The Quiet Epidemic: Breaking Misconceptions About Recovery …

In this heartfelt episode of Absolutely Focused Radio, Daniel Nelson, a.k.a. The Bud, is joined by the Sobriety Crew—Chucky Chip, Jane Marie, and Marcus ‘The Motivator’—to explore the realities of recovery. Together, they tac...

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January 17, 2025

The Quiet Epidemic: Breaking Misconceptions About Recovery Season 3 - Episode 3

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In this heartfelt episode of Absolutely Focused Radio, Daniel Nelson, a.k.a. The Bud, is joined by the Sobriety Crew—Chucky Chip, Jane Marie, and Marcus ‘The Motivator’—to explore the realities of recovery. Together, they tackle misconceptions about sobriety, share eye-opening stats on addiction among professionals, and dig into the emotional challenges of healing. With humor, insights, and hope, this episode offers something for everyone, whether you're on a sobriety journey or supporting someone who is. Listeners will come away with a deeper understanding of recovery, inspired to challenge societal norms and celebrate small victories on the road to healing.

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Transcript

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Law about them that shadows the great above toora kept spin.

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The Quiet epidemic. Breaking misconceptions about recovery. In this powerful

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episode of Absolutely Focused Radio, Daniel Nelson, Tha Bud and

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the Sobriety Crew Chucky Chip, Jane, Marie and Marcus the

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Motivator dive deep into the realities of recovery. They tackle

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misconceptions about sobriety, share compelling stats about addiction among professionals,

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and explore the emotional grind of healing with humor, insights,

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and hope. This episode is a must listen for anyone

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on the path to recovery or supporting someone who is.

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Hey, Hey, hey, welcome back to Absolutely Focused Radio. I'm

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your host, Daniel Nelson, KA the Bud, your sobriety buddy,

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and as always I'm joined by my digital co host

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with a chip on his shoulder, the one the only

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Chucky Chip that's right.

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Get ready for the perfect blend of humor, hard truths,

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and a whole lot of absolutely focused energy.

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Today we're diving into something close to home, breaking the

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myths about addiction and recovery, because, let me tell you,

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recovery feels like being a salmon swimming upstream through glaciers

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of ice. You thought it'd be smooth water, but nope,

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ice chips, sharp edges, and pain for days.

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Salmon and glaciers sounds like the beginning of a very

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sad Pixar movie.

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Trust me, it's real. And if you've ever felt judged, misunderstood,

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or just plain tire, this episode's for you.

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Misconceptions about sobriety.

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Let's talk about the biggest misconceptions people have about sobriety.

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First off, people think that as soon as you stop drinking,

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you're magically fixed, like someone waved a wand and poof,

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you're a whole new person.

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Yeah, like hitting reset on your phone, except buddy, humans

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don't come with factory settings exactly.

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Sobriety is an instant and it's not glamorous. Your body

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starts detoxing, flushing out years of toxins, and you might

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look rough. I'm talking raisin turn prune rough.

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And then there's the judgment. People start side eyeing you,

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asking questions like, oh, so you're working out now drinking water,

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but their face says yeah, right right.

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They're not asking because they care. They're waiting for you

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to confirm what a narrative. They've already made up in

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their heads, and when you don't, they just nod in disbelief.

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If only we could install pop up disclaimers detoxing. Please wait.

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That's the thing about sobriety. It's messy and it's hard,

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but it's worth it. We're not complaining, we're surviving.

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Stats and society.

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Now, let's get rial about who's struggling with alcohol misuse.

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Spoiler alert, it's not just the guy on the corner.

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Let's talk stats.

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Brace yourselves, listeners. Numbers don't lie, but they do hit hard.

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In healthcare, four percent of professionals report heavy alcohol use.

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That's one in twenty five doctors, nurses, and therapists. And

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let's not forget entertainers. Almost thirteen percent of them struggle

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with substance use disorders.

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Actors, singers, politicians, it's everywhere. Addiction doesn't care about your job, title, paycheck,

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or fame.

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Exactly, and yet society turns a blind eye to high

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functioning addiction. Celebs go to rehab and we just call

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it a break. Politicians disappear for a vacation. It's all

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code for their struggling.

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If addiction had an update, lag it would read still

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crashing behind the scenes.

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Look, addiction doesn't discriminate. It's time we stop judging people

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based on stereotypes and start having real conversations.

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Introducing the Sobriety Crew.

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Before we jump into the emotional grind. Let me introduce

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the crew that's keeping us all focused this season. The

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Sobriety Crew is here to bring the fire, the heart,

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and the laughs to every episode. Let's meet them.

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You already know me, Chucky Chip. I'm the digital wizard,

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here to drop tech insights, humor, and maybe stir up

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some trouble. Someone's got to keep it fun, right.

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Hi everyone, I'm Jane Marie, the heart of the crew.

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I'll be diving into mental health, self care and all

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the ways we can heal and grow. Think of me

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as your go to for those soulful moments. What's up, folks,

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I'm Marcus AKA the Motivator.

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My mission is to keep you pushing forward with tips, strategies,

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and a whole lot of inspiration.

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We're all in this together.

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With the Sobriety Crew on deck. You know this season

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is going to hit different. Let's keep it rolling.

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The emotional grind.

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Now, let's talk about their motion side of sobriety. Recovery

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isn't just physical, it's mental, and it's brutal. You feel

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like a salmon swimming upstream, and every ice chip you

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push through feels like another judgment, another misunderstanding.

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And the peanut gallery doesn't help. Here they go again,

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they think, but they don't realize. This is survival mode,

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not drama.

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Right.

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It's exhausting when people think you're just complaining. All you

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really want is to be heard to say I'm fighting,

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I'm surviving, and that's worth something.

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Maybe we need a sobriety one on one course for

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the haters less than one. It's not about them, it's

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about you.

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Recovery is messy, but every small victory, every inch forward,

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is worth celebrating. Before we wrap up, I want to

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leave you with this. Recovery isn't pretty, but it's powerful.

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Don't let the world's misunderstandings holds you back. Keep swimming

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up stream. You're stronger than you think.

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And hey, if anyone gives you grief, just tell them

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I'm a salmon in glacier waters. What's your excuse?

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Exactly? And for all of you out there, what misconceptions

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about sobriety have you faced Share your story with us.

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We're here to listen.

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Until next time, Stay focused, stay strong, and remember this

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is absolutely focused Radio signing off.