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  • RRP 128: Anthony Good / It's All Good: Recovery, Fatherhood, and Starting Over

    RRP 128: Anthony Good / It's All Good: Recovery, Fatherhood, and Starting Over
    2026/08/21
    RRP 128 — Anthony Good / It’s All Good: Recovery, Fatherhood, and Starting OverPresenters: Julie P. Lewis and Peter B. Dowell
    Episode length: 1 hour
    Release date: August 21, 2026

    Anthony Good spent years in prison, lived through relapse, and had to learn how to build a life he had never really known. In this honest conversation, he talks about four and a half years clean, fatherhood, integrity, mental health, and the moment he decided to leave behind the name Demon and become Anthony. He also explains why he created It’s All Good Recovery, an open and personal meeting space where people can share honestly, give themselves positive affirmations, and take recovery one moment at a time.

    Key points
    • 04:00 Anthony shares his recovery story, four and a half years clean, years in prison, and the role his children played.
    • 08:00 He reflects on prison, parole, guilt, shame, and the experiences that shaped him.
    • 11:00 Anthony describes relapsing after getting a job, a car, and college, then becoming homeless within two weeks.
    • 13:00 He talks about shedding the name Demon, fatherhood, anxiety, and anger.
    • 20:00 Integrity becomes central to his recovery, including doing difficult things and helping people who want help.
    • 29:00 Anthony explains “one moment at a time” and why twenty-four hours can feel like too much time for him to think.
    • 38:00 He talks about how long it can take to feel normal after prison and addiction.
    • 44:00 Anthony tells listeners how to find It’s All Good Recovery through Facebook and Anthony W. Good.
    • 51:00 His words of wisdom are simple: live with integrity, do the right things when nobody notices, find the recovery that works for you, and build a support system.
    Websites and resources discussed
    • It’s All Good Recovery on Facebook
    • It’s All Good Recovery Zoom meetings: Thursday at 6:00 PM, Saturday at 2:00 PM, and Sunday at 6:00 PM. Meeting ID: 465 403 0507. Password: 123456. View the meeting flyer
    • Willamette Family
    • Adult & Teen Challenge PacWest
    • Hilbert College Human Services program
    • Wellbriety Meetings
    • Real Recovery Podcast
    Listen and read moreListen to Episode 128Read the blog postNewsletter“You're gonna have to do a lot of the right things when nobody notices.”
    — Anthony Good

    #RealRecoveryPodcast, #Recovery, #Sobriety, #RecoveryPodcast, @realrecoverypodcast

    Real Recovery Podcast Inc. is a registered 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization. EIN: 99-1347297.
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    1 時間 1 分
  • RRP 127 — Ben M. / Triumph Over Trials, Part 2: Three Sponsors, One Prayer, Over Six Years

    RRP 127 — Ben M. / Triumph Over Trials, Part 2: Three Sponsors, One Prayer, Over Six Years
    2026/08/14
    RRP 127 — Ben M. / Triumph Over Trials, Part 2: Three Sponsors, One Prayer, Over Six YearsPresenters: Julie P. Lewis and Peter B. Dowell • 58 minutes • August 14, 2026

    Ben M. is back. Two years after recording one of our most popular episodes, he returns with over six years of sobriety and a story about what changed. The chronic relapser who once bought wine after his first AA meeting now sponsors three men. And somewhere in the last two years, the fever broke.

    In Part 1, we revisited Ben's original story. Part 2 picks up where that left off. His sponsor told him, "Sweetie, I don't know what else I can tell you." Ben sat with that discomfort. He stopped fighting. And one week after another, three men asked him to sponsor them. This is about seeing the world with new eyes, about a listener named Ryan who commented "He's why I stay sober," about Portland Pride, meditation meetings, breakfast casseroles, and promises that actually started coming true.

    Key Points
    • 00:00 Julie welcomes Ben back — his episode was always in the top five
    • 02:00 Six years sober — "I was already at death's door in May of 2020"
    • 04:00 The fever breaking — his sponsor said "I don't know what else I can tell you"
    • 08:00 "Seeing the world with new eyes. I don't even wanna drink"
    • 14:00 Three men asked him to sponsor them, one after another
    • 18:00 Sunday night service at Extended Family since October 2020
    • 20:00 First Pride parade — Julie, Peter, and Ben share stories
    • 25:00 Meditation meeting, sausage fest, and the breakfast casserole
    • 28:00 Learning to sit with uncomfortable emotions
    • 46:00 Promises coming true — "I have had so many promises come true"
    Websites Discussed
    • Lunch Bunch / Extended Family AA
    • Alcoholics Anonymous
    • Real Recovery Podcast
    ListenBlogNewsletter"I'm seeing the world with new eyes. I'm thinking with a new brain. I don't even wanna drink because I am now of the understanding that that's not a solution to my problem."— Ben M.#RealRecoveryPodcast, #Recovery, #Sobriety, #AddictionRecovery, #AA, #OneDayAtATime, @realrecoverypodcastReal Recovery Podcast is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization. EIN: 99-1347297.
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    55 分
  • RRP 126 — Ben M. / Triumph Over Trials, Part 1: Revisited — From Addiction to the Courtroom

    RRP 126 — Ben M. / Triumph Over Trials, Part 1: Revisited — From Addiction to the Courtroom
    2026/08/07
    RRP 126 — Ben M. / Triumph Over Trials, Part 1: Revisited — From Addiction to the CourtroomPresenters: Julie P. Lewis and Peter B. Dowell • 1 hour 16 minutes • August 7, 2026

    We're revisiting one of the most popular episodes in Real Recovery Podcast history. Ben M. first joined us in April 2024 as episode 7. Next week, Ben returns for an update — over six years sober, with three new sponsees and a spiritual shift he calls "seeing the world with new eyes."

    Ben grew up the only boy in a big Hispanic family in El Paso. At 13, everything changed — first pot, first blackout, first time meeting men off the internet. He came out at 14. His Pinocchio story — meeting a fox on the way to school, following it to the circus, waking up with a donkey tail — is one of the most honest accounts of early addiction we've heard. From law school to psych wards, from a lost law license to a glass of wine on a flight to San Francisco that undid three and a half years — Ben's path shows what alcoholism takes and what recovery can give back.

    Key Points
    • 03:50 Julie introduces Ben — Sunday night meeting partners, Zoom host and in-person secretary
    • 07:00 Growing up in El Paso and Dallas — only boy, three older sisters, "I got anything I wanted"
    • 10:00 The Pinocchio metaphor — the fox, the circus, the donkey tail
    • 14:00 Age 13 — first pot, first blackout, AOL chat rooms, meeting men off the internet
    • 22:00 Coming out at 14, skipping school, developing a secret life
    • 24:30 Moving to New York City at 18 — September 11th scared him sober for a while
    • 30:30 Law school — daily drinking, suicidal in blackouts, Franzia and Golden Girls
    • 43:30 First DUI, first major collision, jail, psych ward twice in one week
    • 57:00 The relapse — three and a half years sober, then one glass of wine on a flight to San Francisco
    • 61:00 Oregon rehab, finding sobriety, treating alcoholism as life-threatening
    • 65:00 Sobriety date May 5, 2020 — "If I don't stop, I'll be 50 with nothing"
    • 72:30 His husband, Sunday night service, and the life recovery built
    Websites Discussed
    • MCC Portland
    • Alcoholics Anonymous
    • Real Recovery Podcast
    ListenBlogNewsletter“Once I put alcohol in my body, I have to be willing to throw everything away — I cannot control whether I'll even be alive in 24 hours.”— Ben M.#RealRecoveryPodcast, #Recovery, #Sobriety, #AddictionRecovery, #AA, #OneDayAtATime, @realrecoverypodcastReal Recovery Podcast is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization. EIN: 99-1347297.
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    1 時間 22 分
  • RRP 125 — Check-In with Julie and Peter / Be the Mountain

    RRP 125 — Check-In with Julie and Peter / Be the Mountain
    2026/07/31
    RRP 125 — Check-In / Be the MountainJulie P. Lewis & Peter B. Dowell57 minutesJuly 31, 2026Peter's nine years sober and one year cancer-free — and he didn't know which doctor he was seeing until he got there. In this check-in, Peter and Julie catch up on 90 days that changed everything: the clean scan, the TMS study at Another Chance, Julie's expungement after 32 years, and what it means to be the mountain.Key Points00:00 Welcome to the check-in — Peter and Julie catch up after the Glam Lot roundtable. They celebrated three promotions and three birthdays the night before.02:00 Nine years and a parade — Peter hits nine years sober. The Pride Parade falls on his anniversary. He's never been sober — this year he goes with clear eyes.06:00 The cancer scan — Clean one-year scans. When they said he'd see Dr. Leidner instead of the NP, his mind went dark. It was just his annual. Three to four years to remission.19:00 TMS and breaking the cycle — Peter explains transcranial magnetic stimulation and the study at Another Chance, run by former guest John Morgan. Non-medication treatment for addiction cravings.24:00 Julie's expungement — She found the paperwork while hunting for taxes. Eight charges removed. Thirteen dropped charges that still printed. Thirty-two years out of prison.13:00 Dress for Success, full circle — Julie donates five business suits to the same organization that gave her an outfit 33 years ago. She wore those black pants for 12 years.40:00 The mountain — Julie brought Peter to her workplace for the GTD fundraiser. He saw the mountain she prays on. "The mountain doesn't care about the seasons. Be the mountain."30:00 Community shout-outs — Devlin's new apartment. Amanda's 10 years. Rogue Recovery and 4D Jackson County hit one year. Babies, promotions, and Al is out of hospice.52:00 What's next — Two new board members, a media intern, someone writing grants. Fred Meyer sent $11.01. They finally have a standup banner."The mountain doesn't care about the seasons that are coming or the storms that may hit. It stays in the moment, it's strong. Be the mountain."— Peter B. DowellWebsites DiscussedDress for Success •Another Chance Rehab •GTD Go The Distance •True Colors Recovery •Rogue Recovery Center •4D Recovery •Fred Meyer Community Rewards •Real Recovery PodcastListenRead the BlogNewsletter#RealRecoveryPodcast, #Recovery, #Sobriety, #OneDayAtATime, #RecoveryPodcast, @realrecoverypodcastReal Recovery Podcast is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization. EIN: 99-1347297
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    57 分
  • RRP 124 — The Glam Lot PDX (Becca S., Bex, Carrington C.) / We Are Not a Glum Lot: Drag, Sober Fun, and Finding Your People

    RRP 124 — The Glam Lot PDX (Becca S., Bex, Carrington C.) / We Are Not a Glum Lot: Drag, Sober Fun, and Finding Your People
    2026/07/24
    RRP 124 — The Glam Lot PDX (Becca S., Bex, Carrington C.) / We Are Not a Glum Lot: Drag, Sober Fun, and Finding Your PeopleJulie P. Lewis and Peter B. Dowell • 1 hr 34 min • July 24, 2026The Glam Lot PDX brings drag, recovery, and fundraising together under one roof at True Colors Recovery. Becca, Bex, and Carrington join Julie and Peter for a roundtable about why fun matters in sobriety — and how they’re building a community where nobody has to choose between being themselves and staying sober. From Friends in the Park to drag bingo to raising money for the Trevor Project, this crew is living proof that recovery can be loud, colorful, and full of joy.Key Points
    • 00:05 Meet the Glam Lot — Becca (returning guest, EP 18) and Carrington co-founded it, Bex joined about a month ago
    • 00:07 Bex: six months sober, they/them, found community fast
    • 00:11 “If you don’t have fun in your life, you don’t have interests — what’s the point?”
    • 00:14 Friends in the Park: bingo, potlucks, bring a newcomer
    • 00:16 Becca got into drag watching YouTube tutorials during lockdown
    • 00:20 Telling people you’re sober: friends who disappeared, ones who stayed
    • 00:27 Drop the Rock, step work, and defense mechanisms
    • 00:34 Peter on finding Lunch Bunch: “These are my people”
    • 01:04 Carrington on hyperfemme drag as a cis woman: “Is this okay?”
    • 01:10 The mission: spread recovery through drag and raise money for charity
    • 01:13 Raising money for the Trevor Project through True Colors
    • 01:28 Final advice: get a houseplant, don’t give up, have some fun
    “Our mission basically is to spread the word of recovery through the art of drag.” — Bex

    Websites Discussed

    • The Glam Lot PDX on Instagram
    • The Glam Lot PDX on Facebook
    • True Colors Recovery
    • Kings and Queens Meeting
    • 4D Recovery
    • The Trevor Project
    • Real Recovery Podcast
    ▶ Listen ✎ Read the Blog ✉ Newsletter#RealRecoveryPodcast #Recovery #Sobriety #Drag #LGBTQRecovery #TrueColors #WeAreNotAGlumLot #RecoveryPodcast @realrecoverypodcastReal Recovery Podcast is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization. EIN: 99-1347297.
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    1 時間 27 分
  • RRP 123 — Jen L / When the Light Found Her, Part 2: Nothing Wasted, Not Even the Hard Parts

    RRP 123 — Jen L / When the Light Found Her, Part 2: Nothing Wasted, Not Even the Hard Parts
    2026/07/17
    Real Recovery Podcast — Episode 123 When the Light Found Her, Part 2: Nothing Wasted, Not Even the Hard Parts July 17, 2026 | Hosts: Julie P. Lewis & Peter B. Dowell | Runtime: 1:07:00 Timecodes approximate — pending final edit “I found a sister. I didn’t grow up with a sister, but I have a sister now. And every time I refer to you, it’s, ‘You’re my sister. You’re my spiritual sister,’ and that is everything to me.” — Jen L. Key Points
    • 00:01 Jen spent six months in IOP without once telling her family she had stopped drinking. Recovery was her private project first.
    • 00:02 Her dad was dying of cancer. At 18 months sober, he waved a glass of whiskey in her face. She didn’t take it. She also never told him she’d stopped.
    • 00:05 At age 12, Jen discovered her grandmother Lois in Reno was biological. She found the branch of the family where the disease ran — and finally had a name for it.
    • 00:07 In her first five years of sobriety, Jen walked through what she calls a suicidal depression. She kept showing up anyway.
    • 00:14 Dr. Angela, a Cherokee elder and professor at Reed College, gave eagle feathers at every AA birthday she attended. Jen and Julie both carry one.
    • 00:35 Recovery League Softball: Jen joined five teams and averaged 12 games a week. The obsession for more doesn’t disappear in sobriety. It just finds new rooms.
    • 00:39 Jen met Mickey through softball. She walked into a friend’s house and found a gun and a badge on the kitchen table. Mickey was a parole officer. Jen didn’t run.
    • 00:45 When Peter was going through cancer, the fellowship showed up. What the tools of the program carry people through that willpower alone never could.
    • 00:47 Tammy’s third step gift: “If it adds to you spiritually, it’s God’s will for you. If it takes from you in any way, it’s not God’s will.” Jen still uses it.
    • 00:48 Jen’s higher power: driving into the woods alone. What she finds when she breathes in the wind on her face.
    • 01:01 Jen and Julie have been riding this train together for 29 years. What it means to call someone your spiritual sister — and what Jen says at the end about nothing going to waste. Not the grief, not the hard years, not even the parts she’d trade if she could.
    Websites Discussed
    • The Grotto — National Sanctuary of Our Sorrowful Mother, Portland
    • Recovery League Softball
    • Real Recovery Podcast
    Listen Blog Post Newsletter #RealRecoveryPodcast #RecoveryIsPossible #AddictionRecovery #SoberLife #LGBTQRecovery #AA Real Recovery Podcast is a production of Real Recovery Podcast Inc., a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization.
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    1 時間 4 分
  • RRP 122 — Jen L / When the Light Found Her, Part 1: From Bucking Hay to Finding Her People

    RRP 122 — Jen L / When the Light Found Her, Part 1: From Bucking Hay to Finding Her People
    2026/07/10
    RRP 122 — Jen L / When the Light Found Her, Part 1: From Bucking Hay to Finding Her PeoplePresenters: Julie P. Lewis and Peter B. Dowell • Length: 1:18:00 • Release: July 10, 2026Jen L. grew up on a cattle ranch in Roseburg, Oregon, bucking hay and worming cows. She was a science nerd, a jock, and by 15, a blackout drinker buying liquor in small-town stores. By 17, she came out to her mom and left home in the middle of the night. In Part 1 of this two-part conversation, Jen traces the arc from a rural childhood full of secrets to the kitchen window where a 150-foot cross started shining through — and the recovery that began on the other side of it.00:00 Jen arrives with a broken leg and ice on her foot — "If she can make it, you all can" — as Julie introduces the friend she's known since Lunch Bunch / Extended Family in August 199700:08 "I found my people" — the group conscience that keeps showing up, and the diversity that's grown over nearly three decades00:17 Growing up on the family cattle ranch: bucking hay, worming cows, and hiding from the bull named Caesar in a crabapple tree00:22 Costa Rican exchange student at 15: blackout drinking, discotheques, and Kahlua on the porch with fireflies00:25 Buying liquor at 15 in small-town stores; the party where Michelle got alcohol poisoning — and making amends years later in a Fred Meyer aisle00:31 Coming out at 17, leaving home in the middle of the night, and Auntie Bev: "We love your friend, and she's welcome here any time"00:35 The Chemeketa paramedic program; Embers at 16; and Corey's recovery coin in a cigar box by the river00:39 Kathy's basement ultimatum: "I'm not gonna sit around and watch you kill yourself" — the moment that sent Jen to treatment00:43 The 150-foot Grotto cross shining through her kitchen; Gregorian chants drifting into her yard; her first sober house00:47 First AA meeting: the smoking meeting at the Grotto, the priest who ignored her, and the room of people she didn't believe00:49 James at the gay meeting: "Will I see you tomorrow?" — five words that kept both Jen and Julie coming back00:53 Sixty days sober, furious, "coming around those corners hot" — the parking spot at the rock shop that changed everything00:56 Julie's Friday meltdown that brought Tammy into the meeting — the woman who became Jen's sponsor for 26 years01:01 Tammy's story; the Linda Neely connection; and "Two years ago on Wednesday, Tammy died"01:10 Driving Fred to Yreka for his amends; finding an AA meeting through the Yellow Pages on a payphone01:15 "Once the drugs and alcohol got set down, I was still left with the obsession" — replacing substances with more01:17 Dad dying of cancer at 18 months sober; the whiskey waved in her face — and the family she never told"We'd moved into a different house, and it was finally a house I hadn't used in. That's just what I wanted — a house I hadn't used in."— Jen L.Websites Discussed:The Grotto •Chemeketa Community College •East County Alano Club •Alcoholics Anonymous •Real Recovery Podcast▶ Listen✎ Read the Blog✉ Newsletter#RealRecoveryPodcast, #RecoveryIsPossible, #AddictionRecovery, #SoberLife, #LGBTQRecovery, #AA, #TwelveSteps, @realrecoverypodcastThe Real Recovery Podcast is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization. EIN: 99-1347297.
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    1 時間 13 分
  • RRP 121 — Devlin F / Burying Bradley: Dropping the Shovel on Addiction, One Day at a Time

    RRP 121 — Devlin F / Burying Bradley: Dropping the Shovel on Addiction, One Day at a Time
    2026/07/03
    RRP 121 — Devlin F / Burying Bradley: Dropping the Shovel on Addiction, One Day at a TimePresenters: Julie P. Lewis and Peter B. DowellEpisode Length: 1 hour 41 minutesRelease Date: July 3, 2026Devlin F.'s addiction began at six years old when his father gave him a sip of beer while he was choking. What followed was decades of trauma, meth use, street survival in San Francisco's Tenderloin, and a quarter-million-dollar inheritance that nearly killed him. After years of IV drug use and a moment in August 2023 when he saw only two choices — “find a new way to live or jump off a bridge” — Devlin walked into Another Chance. Today he works there as a certified recovery mentor, sponsors others, and has done something remarkable: he gave his addiction a name and buried it. Julie opens up about why she was genuinely scared of him during his active addiction — and why watching his transformation has been one of the greatest gifts of her own recovery.Key Points00:04 Fred Meyer Community Rewards and Bottle Drop — two easy ways to support the podcast without spending extra00:08 Julie refused Devlin a hug during active addiction — she was genuinely scared he wouldn't survive00:12 First sip of beer at age six from his alcoholic father; first drink and marijuana at 14 after witnessing domestic violence between his parents00:15 Childhood trauma: sexual abuse at age 4 by a family member, massive stroke at age 1000:27 First hit of meth at 24 — instantly hooked after burning out from 150-hour workweeks as a caregiver00:29 Life on the streets of San Francisco's Tenderloin — 11-day benders and a system built around the drug00:33 Father died from alcoholism on January 5, 2015 — Devlin didn't make it in time to say goodbye00:35 A quarter-million-dollar inheritance fueled four years in Mill City and even deeper addiction00:37 IV drug use — “the final frontier” — and suicidal despair in August 202300:38 Entered treatment September 23, 2023; Jessica Anderson gave him “the first taste of compassion in a long time”00:42 Extended Family meeting — Colette told him “You're gonna be back here tomorrow” — and he came back00:59 April 28, 2024 — sober date begins. “I had another relapse in me. I didn't have another recovery in me.”01:05 Fourth step at a creek with his sponsor — five to six hours — “the weight of the world came off my shoulders”01:12 Started sponsoring at steps six and seven — his first sponsee now has seven months sober in Arizona01:33 Named his disease “Bradley” and buried him: “I dropped the shovel. He's still buried.”Websites DiscussedFred Meyer Community Rewards: fredmeyer.com/community-rewardsAnother Chance treatment center: anotherchancerehab.comSober Housing Oregon: facebook.com/soberhousingoregonCrystal Meth Anonymous (CMA): crystalmeth.orgEast County Alano Club: pdxaa.org/venue/east-county-alano-clubReal Recovery Podcast: realrecoverypodcast.comListen: mdcr1.com/121Blog: mdcr1.com/121b“I got the inspiration to name my disease. The name of my disease is Bradley, which is my first name. Devlin is my middle name. Bradley was the person that loved sticking a needle into his arm. That was the only thing that he wanted to do. Devlin buried Bradley.”— Devlin F.ListenBlogNewsletter#RealRecoveryPodcast, #Recovery, #Sobriety, #AddictionRecovery, #OneDayAtATime, #12Steps, #RecoveryPodcast, @realrecoverypodcastReal Recovery Podcast is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization. EIN: 99-1347297.
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    1 時間 40 分