
Hosted by Tim Westbrook · EN
Hello my friends, and welcome back to yet another episode of I Love Being Sober brought to you by Camelback Recovery - a proud partner to the most effective way to achieve long term recovery without the pain and suffering and high cost of multiple stints in detox, rehabs, and sober living homes. My name is Tim Westbrook and I am the CEO and Founder of Camelback Recovery here in the always sunny and always sober Scottsdale, Arizona where my team and I over the course of many years have helped thousands of people on their path to long term recovery.
I started this show because there is so much misinformation about addiction treatment, mental illness, and addiction recovery in general. There is much more to recovery than just going to inpatient treatment, seeing a therapist, and going to 12 step meetings. Those things are important and AA saved my life. However, to find long term recovery and live happy, joyous and free, there is a lot more to it than just stopping the drinking, stopping the drugs, or stopping any addictive behavior. Sobriety and recovery can and should be fun. That’s not to say that the recovery process is going to be easy and it’s not to say that there won’t be difficult times ahead. However, to live the life that you deserve and for it to be exciting and fun you need new lifestyle habits. New healthy lifestyle habits that promote your mental, spiritual, and physical health. That my friends will lead you to living a KICK ASS SOBER LIFE!
Visit CamelbackRecovery.com to learn more about recovery coaching, sober living, and your next step to freedom and happiness.

What does your spine have to do with staying sober? More than you think. In this episode of I Love Being Sober, recorded live at Camelback Recovery in Scottsdale, Arizona, Tim Westbrook sits down with Dr. Marc Blackstone, a board-licensed chiropractic physician with more than 25 years of clinical experience who has spent the past five years bringing chiropractic care into mental health and addiction treatment settings.Dr. Blackstone breaks down the mind-body connection in plain language: how a chiropractic adjustment affects far more than the joint being treated, why addiction and mental health conditions keep the sympathetic (fight-or-flight) nervous system stuck in overdrive, and how adjustments help activate the parasympathetic (rest-and-digest) response that lowers cortisol, reduces anxiety, and supports better sleep in early recovery.He also delivers one of the most important warnings of the episode: unresolved chronic pain is a real relapse risk. With more than half of chronic pain patients likely to use opioids, treating the physical damage people carry into recovery isn’t a luxury. It’s relapse prevention.In this episode, you’ll learn: how a rugby injury at age 14 led Dr. Blackstone to chiropractic; what he sees treating clients in recovery settings versus traditional practice; what actually happens in your body during an adjustment; why the body reverts to old patterns (and why one visit isn’t enough); how chiropractic supports people detoxing from opioids, amphetamines, and alcohol; the forgotten history of chiropractic sanitariums treating mental health in the 1920s; his advice for anyone in early recovery dealing with pain; and what it would take to bring chiropractic care into every treatment center in America.Whether you’re navigating substance use disorder, supporting a loved one in recovery, or running a treatment program and wondering what holistic care really looks like, this conversation makes the case that recovery has to include the body, not just the mind.Connect with Dr. Marc Blackstone: info@azchiropracticservices.com | drblackstone.comI Love Being Sober is hosted by Tim Westbrook, MS, founder and CEO of Camelback Recovery, an addiction and mental health treatment center in Scottsdale, Arizona. Learn more at CamelbackRecovery.com.Click Here for more information about Camelback Recovery

What if addiction isn’t a moral failure — and it isn’t just a brain disease either? What if it’s the natural expression of a terrain that never got the support it needed?In this episode of I Love Being Sober, Tim Westbrook sits down with Dr. Nasha Winters — naturopathic oncologist, bestselling author, and 35-year stage IV ovarian cancer thriver — for one of the most clinically rich and emotionally honest conversations this podcast has ever hosted. Recorded live at Camelback Recovery’s outpatient treatment center in Scottsdale, Arizona, in front of a live audience of clients and staff.Dr. Winters scored a perfect 10 out of 10 on the ACE (Adverse Childhood Experiences) scale. She came from a family shaped by alcoholism, addiction, mental illness, and trauma. She was days from death when she was diagnosed with terminal cancer at 19 — and she was sent home to die. Instead, she spent the next three decades building one of the most comprehensive frameworks in integrative medicine: the Terrain Ten.This conversation bridges two worlds that rarely talk to each other: terrain-based medicine and addiction recovery. And the overlap is exact.In this episode, you’ll learn:Why sugar and ultra-processed food activate the same dopamine receptors as cocaine and heroin — and how that keeps recovery stuckHow unstable blood sugar mimics and worsens the craving cycle in early sobrietyWhy Dr. Winters now puts mental and emotional health FIRST in her Terrain Ten — flipping the framework she published in 2017The ACE score, what it predicts, and why a score of 3 or above dramatically increases disease riskWhat intermittent fasting actually does to the brain in recovery — and how to start without white-knuckling itThe emerging field of metabolic psychiatry and why ketosis has reversed bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, and addiction in clinical trialsWhy being “never sick” is a red flag, not a health flexHow chronic stress puts the body in a state where treatments “bounce off” — and what to do about itEMDR, ibogaine, and psychedelic-assisted therapy in the context of trauma and addiction recoveryThe two things that showed up as universal common denominators across 500 cancer and mental health patients: not feeling seen, and not feeling heardThe audience Q&A goes even deeper — covering sleep and metabolic health, keto and depression, sexual abuse and trauma processing, and what it takes to rebuild a life after violence and addiction.This is not a light episode. It’s a complete one.Resources mentioned:Website: Dr. Nasha Winters | Tend the TerrainYouTube & Podcast: Tend the Terrain Podcast with Dr. NashaInstagram: Instagram.com/drnashawintersSubstack: Tending the Terrain: Reflections by DrNasha(TM)Facebook: Facebook.com/drnashaincBook: The Metabolic Approach to CancerBook: Change Your Diet, Change Your Mind — Dr. Georgia EdeBook: Brain Energy — Dr. Chris PalmerBook: The Circadian Code — Dr. Satchin PandaCamelback Recovery outpatient treatment: CamelbackRecovery.com#AddictionRecovery #SoberLiving #MetabolicHealth #TraumaHealing #MentalHealth #DualDiagnosis #SubstanceUseDisorder #ILoveBeingSober #CamelbackRecovery #Scottsdale #Phoenix #TerrainTen #DrNashaWinters #BloodSugar #DopamineRecovery #IntermittentFasting #MetabolicPsychiatry #ACEScore #SoberLifeClick Here for more information about Camelback Recovery

What if addiction isn't a moral failure — and it isn't just a brain disease either? What if it's the natural expression of a terrain that never got the support it needed? In this episode of I Love Being Sober, Tim Westbrook sits down with Dr. Nasha Winters — naturopathic oncologist, bestselling author, and 35-year stage IV ovarian cancer thriver — for one of the most clinically rich and emotionally honest conversations this podcast has ever hosted. Recorded live at Camelback Recovery's outpatient treatment center in Scottsdale, Arizona, in front of a live audience of clients and staff. Dr. Winters scored a perfect 10 out of 10 on the ACE (Adverse Childhood Experiences) scale. She came from a family shaped by alcoholism, addiction, mental illness, and trauma. She was days from death when she was diagnosed with terminal cancer at 19 — and she was sent home to die. Instead, she spent the next three decades building one of the most comprehensive frameworks in integrative medicine: the Terrain Ten. This conversation bridges two worlds that rarely talk to each other: terrain-based medicine and addiction recovery. And the overlap is exact. In this episode, you'll learn: Why sugar and ultra-processed food activate the same dopamine receptors as cocaine and heroin — and how that keeps recovery stuck How unstable blood sugar mimics and worsens the craving cycle in early sobriety Why Dr. Winters now puts mental and emotional health FIRST in her Terrain Ten — flipping the framework she published in 2017 The ACE score, what it predicts, and why a score of 3 or above dramatically increases disease risk What intermittent fasting actually does to the brain in recovery — and how to start without white-knuckling it The emerging field of metabolic psychiatry and why ketosis has reversed bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, and addiction in clinical trials Why being "never sick" is a red flag, not a health flex How chronic stress puts the body in a state where treatments "bounce off" — and what to do about it EMDR, ibogaine, and psychedelic-assisted therapy in the context of trauma and addiction recovery The two things that showed up as universal common denominators across 500 cancer and mental health patients: not feeling seen, and not feeling heard The audience Q&A goes even deeper — covering sleep and metabolic health, keto and depression, sexual abuse and trauma processing, and what it takes to rebuild a life after violence and addiction. This is not a light episode. It's a complete one. Resources mentioned: Dr. Nasha Winters: drnasha.com | Tend the Terrain Substack Book: The Metabolic Approach to Cancer Podcast: Metabolic Matters (metabolicmatters.org) Metabolic Terrain Institute of Health: mtih.org Book: Change Your Diet, Change Your Mind — Dr. Georgia Ede Book: Brain Energy — Dr. Chris Palmer Book: The Circadian Code — Dr. Satchin Panda Camelback Recovery outpatient treatment: CamelbackRecovery.com #AddictionRecovery #SoberLiving #MetabolicHealth #TraumaHealing #MentalHealth #DualDiagnosis #SubstanceUseDisorder #ILoveBeingSober #CamelbackRecovery #Scottsdale #Phoenix #TerrainTen #DrNashaWinters #BloodSugar #DopamineRecovery #IntermittentFasting #MetabolicPsychiatry #ACEScore #SoberLife

What actually keeps women from walking through the door of a treatment center — and what keeps them from staying once they’re in? Tim Westbrook sits down with Dr. Whitney Howzell, a licensed clinical social worker, US Army veteran, certified sexual therapist, and Vice President of Inpatient Operations at Meadows Behavioral Healthcare, for one of the most honest conversations about recovery this podcast has ever had.Dr. Howzell breaks down why shame is gendered and shows up completely differently for women than for men, why emerging adults struggle to engage in treatment even when the consequences are right in front of them, and why the prefrontal cortex matters more than most treatment programs acknowledge. She talks candidly about digital culture, dopamine, and how recovery has to evolve to meet a generation that was born into the internet age.The conversation goes deep on intimacy — not the physical kind, but the kind most people in recovery have never learned: eye contact, vulnerability, what it means to let someone actually see you. Dr. Howzell also discusses her work treating sexual trauma, sexual compulsive behavior, and the new Willow Healing Center at Meadows Behavioral Healthcare, a combined women’s program that integrates eating disorder treatment with intimacy disorder treatment after clinicians discovered the two were almost always co-occurring.This episode is for anyone in recovery, anyone who loves someone in recovery, or any clinician who wants to understand why the one-size-fits-all treatment model keeps failing the people who need it most. Recorded live at Camelback Recovery in Scottsdale, Arizona with a live audience of clients and staff.

What actually keeps women from walking through the door of a treatment center — and what keeps them from staying once they're in? Tim Westbrook sits down with Dr. Whitney Howzell, a licensed clinical social worker, US Army veteran, certified sexual therapist, and Vice President of Inpatient Operations at Meadows Behavioral Healthcare, for one of the most honest conversations about recovery this podcast has ever had. Dr. Howzell breaks down why shame is gendered and shows up completely differently for women than for men, why emerging adults struggle to engage in treatment even when the consequences are right in front of them, and why the prefrontal cortex matters more than most treatment programs acknowledge. She talks candidly about digital culture, dopamine, and how recovery has to evolve to meet a generation that was born into the internet age. The conversation goes deep on intimacy — not the physical kind, but the kind most people in recovery have never learned: eye contact, vulnerability, what it means to let someone actually see you. Dr. Howzell also discusses her work treating sexual trauma, sexual compulsive behavior, and the new Willow Healing Center at Meadows Behavioral Healthcare, a combined women's program that integrates eating disorder treatment with intimacy disorder treatment after clinicians discovered the two were almost always co-occurring. This episode is for anyone in recovery, anyone who loves someone in recovery, or any clinician who wants to understand why the one-size-fits-all treatment model keeps failing the people who need it most. Recorded live at Camelback Recovery in Scottsdale, Arizona with a live audience of clients and staff.

What if the part of you that wants to drink, use, or self-sabotage isn’t the enemy — it’s just trying to protect you the only way it knows how?In this episode of I Love Being Sober, recorded live at Camelback Recovery’s outpatient center in Scottsdale, Arizona, host Tim Westbrook sits down with licensed professional counselor and IFS therapist Kristy Crabtree for a deep conversation on trauma, healing, and what it actually means to recover from the inside out.Kristy breaks down Internal Family Systems (IFS) therapy in plain language — explaining why we all have protective “parts,” why no part is bad (even the addictive ones), and how to work with your inner world instead of fighting it.In this episode, you’ll learn:What IFS therapy is and why it works for addiction and traumaThe difference between a “manager” and a “firefighter” — and which one is driving your behaviorWhy your addictive urge has a positive intention (and how to redirect it)How trauma gets stored in the body and blocks spiritual growthA simple breathwork technique to regulate your nervous system right nowHow to begin healing the inner child without becoming overwhelmedKristy Crabtree is the founder of Inner Light Counseling in the Phoenix/Scottsdale area and Sacred Revolution, a consciousness expansion practice. She is the author of Sacred Revolution and Reclaiming Eden, and host of the Transcendence Talks podcast.

What if the part of you that wants to drink, use, or self-sabotage isn't the enemy — it's just trying to protect you the only way it knows how? In this episode of I Love Being Sober, recorded live at Camelback Recovery's outpatient center in Scottsdale, Arizona, host Tim Westbrook sits down with licensed professional counselor and IFS therapist Kristy Crabtree for a deep conversation on trauma, healing, and what it actually means to recover from the inside out. Kristy breaks down Internal Family Systems (IFS) therapy in plain language — explaining why we all have protective "parts," why no part is bad (even the addictive ones), and how to work with your inner world instead of fighting it. In this episode, you'll learn: What IFS therapy is and why it works for addiction and trauma The difference between a "manager" and a "firefighter" — and which one is driving your behavior Why your addictive urge has a positive intention (and how to redirect it) How trauma gets stored in the body and blocks spiritual growth A simple breathwork technique to regulate your nervous system right now How to begin healing the inner child without becoming overwhelmed Kristy Crabtree is the founder of Inner Light Counseling in the Phoenix/Scottsdale area and Sacred Revolution, a consciousness expansion practice. She is the author of Sacred Revolution and Reclaiming Eden, and host of the Transcendence Talks podcast.

In this episode of I Love Being Sober, recorded live at Camelback Recovery’s outpatient treatment center in Scottsdale, Arizona, host Tim Westbrook sits down with Michael Bernoff — founder of the Human Communication Institute, developer of Human Interaction Technology™, and author of Average Sucks. Michael has been alcohol-free since New Year’s Eve 2016, not because he hit a rock bottom, but because he made a clear-eyed decision: there was nothing good about drinking, and he refused to be an influence that pulled anyone else toward it.This conversation goes deep into the psychology of language and identity in recovery. Michael breaks down why the words ‘sober’ and ‘addict’ can quietly keep people stuck, why ‘learning to live differently’ is a more powerful frame than ‘getting sober,’ and what it actually means to raise your average when you’ve been running on empty. The live audience at Camelback Recovery joins in with real questions — and Michael works through them in real time, demonstrating exactly the kind of powerful, in-the-moment coaching that has impacted hundreds of thousands of people worldwide.Topics covered: the decision to stop drinking, language and identity in recovery, Human Interaction Technology, raising your average, the word ‘addict’ and why it may be working against you, learning to live differently, self-image, communication strategies, CORE Live event, and what it means to become an example for someone else.If you’re in recovery or considering treatment in the Phoenix or Scottsdale area — or anywhere in the country — this episode will challenge the way you think about sobriety and give you practical tools you can use today.#ILoveBeingSober #CamelbackRecovery #MichaelBernoff #AverageSucks #SobrietyPodcast #RecoveryPhoenix #RecoveryScottsdale #ArizonaRecovery #LiveDifferently #HumanInteractionTechnology #AddictionRecovery #SoberLife #LanguageMatters #IdentityInRecovery #PersonalDevelopment #OutpatientTreatment #CORELive

In this episode of I Love Being Sober, recorded live at Camelback Recovery's outpatient treatment center in Scottsdale, Arizona, host Tim Westbrook sits down with Michael Bernoff — founder of the Human Communications Institute, developer of Human Interaction Technology™, and author of Average Sucks. Michael has been alcohol-free since New Year's Eve 2016, not because he hit a rock bottom, but because he made a clear-eyed decision: there was nothing good about drinking, and he refused to be an influence that pulled anyone else toward it. This conversation goes deep into the psychology of language and identity in recovery. Michael breaks down why the words 'sober' and 'addict' can quietly keep people stuck, why 'learning to live differently' is a more powerful frame than 'getting sober,' and what it actually means to raise your average when you've been running on empty. The live audience at Camelback Recovery joins in with real questions — and Michael works through them in real time, demonstrating exactly the kind of powerful, in-the-moment coaching that has impacted hundreds of thousands of people worldwide. Topics covered: the decision to stop drinking, language and identity in recovery, Human Interaction Technology, raising your average, the word 'addict' and why it may be working against you, learning to live differently, self-image, communication strategies, CORE Live event, and what it means to become an example for someone else. If you're in recovery or considering treatment in the Phoenix or Scottsdale area — or anywhere in the country — this episode will challenge the way you think about sobriety and give you practical tools you can use today. #ILoveBeingSober #CamelbackRecovery #MichaelBernoff #AverageSucks #SobrietyPodcast #RecoveryPhoenix #RecoveryScottsdale #ArizonaRecovery #LiveDifferently #HumanInteractionTechnology #AddictionRecovery #SoberLife #LanguageMatters #IdentityInRecovery #PersonalDevelopment #OutpatientTreatment #CORElive

What if the substance was never really the problem? In this episode of the I Love Being Sober Podcast, recorded live at Camelback Recovery Treatment Center in Phoenix, Arizona, host Tim Westbrook sits down with Dr. Marcus Earle, Clinical Director of Psychological Counseling Services (PCS) — one of the most respected behavioral health practices in the country.Dr. Earle has spent over 35 years treating individuals, couples, and families struggling with sexual addiction, trauma, OCD, compulsive behavior, and dual diagnosis mental health issues. The PCS Intensive Program has over 40 years of experience pioneering the week-long intensive therapy model, with a multidisciplinary care team of 25+ clinicians and individualized treatment plans designed to promote lasting growth and change.In this honest, eye-opening conversation, Tim and Dr. Earle explore:What sobriety really means in sex addiction recovery — and why it’s far more nuanced than abstinenceHow unresolved trauma drives addiction, compulsive behavior, and relapseThe connection between OCD, process addiction, and substance use disorderWhat dual diagnosis and mental health treatment looks like when you go beneath the surfaceWhy so many people in addiction recovery are also carrying issues they’ve never namedWhat long-term, thriving recovery actually looks like — not just white-knuckling itWhether you’re in recovery from alcohol or drugs, struggling with a process addiction, dealing with trauma or mental health challenges, or loving someone who is — this episode will meet you where you are.Recorded live in front of clients at Camelback Recovery’s Outpatient Treatment Center, this is the I Love Being Sober Podcast — real stories, real healing, real recovery.🌐 Learn more about the PCS Intensive Treatment Program: www.pcsintensive.com🌐 Camelback Recovery: www.camelbackrecovery.com#ILoveBeingSober #AddictionRecovery #SexAddiction #TraumaRecovery #OCD #DualDiagnosis #MentalHealth #SubstanceUseDisorder #SoberLife #RecoveryPodcast #PhoenixArizona #CamelbackRecovery #OutpatientTreatment #PCSIntensive #RealRecovery #SoberPodcast #HealingTrauma #ProcessAddiction #RecoveryIsPossible #OneDayAtATime