July 18, 2025 • 26 mins
The recovery journey begins with a simple truth: addiction isn't about substances—it's about escape. I spent years trying to run from pain, from reality, from myself. But as I discovered, no matter where I went, I took myself with me.
My path through the 12 steps wasn't smooth. I approached recovery with skepticism and pride, resistant to the process. What I didn't realize was how deeply the lies I told myself ran. The most profound shift came when someone bluntly told me, "Maybe this isn't about you." Those words cut through years of self-centeredness and changed everything. I had been given something freely, but wasn't passing it on.
Recovery transformed more than my substance use—it rebuilt my entire life. Though not overnight. Some relationships mended while others ended, finances stabilized after years of chaos, and most importantly, I found a community of people who genuinely care. The contrast between my life then and now is stark. Where I once dreaded waking up, I now look forward to each day. Where I once was isolated, I now connect. Where I once ran from reality, I now face life with tools and support.
For those struggling with addiction—whether actively using or physically sober but emotionally unwell—know that you're not alone. True success isn't about perpetually chasing happiness but finding peace and joy. Recovery offers a pathway there. It's not always easy, but it works. You're just one decision away from a different life. If something in my story resonates with you, please reach out. Visit SuccessfulLifePodcast.com or message me on social media. Your journey to healing can begin today.
https://www.audible.com/pd/9-Simple-Steps-to-Sell-More-ht-Audiobook/B0D4SJYD4Q?source_code=ASSORAP0511160006&share_location=library_overflow
https://www.amazon.com/Simple-Steps-Sell-More-Stereotypes-ebook/dp/B0BRNSFYG6/ref=sr_1_1?crid=1OSB7HX6FQMHS&keywords=corey+berrier&qid=1674232549&sprefix=%2Caps%2C93&sr=8-1
https://www.linkedin.com/in/coreysalescoach/
Mark as Played
Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Corey Berrier (00:00):
Welcome to the Successful Life Podcast.
I'm your host, Corey Berrier.
Today, we're going to talkabout recovery, discipline, and
building a successful life thatlasts.
Today I'm going to share a bitof truth, it's going to be a bit
(00:22):
raw about my addiction,process, and share some things
about how I struggled throughthe darkest times of my life.
And you know, for me, addictionisn't just about, it's not about
(00:59):
just using.
For me, it was about escaping.
It was a way to run fromreality, from the pain, from
myself.
And the problem is, no matterwhere I go, I take me with me.
So wherever I show up, I'mstill there.
I can't really escape from me.
(01:21):
You know I used to wake upanxious and foggy and angry, and
then I'd reach for the samething that created the problem,
which was drugs and alcohol, andthere's a level of emptiness
that comes with that.
You know, you feel, I know, forme, I felt like a shell of a
(01:44):
person and I kept trying to, youknow, fill that void, if you
will, with something that didn'treally work.
You know, alcohol was mysolution, drugs were my solution
to the problem, and the problemwas me.
(02:07):
And you can't.
I couldn't solve my problem ofme through putting substances in
my body.
I tried every way possible.
You know, when I startedworking the 12 steps, you know I
didn't trust the process.
In fact I was skeptical.
I was so full of pride and Iwas also scared.
(02:28):
But what the steps did for meis it stripped away the lies
that I was telling myself.
And the lies run deep, eyes rundeep and listen.
(02:53):
I'm telling you this storybecause there's so much pain in
addiction.
There's so much pain trying torun from yourself.
And the truth is I tried everyway possible to do this without
the 12 steps and I couldn't doit.
(03:13):
Now you could be different andyou may not subscribe to the 12
steps of recovery, but it's theonly thing that's kept me sober
and it's the thing that's givenme such a joy in my own life.
It's given me an opportunity tolook at the things that I
(03:34):
didn't want to look at.
Now I'm not saying that it'seasy because it's not.
Believe me.
When you have to look at thethings that you've done in
addiction, it is painful thepain that you caused other
people, the shame, the guilt,the discontent.
(03:54):
You know a lot of people saywhen you go back out after
you've been sober for a littlewhile, that you may not make it
back, and here's my perspectiveon that.
I always thought, you know, thedrink will never kill me, the
(04:17):
drug will never kill me.
That could be different now,because there's fentanyl and
everything, and so you'd reallyrun a much higher risk now of
getting a bad batch of whateverit is you're doing.
But I'll tell you, for me, whatalmost killed me was the guilt
(04:44):
and the shame and the remorse ofhaving to come back in to the
rooms.
It's so embarrassing to have togo pick up a white chip.
At least that's what I thought.
But picking up that white chipfor me was very humbling after
(05:08):
being out for a long time.
You know, I haven't drank in along time, but the drink is not
the problem.
I was the problem, and eventhough I haven't drank in almost
16 years, you know about seven,eight, nine years ago now, as I
mentioned before, I startedsmoking weed.
(05:29):
No big deal, it's natural.
Blah, blah, blah, blah, blah,blah, and I slowly burnt my life
to the ground.
I slowly destroyed my marriage,destroyed my finances, finances
.
We were behind on everythingand I was so egotistical, I was
(05:54):
so prideful that I wouldn't evenconsider going back and working
the 12 steps until one day andI've mentioned this several
times on here because it was apivotal point in my life In 2022
, I went down to a conferencecalled RoofCon and I met a guy
(06:17):
named Eric Obrant, and Ericdidn't know I was smoking weed
at the time because I didn'ttell him, of course.
And Eric didn't know I wassmoking weed at the time because
I didn't tell him, of course.
And this is a God thing, in myopinion.
I met Eric and Eric's kind of acrass guy.
He'll just tell you how it is,whether he knows you or whether
he doesn't.
He's kind of a, you know.
(06:42):
He kind of just doesn't give anF and he'll tell you that.
And Eric looked at me after Itold him I wasn't coming back
into the rooms, that I wasn'tworking the steps.
He just looked at me, dead inmy eye, and he was like you know
, maybe, corey, this is notabout you.
(07:03):
And here's the issue is, I madeit all about me, and when Eric
said that to me, he was right.
I was so selfish, soself-centered, I couldn't even
see that what was given to mefreely in the program that I
(07:26):
wasn't given that back, I wasn'tshowing up, I wasn't going to
meetings, I wasn't doing thethings that I knew I should be
doing.
But it's so crazy because atthe time I was so prideful and I
was so set on my ways that Ididn't even consider going back
and doing the program until hesaid that to me and the very
(07:50):
next day, which was a Sunday, aSaturday when he told me this, I
drove back to Raleigh fromFlorida and I went to a meeting.
And if that guy hadn't havesaid that to me in the way that
he said it, I don't think I'd behere today talking to you with
(08:10):
the story that I have.
And I'm no one special, I don'thave a unique story.
Sometimes we just have tolisten to people when they speak
, because God speaks throughpeople and Eric Obram, that day
God spoke through because Iheard it.
(08:31):
And so I started going back tomeetings.
As I mentioned, I was a disastermentally, emotionally,
physically.
I was so depressed.
Emotionally, physically, I wasso depressed.
I didn't know what to do withmyself, and so I started going
back into the rooms begrudgingly, because I had told the story
(08:53):
to myself over and over thatthis was not the way I was going
to do this, and here's the keyI this is not about me.
I this is about how I can helpother people, and that's the
(09:14):
point of the show now is I hope,when people hear this, that
they can maybe see themselves inthis same situation, and maybe
it sparks some sort of thoughtor some sort of reason to take
an action to get back intorecovery, because it's changed
(09:36):
my entire life.
I can't imagine my life withoutit.
At this point, you might bethinking well, corey, that's a
cult or that's.
It's not anything like that.
And if it is, that's fine, I'ma part of it and I'm okay with
that.
So you know, it's interestingbecause the ebbs and flows of my
(10:00):
recovery have been positive ina lot of ways and been dark in a
lot of ways, and what Irealized is that recovery is not
.
There's no finish line torecovery.
It's not a box that you check.
For me, it's a daily commitment.
What do I mean by that?
(10:21):
I send out a gratitude list toabout 125 or 30 people every day
, and I do that, as I'vementioned in the last podcast,
because I'm not typically asuper grateful person, but today
I am very grateful that I getto sit here with you and talk
about some of the struggles.
(10:42):
And not every day is a greatday.
Some days I do feel great,clear, I feel grounded, and then
other days I struggle with thesame thoughts I thought I'd left
behind.
You know, we don't.
We say we're recovered, werecover from the drink, but we
(11:06):
still have, you know, we'restill human and we still deal
with ourselves.
And the difference now is thatI have a community and I have
tools that I can use and I havestructure and that's all
progress.
But I need those things in mylife because it's important for
(11:28):
me.
Because it's important for meand I'll be honest, you know
that time, those years that Iwas sober, I was basically
California sober Dude, I wasmiserable and they call that a
dry drunk, and I wasn't drinking, but I was so angry I was still
(11:59):
unbelievably controlling andreactive and unbelievably
selfish, and really it wasn'tuntil I really dove deep into
the emotional side of recovery,into the steps.
That's really when thingsstarted to shift, being in a
state of mind where you're notdrinking but you're acting like
(12:23):
the same exact douchebag.
And I'll say that for myself,because that's exactly what I
was, I was controlling, I wasemotional.
I was emotional, I wassensitive.
I felt like everybody was outto get me.
I was a victim and I don't likebeing a victim.
(12:43):
I didn't like the person in themirror.
In fact, I hated the person inthe mirror.
In fact, I hated the person inthe mirror.
And one of the things thatattracted me about the program
is the promises of recovery andthe big book talks about that,
(13:05):
and I didn't believe that Ideserved the promises.
Personally, I didn't evenbelieve that they were possible
for me.
But slowly, slowly, thosepromises started to come true
(13:25):
for me.
And we say, sometimes slowly,sometimes quickly, I didn't, you
know, I wasn't working at thetime.
Like I said before, I wasbehind on everything.
My marriage was completelyfalling apart and those things
didn't repair overnight.
In fact, some of them didn'trepair at all.
(13:48):
And that's okay, that's Goddoing for me what I can't do for
myself.
And I don't regret the pastanymore.
I've learned to look at thosepast experiences and face life
head on.
You know I've built I shouldsay rebuilt relationships that I
(14:14):
thought were gone forever.
You know I have a job that I'mproud of.
I have relationships today in acommunity that I can depend on.
I just reached out to one of myguys just this morning and I
said hey, man, I need your helpSaturday morning to move.
She's like no problem, dude, Igot you.
(14:34):
What else do you need?
What time do I need to be there?
I said you realize howimportant that is when you've
got people in your corner.
I had another guy text me lastnight in the industry.
His name is Todd Lyles.
He said hey, man, I just wantedto check to see how the podcast
(14:57):
was going.
I said oh, I'm getting greatfeedback.
What makes you ask?
And Todd said Corey, I'm askingbecause I care and that's
recovery.
Todd's not in recovery.
But it's things like that thatwhen people reach out and say
(15:20):
they're just reaching outbecause they care.
I didn't have that in my life.
They're just reaching outbecause they care.
I didn't have that in my life.
I didn't have that in my lifewhen I was not going.
You know, when I wasn'tactively in recovery, I didn't
have people that cared.
I didn't have people to reachout and ask me how I was doing.
And guess what?
I certainly didn't reach outand ask how other people were
doing, because I didn't caredoing because I didn't care.
(15:55):
And so there is so much power inrecovery and I'm so grateful
today that, no matter reallywhat happens in my life, I have
a plan.
I have a way to get through it,whether that be call one of my
buddies, edward, whether it becall my sponsor, charlie and
those people are so important inmy life or Tim B he's been
(16:19):
tremendous support for me intimes that I really needed the
support.
That guy spent more time withme just walking me through
things that I couldn't getthrough myself.
These people care, theyabsolutely care about how I'm
doing, which feels crazy to mebecause I never really had that.
(16:46):
And so right now, if you'relistening to this and you're
feeling alone, you're not alone.
If you're struggling inrecovery, you're not broken.
The path isn't always clean andit's certainly not easy, but
(17:10):
it's real and it really works.
So, whatever stage you're inright now, whether it's you're
just starting out, you've justrelapsed, you're rebuilding.
We're doing this togetherbecause somebody did this for me
(17:30):
, which is the reason that I'mwanting to change.
I'm not wanting.
I am changing the direction ofthe podcast because I want
people to hear this andhopefully it helps them to make
a decision and listen.
You're just one decision awayfrom a better life.
You're also one decision awayfrom a worse life, and I don't
(17:57):
want you to have thesestruggling days.
I don't want you to wake uptomorrow morning with a hangover
or stay up all night doingdrugs and hearing the birds
chirping and it being a terriblesound.
Now I get to wake up and Ienjoy to hear the birds.
(18:19):
As I mentioned in the lastpodcast, I wake up really early
because I like that quiet timeas part of my routine, and I can
tell you the promises that havecome through for me.
I'm almost debt-free, gettingready to sell my house and
(18:41):
finalize my divorce, which hasbeen a pain, and so, as I
mentioned earlier, sometimesrelationships don't rebuild and
sometimes that's the best thingthat could ever happen to you.
You know, when I first gotseparated, I was in such shock I
(19:03):
didn't really know.
I was so egotistical.
(19:24):
It was a shock to me thatthings went the way they did.
But because of this program,because of the people in my life
, it's allowed me theopportunity to have a successful
life, and success today, as mybuddy, todd Lyles, mentioned
yesterday, it's not the pursuitof happiness and I've gotten it
all wrong, because I did thinkit was the pursuit of happiness.
He pointed out it's the pursuitof peace and joy.
And he's right.
(19:47):
And I'm no longer chasingsuccess the way I was, because
I'm happy.
I'm a really happy person, I'mreally happy with my life and
there's no way I could have thatlevel of happiness without
these steps and without thepeople in the community.
(20:08):
And so if you're listening tothis and there's something I've
said today that makes sense orrings a bell or you can see
yourself in this position,here's what I'll tell you
there's a better way.
There's a better way to live asuccessful life than struggling
(20:28):
with drugs and alcohol.
There's not really any way, inmy opinion, to live a successful
life if you're struggling withdrugs and alcohol.
And I know, even if you're notdrinking but you're not working
a program, it's the same thingin my opinion.
You know, I had a guy come inlast night to the meeting this
(20:50):
was so cool actually Came intothe meeting and he hasn't been
to a meeting in almost a yearand I know right where that guy
is at because I was there.
I was in that same torturousmindset.
It's like you're trapped inyour own mind and you can't get
(21:10):
out.
And, believe me, I tried everyway to feel better, to be happy,
and I couldn't do it withoutthe steps, without recovery.
And again, this may not be foryou but I can tell you for me
it's changed my entire life.
It's given me a life beyondimagination.
(21:35):
Like I wake up every day lookingforward to the day.
I can't say that that's alwaysbeen the case.
I can't say that I've alwayslooked forward to it, because
there were many days, manynights and many years.
I didn't even want to wake upin the morning Because I was
(21:58):
miserable.
But today I look forward towaking up.
I look forward to getting agood night's sleep.
I look forward to waking up.
I look forward to getting agood night's sleep.
I look forward to working out.
I look forward to being ofservice to another alcoholic or
drug addict.
I enjoy going and being ofservice to other people.
(22:21):
I enjoy going to the treatmentcenters and talking to people
that are just brand new, thattheir head is just throbbing
with all the anxieties that I'vebeen through.
And there's a better way to dothis.
And I would encourage you toreach out to somebody today If
(22:45):
you have questions about this,out of respect of the program.
I'm not going to mention theprogram that I'm in, but you can
read between the lines andfigure it out.
And if you reach out to me, youcan go to my website.
You can go toSuccessfulLifePodcastcom.
You can send me a message.
I'll happily talk with you.
You can follow me on Instagramand Facebook.
(23:07):
I'm not great about gettingmessages back, but I'll do my
best.
But if you're struggling today,reach out.
I'll put you in touch withsomeone.
I'll have a conversation withyou.
My goal here is to share asmuch as I possibly can about my
journey, so maybe it'll helpsomebody else, and I'm really
(23:29):
grateful for you listening today.
I'm really grateful that youchose to spend this time with me
and if there's someone that youknow is struggling, share this
with them If you think it'llhelp.
And I appreciate each and everyone of you for listening.
(23:49):
I appreciate the time that youspend with me.
It's very important and I'mvery grateful for that.
I appreciate you all.
I'll see you next Friday.
Welcome to the Successful Life Podcast.
I'm your host, Corey Berrier.
Today, we're going to talkabout recovery, discipline, and
building a successful life thatlasts.
Today I'm going to share a bitof truth, it's going to be a bit
(00:22):
raw about my addiction,process, and share some things
about how I struggled throughthe darkest times of my life.
And you know, for me, addictionisn't just about, it's not about
(00:59):
just using.
For me, it was about escaping.
It was a way to run fromreality, from the pain, from
myself.
And the problem is, no matterwhere I go, I take me with me.
So wherever I show up, I'mstill there.
I can't really escape from me.
(01:21):
You know I used to wake upanxious and foggy and angry, and
then I'd reach for the samething that created the problem,
which was drugs and alcohol, andthere's a level of emptiness
that comes with that.
You know, you feel, I know, forme, I felt like a shell of a
(01:44):
person and I kept trying to, youknow, fill that void, if you
will, with something that didn'treally work.
You know, alcohol was mysolution, drugs were my solution
to the problem, and the problemwas me.
(02:07):
And you can't.
I couldn't solve my problem ofme through putting substances in
my body.
I tried every way possible.
You know, when I startedworking the 12 steps, you know I
didn't trust the process.
In fact I was skeptical.
I was so full of pride and Iwas also scared.
(02:28):
But what the steps did for meis it stripped away the lies
that I was telling myself.
And the lies run deep, eyes rundeep and listen.
(02:53):
I'm telling you this storybecause there's so much pain in
addiction.
There's so much pain trying torun from yourself.
And the truth is I tried everyway possible to do this without
the 12 steps and I couldn't doit.
(03:13):
Now you could be different andyou may not subscribe to the 12
steps of recovery, but it's theonly thing that's kept me sober
and it's the thing that's givenme such a joy in my own life.
It's given me an opportunity tolook at the things that I
(03:34):
didn't want to look at.
Now I'm not saying that it'seasy because it's not.
Believe me.
When you have to look at thethings that you've done in
addiction, it is painful thepain that you caused other
people, the shame, the guilt,the discontent.
(03:54):
You know a lot of people saywhen you go back out after
you've been sober for a littlewhile, that you may not make it
back, and here's my perspectiveon that.
I always thought, you know, thedrink will never kill me, the
(04:17):
drug will never kill me.
That could be different now,because there's fentanyl and
everything, and so you'd reallyrun a much higher risk now of
getting a bad batch of whateverit is you're doing.
But I'll tell you, for me, whatalmost killed me was the guilt
(04:44):
and the shame and the remorse ofhaving to come back in to the
rooms.
It's so embarrassing to have togo pick up a white chip.
At least that's what I thought.
But picking up that white chipfor me was very humbling after
(05:08):
being out for a long time.
You know, I haven't drank in along time, but the drink is not
the problem.
I was the problem, and eventhough I haven't drank in almost
16 years, you know about seven,eight, nine years ago now, as I
mentioned before, I startedsmoking weed.
(05:29):
No big deal, it's natural.
Blah, blah, blah, blah, blah,blah, and I slowly burnt my life
to the ground.
I slowly destroyed my marriage,destroyed my finances, finances
.
We were behind on everythingand I was so egotistical, I was
(05:54):
so prideful that I wouldn't evenconsider going back and working
the 12 steps until one day andI've mentioned this several
times on here because it was apivotal point in my life In 2022
, I went down to a conferencecalled RoofCon and I met a guy
(06:17):
named Eric Obrant, and Ericdidn't know I was smoking weed
at the time because I didn'ttell him, of course.
And Eric didn't know I wassmoking weed at the time because
I didn't tell him, of course.
And this is a God thing, in myopinion.
I met Eric and Eric's kind of acrass guy.
He'll just tell you how it is,whether he knows you or whether
he doesn't.
He's kind of a, you know.
(06:42):
He kind of just doesn't give anF and he'll tell you that.
And Eric looked at me after Itold him I wasn't coming back
into the rooms, that I wasn'tworking the steps.
He just looked at me, dead inmy eye, and he was like you know
, maybe, corey, this is notabout you.
(07:03):
And here's the issue is, I madeit all about me, and when Eric
said that to me, he was right.
I was so selfish, soself-centered, I couldn't even
see that what was given to mefreely in the program that I
(07:26):
wasn't given that back, I wasn'tshowing up, I wasn't going to
meetings, I wasn't doing thethings that I knew I should be
doing.
But it's so crazy because atthe time I was so prideful and I
was so set on my ways that Ididn't even consider going back
and doing the program until hesaid that to me and the very
(07:50):
next day, which was a Sunday, aSaturday when he told me this, I
drove back to Raleigh fromFlorida and I went to a meeting.
And if that guy hadn't havesaid that to me in the way that
he said it, I don't think I'd behere today talking to you with
(08:10):
the story that I have.
And I'm no one special, I don'thave a unique story.
Sometimes we just have tolisten to people when they speak
, because God speaks throughpeople and Eric Obram, that day
God spoke through because Iheard it.
(08:31):
And so I started going back tomeetings.
As I mentioned, I was a disastermentally, emotionally,
physically.
I was so depressed.
Emotionally, physically, I wasso depressed.
I didn't know what to do withmyself, and so I started going
back into the rooms begrudgingly, because I had told the story
(08:53):
to myself over and over thatthis was not the way I was going
to do this, and here's the keyI this is not about me.
I this is about how I can helpother people, and that's the
(09:14):
point of the show now is I hope,when people hear this, that
they can maybe see themselves inthis same situation, and maybe
it sparks some sort of thoughtor some sort of reason to take
an action to get back intorecovery, because it's changed
(09:36):
my entire life.
I can't imagine my life withoutit.
At this point, you might bethinking well, corey, that's a
cult or that's.
It's not anything like that.
And if it is, that's fine, I'ma part of it and I'm okay with
that.
So you know, it's interestingbecause the ebbs and flows of my
(10:00):
recovery have been positive ina lot of ways and been dark in a
lot of ways, and what Irealized is that recovery is not
.
There's no finish line torecovery.
It's not a box that you check.
For me, it's a daily commitment.
What do I mean by that?
(10:21):
I send out a gratitude list toabout 125 or 30 people every day
, and I do that, as I'vementioned in the last podcast,
because I'm not typically asuper grateful person, but today
I am very grateful that I getto sit here with you and talk
about some of the struggles.
(10:42):
And not every day is a greatday.
Some days I do feel great,clear, I feel grounded, and then
other days I struggle with thesame thoughts I thought I'd left
behind.
You know, we don't.
We say we're recovered, werecover from the drink, but we
(11:06):
still have, you know, we'restill human and we still deal
with ourselves.
And the difference now is thatI have a community and I have
tools that I can use and I havestructure and that's all
progress.
But I need those things in mylife because it's important for
(11:28):
me.
Because it's important for meand I'll be honest, you know
that time, those years that Iwas sober, I was basically
California sober Dude, I wasmiserable and they call that a
dry drunk, and I wasn't drinking, but I was so angry I was still
(11:59):
unbelievably controlling andreactive and unbelievably
selfish, and really it wasn'tuntil I really dove deep into
the emotional side of recovery,into the steps.
That's really when thingsstarted to shift, being in a
state of mind where you're notdrinking but you're acting like
(12:23):
the same exact douchebag.
And I'll say that for myself,because that's exactly what I
was, I was controlling, I wasemotional.
I was emotional, I wassensitive.
I felt like everybody was outto get me.
I was a victim and I don't likebeing a victim.
(12:43):
I didn't like the person in themirror.
In fact, I hated the person inthe mirror.
In fact, I hated the person inthe mirror.
And one of the things thatattracted me about the program
is the promises of recovery andthe big book talks about that,
(13:05):
and I didn't believe that Ideserved the promises.
Personally, I didn't evenbelieve that they were possible
for me.
But slowly, slowly, thosepromises started to come true
(13:25):
for me.
And we say, sometimes slowly,sometimes quickly, I didn't, you
know, I wasn't working at thetime.
Like I said before, I wasbehind on everything.
My marriage was completelyfalling apart and those things
didn't repair overnight.
In fact, some of them didn'trepair at all.
(13:48):
And that's okay, that's Goddoing for me what I can't do for
myself.
And I don't regret the pastanymore.
I've learned to look at thosepast experiences and face life
head on.
You know I've built I shouldsay rebuilt relationships that I
(14:14):
thought were gone forever.
You know I have a job that I'mproud of.
I have relationships today in acommunity that I can depend on.
I just reached out to one of myguys just this morning and I
said hey, man, I need your helpSaturday morning to move.
She's like no problem, dude, Igot you.
(14:34):
What else do you need?
What time do I need to be there?
I said you realize howimportant that is when you've
got people in your corner.
I had another guy text me lastnight in the industry.
His name is Todd Lyles.
He said hey, man, I just wantedto check to see how the podcast
(14:57):
was going.
I said oh, I'm getting greatfeedback.
What makes you ask?
And Todd said Corey, I'm askingbecause I care and that's
recovery.
Todd's not in recovery.
But it's things like that thatwhen people reach out and say
(15:20):
they're just reaching outbecause they care.
I didn't have that in my life.
They're just reaching outbecause they care.
I didn't have that in my life.
I didn't have that in my lifewhen I was not going.
You know, when I wasn'tactively in recovery, I didn't
have people that cared.
I didn't have people to reachout and ask me how I was doing.
And guess what?
I certainly didn't reach outand ask how other people were
doing, because I didn't caredoing because I didn't care.
(15:55):
And so there is so much power inrecovery and I'm so grateful
today that, no matter reallywhat happens in my life, I have
a plan.
I have a way to get through it,whether that be call one of my
buddies, edward, whether it becall my sponsor, charlie and
those people are so important inmy life or Tim B he's been
(16:19):
tremendous support for me intimes that I really needed the
support.
That guy spent more time withme just walking me through
things that I couldn't getthrough myself.
These people care, theyabsolutely care about how I'm
doing, which feels crazy to mebecause I never really had that.
(16:46):
And so right now, if you'relistening to this and you're
feeling alone, you're not alone.
If you're struggling inrecovery, you're not broken.
The path isn't always clean andit's certainly not easy, but
(17:10):
it's real and it really works.
So, whatever stage you're inright now, whether it's you're
just starting out, you've justrelapsed, you're rebuilding.
We're doing this togetherbecause somebody did this for me
(17:30):
, which is the reason that I'mwanting to change.
I'm not wanting.
I am changing the direction ofthe podcast because I want
people to hear this andhopefully it helps them to make
a decision and listen.
You're just one decision awayfrom a better life.
You're also one decision awayfrom a worse life, and I don't
(17:57):
want you to have thesestruggling days.
I don't want you to wake uptomorrow morning with a hangover
or stay up all night doingdrugs and hearing the birds
chirping and it being a terriblesound.
Now I get to wake up and Ienjoy to hear the birds.
(18:19):
As I mentioned in the lastpodcast, I wake up really early
because I like that quiet timeas part of my routine, and I can
tell you the promises that havecome through for me.
I'm almost debt-free, gettingready to sell my house and
(18:41):
finalize my divorce, which hasbeen a pain, and so, as I
mentioned earlier, sometimesrelationships don't rebuild and
sometimes that's the best thingthat could ever happen to you.
You know, when I first gotseparated, I was in such shock I
(19:03):
didn't really know.
I was so egotistical.
(19:24):
It was a shock to me thatthings went the way they did.
But because of this program,because of the people in my life
, it's allowed me theopportunity to have a successful
life, and success today, as mybuddy, todd Lyles, mentioned
yesterday, it's not the pursuitof happiness and I've gotten it
all wrong, because I did thinkit was the pursuit of happiness.
He pointed out it's the pursuitof peace and joy.
And he's right.
(19:47):
And I'm no longer chasingsuccess the way I was, because
I'm happy.
I'm a really happy person, I'mreally happy with my life and
there's no way I could have thatlevel of happiness without
these steps and without thepeople in the community.
(20:08):
And so if you're listening tothis and there's something I've
said today that makes sense orrings a bell or you can see
yourself in this position,here's what I'll tell you
there's a better way.
There's a better way to live asuccessful life than struggling
(20:28):
with drugs and alcohol.
There's not really any way, inmy opinion, to live a successful
life if you're struggling withdrugs and alcohol.
And I know, even if you're notdrinking but you're not working
a program, it's the same thingin my opinion.
You know, I had a guy come inlast night to the meeting this
(20:50):
was so cool actually Came intothe meeting and he hasn't been
to a meeting in almost a yearand I know right where that guy
is at because I was there.
I was in that same torturousmindset.
It's like you're trapped inyour own mind and you can't get
(21:10):
out.
And, believe me, I tried everyway to feel better, to be happy,
and I couldn't do it withoutthe steps, without recovery.
And again, this may not be foryou but I can tell you for me
it's changed my entire life.
It's given me a life beyondimagination.
(21:35):
Like I wake up every day lookingforward to the day.
I can't say that that's alwaysbeen the case.
I can't say that I've alwayslooked forward to it, because
there were many days, manynights and many years.
I didn't even want to wake upin the morning Because I was
(21:58):
miserable.
But today I look forward towaking up.
I look forward to getting agood night's sleep.
I look forward to waking up.
I look forward to getting agood night's sleep.
I look forward to working out.
I look forward to being ofservice to another alcoholic or
drug addict.
I enjoy going and being ofservice to other people.
(22:21):
I enjoy going to the treatmentcenters and talking to people
that are just brand new, thattheir head is just throbbing
with all the anxieties that I'vebeen through.
And there's a better way to dothis.
And I would encourage you toreach out to somebody today If
(22:45):
you have questions about this,out of respect of the program.
I'm not going to mention theprogram that I'm in, but you can
read between the lines andfigure it out.
And if you reach out to me, youcan go to my website.
You can go toSuccessfulLifePodcastcom.
You can send me a message.
I'll happily talk with you.
You can follow me on Instagramand Facebook.
(23:07):
I'm not great about gettingmessages back, but I'll do my
best.
But if you're struggling today,reach out.
I'll put you in touch withsomeone.
I'll have a conversation withyou.
My goal here is to share asmuch as I possibly can about my
journey, so maybe it'll helpsomebody else, and I'm really
(23:29):
grateful for you listening today.
I'm really grateful that youchose to spend this time with me
and if there's someone that youknow is struggling, share this
with them If you think it'llhelp.
And I appreciate each and everyone of you for listening.
(23:49):
I appreciate the time that youspend with me.
It's very important and I'mvery grateful for that.
I appreciate you all.
I'll see you next Friday.
Popular Podcasts
Stuff You Should Know
If you've ever wanted to know about champagne, satanism, the Stonewall Uprising, chaos theory, LSD, El Nino, true crime and Rosa Parks, then look no further. Josh and Chuck have you covered.
24/7 News: The Latest
The latest news in 4 minutes updated every hour, every day.
Dateline NBC
Current and classic episodes, featuring compelling true-crime mysteries, powerful documentaries and in-depth investigations. Follow now to get the latest episodes of Dateline NBC completely free, or subscribe to Dateline Premium for ad-free listening and exclusive bonus content: DatelinePremium.com