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The One You Feed

The Truth About 12-Step Programs: What No One Tells You with Arlina Allen

The One You Feed

iHeartPodcasts

Education, Self-improvement, Religion & Spirituality, Health & Fitness, Buddhism, Mental Health

4.6 • 2.5K Ratings

🗓️ 18 February 2025

⏱️ 71 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

In this episode, Arlina Allen explores the truth about 12-step programs and dives deep into the common misconceptions, barriers, and unexpected benefits. Arlina shares her personal journey from resistance to transformation, highlighting how reframing common challenges—like the language of “character defects” and the concept of powerlessness—can make the 12 steps a powerful tool for healing.

Key Takeaways:

  • [01:06] – Why 12-Step Programs Are So Misunderstood

  • [05:00] – Reframing the Good Wolf vs. Bad Wolf Parable

  • [07:22] – The Problem with “Character Defects”

  • [15:46] – The Illusion of Moderation: Can You Control Your Drinking?

  • [25:14] – Why 12-Step Programs Get a Bad Reputation

  • [28:46] – Rethinking the Role of God in Recovery

  • [37:35] – Why Words Like “Alcoholic” Can Be Both Useful & Limiting

  • [46:31] – The 12 Steps as a Structured Path to Change

  • [50:49] – The 4th Step: Why Looking at Ourselves is So Hard

  • [54:28] – Is AA a Cult? Debunking the Myth

For full show notes, click here!

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A Journey to Sobriety with Laura Cathcart Robbins

How to Embrace Sobriety with Gillian Tietz

Connect with the show:

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Transcript

Click on a timestamp to play from that location

0:00.0

Anytime we get triggered or angered, that is a sign or a place that is covering a wound.

0:06.9

And so we need to sort of bring that to the light and process our feelings to resolution so that we no longer carry them.

0:17.1

Welcome to the one you feed. Throughout time, great thinkers have recognized the importance of the thoughts we have. Quotes like garbage in, garbage out, or you are what you think, ring true. And yet, for many of us, our thoughts don't strengthen or empower us.

0:42.0

We tend toward negativity, self-pity, jealousy, or fear.

0:45.0

We see what we don't have instead of what we do.

0:48.2

We think things that hold us back and dampen our spirit.

0:50.4

But it's not just about thinking.

0:52.0

Our actions matter. It takes conscious, consistent, and creative effort to make a life

0:55.9

worth living. This podcast is about how other people keep themselves moving in the right direction,

1:01.6

how they feed their good wolf. If you've listened for a while, you know I've talked about

1:08.6

my recovery, how a 12-step program saved my life,

1:11.6

but also how I don't go anymore. And every time I hear, so you're anti-12-step, I'm not. But when

1:18.5

it comes to recovery, nuance tends to get lost. And that's why I was excited to talk with

1:23.7

Arlene Allen, author of the 12-step Guide for Skeptics. She breaks down the misconceptions

1:29.5

that keep people from giving these programs a real shot and how to make them work, even if parts

1:35.2

of them don't resonate for you. We dig into the language of 12-step programs, terms like

1:39.7

character defects, and how they can be reframed. We explore navigating the spiritual aspects even if you don't believe in a traditional higher power.

1:48.7

So if you've ever wrestled with recovery, been interested in 12 steps, or wondered if a 12-step program could work for you, this episode is worth your time.

1:57.2

I'm Eric Zimmer and it's time to feed our good wolves.

2:04.0

Hey, I'm Jay Shetty. My latest episode is with financial expert, Scott Galloway. If you are doing a lot of side hustles, it's very, very difficult to be

2:10.0

great at your main hustle. The only way you're going to build real wealth and economic security

2:13.8

is to go all in on one thing. That is greatness, focus. Scott is a professor of marketing

...

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