Need recovery support while on the go? Here are eight of the best addiction recovery podcasts around.
Recovery does not end with sobriety or even rehab, so it’s important to take advantage of resources that can help you maintain a substance-free future. For many, one incredibly helpful resource are podcasts. These radio-style chats are perfect for even the busiest lifestyle and can be listened to in the comfort of your own home or on the go.
Recovery podcasts are usually hosted by people who have experienced drug or alcohol addiction and decided to share their experiences and tips with others. Peer support is invaluable throughout recovery, so hearing the stories of others is always beneficial. If you don’t know where to begin your listening experience, here are eight of the best addiction recovery podcasts we’ve found.
1. The Bubble Hour
The Bubble Hour invites listeners to share their stories of recovery from alcohol addiction. Each week, host Jean McCarthy holds space for a guest to tell their truth, and together they explore topics relative to recovery. Now in its seventh season, The Bubble Hour has hundreds of archived episodes as a resource for those seeking sobriety-related content.
Jean has been sober since 2011 and was awarded the 2017 Hope Award from SheRecovers for her achievements in recovery advocacy. She writes the blog UnPickled from her home in Alberta, Canada.
“My involvement in The Bubble Hour is as much a part of my own recovery as it is a service to others,” says McCarthy. “I can’t honestly tell you who benefits more; me, the listeners, or the guests. It’s a win/win/win situation. Something magical happens when people tell their stories.”
2. Busy Living Sober
Elizabeth (Bizzy) Chance is in long-term recovery and has been sober for over a decade. After being trained as a recovery coach and starting her own practice, she decided that seeing clients one-on-one wasn’t for her. Her dream of wanting to help people using the communication skills she learned in college resulted in Busy Living Sober, a podcast with the mission of “giving people an opportunity to listen, learn and live a sober lifestyle without shame while having fun.”
The Busy Living Sober podcast is designed to support the broad ecosystem of people impacted by addiction — including friends, families and co-workers. Their recovery support content is readily available online, allowing access to anyone from anywhere, at any time.
3. The Addicted Mind Podcast
The Addicted Mind Podcast is about understanding addiction, its impact and the latest treatment options available. This podcast aims to create an environment of compassion for individuals caught in the destructive grip of the addictive process. It works to deliver real hope to people who are suffering from addiction’s painful impact.
The podcast dives into what drives the addictive process, explores the latest research on addiction and talks about the latest addiction treatment options. They also explore what recovery from addiction looks like from a variety of different people who have helped others or have overcome addiction themselves.
Addiction has been a part of host Duane Osterlind’s life from the age of seventeen. He went to inpatient rehab for depression and teen substance abuse, and receiving intensive help at this young age was a crucial moment in his life. As he gained support, developed new skills, and began to understand addiction, his depression lifted and drugs and alcohol became less critical in his life. That experience had a profound effect on his life and the work he does today. Addiction creates so much pain for so many people, and Duane wants people to know that there is help and support — that people do get better.
4. ODAAT Chat Podcast
The ODAAT Chat Podcast is about recovery from alcoholism, drug addiction, sobriety and the journey of recovery, community and healing. Guests tell their stories of what it was like, what happened and where they are now. The recovery stories they share are inspiring, funny and touching, providing hope to help others feel like they are not alone.
Host Arlina has been clean and sober since April 23, 1994, and is dedicated to passing on the insights, tools and teachings that have helped her on her recovery journey. Having been transformed through the love and kindness of others, Arlina feels compelled to pass along the solutions that saved her from isolation and suffering.
5. The Sober Guy Podcast
Host Shane Ramer is in recovery from alcohol. He interviews a mix of celebrity guests and everyday people who have experienced addiction or felt the impact of drug or alcohol use. He focuses on living a positive, healthy and sober lifestyle, and uses his podcast as a platform for sharing inspiration with others who want to live the same way.
Shane battled a 17-year alcohol and drug addiction before seeking treatment in 2013. Less than a year later, he started That Sober Guy Podcast as a way to allow others to share their experiences and bring light to a topic that so many find difficult to talk about. Today, TSG is one of the top recovery podcasts, with millions of downloads across multiple continents.
6. Breaking Free: Your Recovery. Your Way
The Breaking Free podcast discusses everything it means to be in addiction recovery and thrive independently. Through lively discussions based on lived experiences, research and experts in the field, the hosts unpack the ways recovery has been limited. That could be stigmatizing language, disordered eating, the impact of diet culture, trauma, unhealthy relationships and boundaries. They also host interviews with experts on topics like sex, recovery from trauma, boundaries, Latinx culture, recovery and harm reduction.
The podcast is passionate about people — both in recovery and seeking recovery — being free of the shame and the limitations that culture places upon them. Co-hosts Liv and Tiffany want to empower people to reclaim their identities and be proud of how they identify, the recovery they choose and their wellness goals. The Breaking Free podcast empowers listeners to reclaim their identity, their process of recovery and their wellness, so they can live a more fulfilled, free, and self-directed life.
7. A Sober Girls Guide
After trying to get sober for nearly 10 years, Jessica Jeboult is now a Sober Girl. Each week on her podcast, Jessica has honest conversations with guests about mental health, self-development, wellness and spirituality, discussing how they influence each guest’s unique recovery journey. Inspired by her own recovery and wellness journey, Jessica’s mission is to provide listeners with the tools, guidance and motivation to help them navigate through their recovery and personal growth.
This hilariously witty and casual approach to an otherwise daunting subject is sure to give you some solid tips and tricks for getting and staying sober. A Sober Girls Guide provides a community for sober, like-minded women in recovery around the world.
8. Recovery Happy Hour
Tricia Lewis quit drinking alcohol in November 2016 and hasn’t looked back since. She hosts and produces Recovery Happy Hour, a podcast that celebrates inspiring stories of recovery from alcohol addiction and misuse. On her podcast, Tricia discusses life beyond the bottle and what happens after we get sober. Tricia is also the co-founder of Sober by Southwest, a sober music event in Austin, Texas.
Tricia believes people in recovery can’t do it alone. She provides a platform for people to share their stories of recovery and prove that life doesn’t end after you quit drinking. By listening to addiction podcasts, she learned she wasn’t alone in her struggle and it gave her the courage to seek true recovery. Recovery Happy Hour pays that effort forward, publishing weekly episodes that help other people learn that they’re not alone either.
These podcasts are regular, inspirational reminders that recovery is possible and you won’t have to do it alone. If you’re struggling to find sobriety or maintain your own recovery, The Recovery Village can help. Contact us today to learn more about a treatment plan that could work for you and your needs.
The Recovery Village aims to improve the quality of life for people struggling with substance use or mental health disorder with fact-based content about the nature of behavioral health conditions, treatment options and their related outcomes. We publish material that is researched, cited, edited and reviewed by licensed medical professionals. The information we provide is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. It should not be used in place of the advice of your physician or other qualified healthcare providers.