Podcast
Recovery Daily Podcast
Hosted by Rachel (Miller) Abbassi · EN
I’m Rachel Abbassi, creator and host of the Recovery Daily Podcast, where I’ve shared more than 1,000 episodes documenting long-term recovery, invisible illness and disability, chronic pain, mental health, and the daily practice of surfacing joy.
I’m a stroke survivor and a grateful recovering alcoholic with ten years of sobriety. I have a central vestibular disorder, chronic migraines, and cognitive deficits in language and memory. If you’re recovering from addiction, navigating life after stroke, living with a chronic illness, or simply looking for hope, you’re welcome here. Stay.
90episodes
Episodes
Newest firstAll episodes
Relapse: It Takes What It Takes
Jun 2600:26:07Tap to summarizeFor me, alcohol guarantees pain, slow physical suicide, and immediate emotional collapse. Bad things didn't happen every time I drank, but every time something bad happened, I was drinking. Every heartbreaking relapse story reminds me how serious our disease is. I wish I could erase it, go back and stand in between them and that drink, and spare them the suffering that follows. But each of us has our own journey. It takes what it takes. My responsibility is to protect my own sobriety, remain available to help others, and remember that today is the only day I have to show up for.Listen and subscribe wherever you get your podcasts:Rather listen on Apple Podcasts? https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/recovery-daily-podcast/id1693924779
Transcribe →
Learning How to Stay Instead of Escape
Jun 2500:28:47Tap to summarizeWhen life becomes overwhelming, my first instinct used to be escape. Alcohol promised relief, but it only delayed my problems until they returned bigger than before. In this episode, I explore the difference between escaping reality and creating a healthy pause before responding to it. That pause is where wisdom grows.Using the image of a pressure cooker, I share why emotional pressure needs a release valve. Whether it's walking without distractions, prayer, gardening, journaling, or simply resting before reacting, healthy coping lowers the pressure so we can face problems with clarity. Recovery has given me the ability to stay present and move through life's challenges instead of running from them.Listen and subscribe wherever you get your podcasts:Rather listen on Apple Podcasts? https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/recovery-daily-podcast/id1693924779
Transcribe →
The More We Give, the More We Get
Jun 2400:27:25Tap to summarizeOne of the greatest gifts of recovery is the transformation from feeling overwhelmed by life's challenges to becoming someone who can help others through theirs. There was a time when all of my energy was spent simply surviving alcoholism and learning to navigate life after a stroke. Today, recovery has given me the ability to sit with someone in pain and offer hope. In this episode, I explore the recovery principle that we must give it away to keep it, the wisdom of the corn farmer who shared his best seed with his neighbors, and how helping others often strengthens our own healing. The more we share our experience, strength, and hope, the more we discover that recovery was never meant to stop with us.Listen and subscribe wherever you get your podcasts and YouTube. Rather listen on Apple Podcasts? https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/recovery-daily-podcast/id1693924779
Transcribe →
Romanticizing the Drink, Romanticizing the Past
Jun 2300:25:33Tap to summarizeIt's easy to look at someone else's life and think they're happier, healthier, or having more fun. It's easy to romanticize drinking while forgetting the loneliness, fear, and consequences that came with it. It's just as easy to romanticize life before a stroke and focus on what has been lost. In this episode, I explore the danger of not playing the tape forward, the freedom that comes from acceptance, and why the Serenity Prayer helps me let go of wanting things to be different. When I play the tape forward, practice gratitude, and accept life on life's terms, I discover that peace is available right where my feet are.Listen and subscribe wherever you get your podcasts and YouTube. Rather listen on Apple Podcasts? https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/recovery-daily-podcast/id1693924779
Transcribe →
Freedom From Fear and Want: Trust the Future, Accept the Present
Jun 2300:28:27Tap to summarizeMuch of my discomfort comes from fear about the future and that I won't be able to handle it. In recovery sometimes I wish things were different than they are. In both sobriety and stroke recovery, I've discovered that serenity is found by trusting that I have the tools to face whatever comes and accepting life as it is today. In this episode, I explore freedom from fear, freedom from want, the power of "even if" over "what if," and why prayer helps me change my perspective rather than trying to change God's mind.Listen and subscribe wherever you get your podcasts and YouTube. Rather listen on Apple Podcasts? https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/recovery-daily-podcast/id1693924779
Transcribe →
Justified vs. Unjustified Anger: The Cost of Holding On
Jun 1900:29:30Tap to summarizeWhat is the difference between justified and unjustified anger through the lens of emotional sobriety and stroke recovery. Healthy anger alerts us to injustice, boundary violations, and unmet needs. But even justified anger can become resentment when we replay it, nurture it, and allow it to take up permanent residence in our minds.Unjustified anger is fueled by fear, pride, expectations, and the need for control. Step 4 teaches me to look beyond what is happening, examine the real source, learn from it, and release it. The goal is to stop feeding the fire and start tending the light.Listen and subscribe wherever you get your podcasts and YouTube. Rather listen on Apple Podcasts? https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/recovery-daily-podcast/id1693924779
Transcribe →
The Wisdom of Waiting: Does It Need To Be Said?
Jun 1800:34:35Tap to summarizeWhen I was in high school, my drama teacher told me I had good timing. That always stayed with me as an incredible compliment. Communication requires good timing, but it also requires good judgment. Unfortunately, that was not something that I flourished at.I don’t have to react to every thought, emotion, or circumstance. It's hard to settle that emotional urgency and wait for clarity and, in my case, humility that only comes with pausing. If it’s a good idea today, it should be a good idea tomorrow.Three simple questions that have helped me quiet the emotional urgency:Does it need to be said?Does it need to be said now?Does it need to be said by me?Timing matters as much as the action itself. And sometimes the wisest thing to do is nothing.Listen and subscribe wherever you get your podcasts and YouTube. Rather listen on Apple Podcasts? https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/recovery-daily-podcast/id1693924779
Transcribe →
Relieve Me of the Bondage of Self: When Pain Turns Into Self-Centeredness
Jun 1800:37:50Tap to summarizeThe phrase "relieve me of the bondage of self" appears in the Third Step Prayer, but what does it really mean? Sometimes our self-centered thinking is rooted in pain, fear, and need for comfort. We become consumed with our worries, our problems, our future, and our need for relief. Alcohol may have been one solution, but self-pity, control, and fear can keep us trapped and block emotional sobriety.Unmet emotional needs can lead us to seek comfort in unhealthy ways. Sobriety and stroke recovery taught me that peace comes when I stop trying to control everything and start trusting something greater than myself. Freedom begins when we lift our eyes from ourselves and reconnect with the world around us.Listen and subscribe wherever you get your podcasts and YouTube. Rather listen on Apple Podcasts? https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/recovery-daily-podcast/id1693924779
Transcribe →
Acceptance vs Being Taken Advantage Of: A Path to Gratitude
Jun 1600:36:10Tap to summarizeRecovery teaches me acceptance, but sometimes I feel like I’m giving up on me when I accept life as it is. I have to be patient, understanding, and willing to let things go, but sometimes I get exhausted and resentful, feeling like life’s doormat.There’s a difference between accepting reality and abandoning our own needs. Acceptance doesn’t mean I have to like my circumstances, I just get to adapt and explore gratitude despite them. Resentments can be warning signs that we’re overextending ourselves. People-pleasing, fear, and good intentions can lead me there. Listen and subscribe wherever you get your podcasts and YouTube. Rather listen on Apple Podcasts? https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/recovery-daily-podcast/id1693924779
Transcribe →
Meditation for Stroke Recovery
Jun 1100:28:51Tap to summarizeMeditation became an unexpected but essential part of my stroke recovery journey. What began as an uncomfortable practice I learned in sobriety became a powerful tool for navigating grief, uncertainty, disability, and acceptance. From learning how to think about nothing to visualizing my brain healing, I’m gaining patience, serenity, resilience, and hope.Whether you're recovering from a stroke, living with a chronic condition, or struggling with life's uncertainties, this episode explores how meditation helps us stop fighting reality, trust the wisdom of our bodies, and find peace in the present moment. Healing requires us to sit willingly with who we are today and trust that growth is still happening beneath the surface.Listen and subscribe wherever you get your podcasts and YouTube. Rather listen on Apple Podcasts? https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/recovery-daily-podcast/id1693924779#strokerecovery #strokesurvivor #strokepodcast #vestibularrecovery #recovery #vestibular #disabilityawareness #soberlifestyle #recoverypodcast
Transcribe →