapse. Erica C. Barnett had her first sip of alcohol when she was thirteen, and she quickly developed a taste for drinking to oblivion with her friends. In her late twenties, her addiction became inescapable. Volatile relationships, blackouts, and unsuccessful stints in detox defined her life. By the time she was in her late thirties, Erica Barnett had run the gauntlet of alcoholism. She had recovered and relapsed time and again, but after each new program or detox center would find herself far from rehabilitated. “Rock bottom,” Barnett writes, “is a lie.” It is always possible, she learned, to go lower than your lowest point. She found that the terms other alcoholics used to describe the trajectory of their addiction–“rock bottom” and “moment of clarity”–and the mottos touted by Alcoholics Anonymous, such as “let go and let God” and “you’re only as sick as your secrets”–didn’t correspond to her experience and could actually be detrimental. With remarkably brave and vulnerable writing, Barnett expands on her personal story to confront the dire state of addiction in America, the rise of alcoholism in American women in the last century, and the lack of rehabilitation options available to addicts. At a time when opioid addiction is a national epidemic and one in twelve Americans suffers from alcohol abuse disorder, Quitter is essential reading for our age and an ultimately hopeful story of Barnett’s own hard-fought path to sobriety. Host Jean McCarthy's blog UnPickled is at www.unpickledblog.com. Learn about her latest book releases at www.jeanmccarthy.ca/books

Maestro George Marriner Maull Jun 23, 2020

Show notes

George Marriner Maull is a conductor, violist, television host and music educator with over 50 years of experience as a professional classical musician. He has conducted at Carnegie Hall, Lincoln Center and venues in Europe and has recorded for the Naxos label leading the Polish National Radio Symphony Orchestra. Founder and Artistic Director of The Discovery Orchestra, a nonprofit music education organization, Maull has devoted his career to making classical music accessible. He has helped millions of individuals around the world develop the active listening skills to deeply connect with music and become "virtuoso listeners." Maestro Maull reflects on the ways in recovery has changed his life. With over 36 years of sobriety, Maull continues to maintain an active program of recovery and exlain why this is important to him. Resources discussed in this episode: The Discovery Orchestra www.discoveryorchestra.org "Inside Music" on WWFM https://www.wwfm.org/programs/inside-music-george-marriner-maull#stream/0 "The Discovery Orchestra" on Amazon Prime Video https://discoveryorchestra.org/tv-shows/ Host Jean McCarthy's blog UnPickled is at www.unpickledblog.com Learn about Jean's latest book releases at www.jeanmccarthy.ca/books

Guest Lucy Hall Jun 15, 2020

Show notes

Her mother died of alcoholism when she was six and left behind seven children some of whom later lost their lives to substance abuse. The impression her mother left in her life inspired Lucy to reach out to women who suffer from addiction and women with children. She desired to help bridge the gap from troubled lives and help women become independent and self-sufficient. Today, her dream has become a reality with Mary Hall Freedom House (MHFH), named in memory of her mother. Through a community of sisterhood, Lucy coaches women to free themselves from the past and live every day for the future. Over 10,000 women and children have achieved recovery through Mary Hall Freedom House since founded in 1996; by empowering them to end the cycle of generational addiction, poverty and homelessness. Visit www.hopevillageproject.com to learn more about Lucy's book Hope Dealer and to find the documentary about Mary Hall Freedom House entitled Hope Village. Host Jean McCarthy writes the blog UnPickled www.unpickledblog.com and her latest book releases, including her collection of recovery poetry The Ember Ever There, can be ordered via www.jeanmccarthy.ca/books

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