Recovery isn’t always a clean, upward trajectory — and most people don’t talk about what happens when it isn’t. This episode cracks open the shame, stigma, and complexity that surface when long-term sobriety takes a detour.
William C. Moyers is the Vice President of Public Affairs at Hazelden Betty Ford and the author of Broken: My Story of Addiction and Redemption. In this conversation, he opens up about a rarely shared chapter of his recovery — one that tested his identity, sparked unexpected shame, and forced him to reexamine what long-term sobriety really looks like.
Key Takeaways...
🔹 Redefining Relapse: Why recovery isn’t linear — and how we can reframe slips without erasing progress, identity, or self-worth.
🔹 The Weight of Perfectionism: How the pressure to be a “model” of healing can silence honesty and deepen internalized shame.
🔹 When Shame Returns: What happens when long-term recovery collides with stigma, secrecy, and unmet expectations.
🔹 The Evolution of Sobriety: Why what once worked may stop working — and how true recovery means learning to adapt, not perform.
🔹 Family Systems & Codependency: How generational roles and emotional entanglements can follow us into adulthood — and what it takes to break free.
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