Recovery Demystified - Secular Addiction Recovery and Harm Reduction for Queers, Neurodivergent People, and Their Allies

Early Brunner

Recovery Demystified - Secular Addiction Recovery and Harm Reduction for Queers, Neurodivergent People, and Their Allies

Alternative Health Personal Journals English

Recovery Demystified is a secular, queer, and neurodivergent-friendly recovery podcast exploring addiction, sobriety, and harm reduction without shame, judgement, or dogma. We tell unheard stories to upend stigma surrounding recovery, provide practical tools, and have honest conversations about navigating life in the process of healing from addiction and trauma.

Each episode is created for folks seeking addiction recovery support from a radical lens, whether you're early in sobriety, exploring alternatives to 12-step programs, or looking for harm-reduction strategies that work in your life. We feature inclusive perspectives from queer and neurodivergent communities, tackling topics like relapse prevention, coping with cravings, mental health, trauma, and identity in recovery.

You can expect:
-Empowerment, encouragement, and a healing environment
-Personal recovery stories from queer, ND, and secular voices
-Practical harm reduction tools and strategies
-Honest discussions about sobriety challenges, relapse, and mental health
-Guidance for secular and alternative recovery paths
-A punk, stigma-free, and inclusive approach to healing

Whether you're looking for a queer recovery podcast, neurodivergent sobriety support, or just want real talk about addiction and harm reduction, Recovery Demystified is here to provide clarity, compassion, and community.

If you have ever felt left behind or pushed to the fringes of society, you are in the right place! Recovery for the rest of us!

Instagram @recoverydemystified
Email info@recoverydemystified.com

Donate to our cause!
Venmo & Paypal @recoverydemystified
https://www.recoverydemystified.com/donations/

Website

20 January 2026

Cecil Part 1: How Childhood Trauma, Poverty, and Emotional Suppression Lead to Addiction

In Part 1 of Cecil's story of addiction recovery and neurodivergence/ADHD, he talks about how childhood trauma, poverty, and emotional suppression lead to his addiction to alcohol. ACEs, or adverse childhood experiences, have been shown to have a dramatic affect on a person's chance of developing addiction. Cecil reflects on his upbringing in a trailer in podunk Arkansas with an abusive father...

13 January 2026

Secular Dry January Resources: Indigenous Wisdom, Intersectional Feminism, and Neuroscience

Dry January can be more than a break from alcohol. It can be the beginning of the path to long-term secular addiction recovery, especially when our focus is on healing ourselves with science and community instead of shame and dogma. In this episode, Early shares their highlight reel of secular addiction recovery books and podcasts for sober curious folks exploring sobriety outside of the...

06 January 2026

JT Part 2: Coping With ADHD in Addiction Recovery, Managing Cravings and Emotional Regulation to Prevent Relapse

JT returns for a follow-up conversation on ADHD and addiction recovery, exploring how ADHD affects cravings, emotional regulation, school, and daily routines. We discuss building structure, finding purpose in recovery, and navigating grief and emotional overwhelm. This episode also touches on social media's impact on mental health, and some very nosey questions from Early about dating in recovery...

30 December 2025

Benji: Loving Someone in Recovery and the Grief of Losing Them to Fentanyl Overdose

In this episode, Benji shares the story of dating a partner in addiction recovery and the loss that followed from a fentanyl overdose. Through the lens of a queer relationship, they discuss the reality of loving someone in recovery, navigating mental health struggles, and coping with the grief in the aftermath of addiction. The episode also incudes harm reduction education, addressing the dangers...

23 December 2025

How to Find a Therapist If You're Poor and/or Neurodivergent and in Addiction Recovery

Trying to find addiction recovery support can feel overwhelming when you're poor, neurodivergent, or have never had to navigate the world of mental healthcare. In this episode, we talk honestly about how to look for a therapist when money is tight, the system is confusing, and the process itself can be overwhelming or retraumatizing. We also unpack something that doesn't get talked about enough:...

16 December 2025

Hana Part 3: Rebuilding a Life From Scratch After Addiction: Managing Triggers, Avoiding Relapse, and Deciding to Cut Off Her Mother

In part 3 of Hana's miraculous addiction recovery story, she breaks down the step-by-step reality of going from homelessness to rehab, sober living, and long-term stability. She shares how she managed triggers, avoided relapse during chaotic jobs, and stayed sober while building her business and buying a home. All the while, she follows her intuition through every growth phase, confronts the...

09 December 2025

Sober for the Holidays: Practical Skills for Coping with Loneliness & Fostering Empowerment Through Self-Inquiry

Let's take a deep dive into a neurodivergent, radical perspective on surviving the holidays with practical addiction recovery skills. We discuss tools that foster empowerment, nonviolent communication, healthy boundaries, and harm reduction that are specific to the unwanted pressure society puts on us this time of year. Family dynamics can cause added stress that fuels cravings. We talk about...

02 December 2025

Hana Part 2: From A Homeless, Drug Addicted Sex Worker to Finding Hope While Being Held at Gunpoint

In this episode, Hana shares her raw and unflinching story of addiction, trauma, and survival. We dive into Part 2 of her story with a harrowing tale of being held at gunpoint by a drug dealer, followed by stories of a near-amputation, sex work, and homelessness in Seattle. She was in and out of jail and treatment. One day she heard another addict tell their story of addiction and recovery, and...

25 November 2025

Hana, Part 1: Dealing With a Chaotic Mother, Smoking Meth as a Troubled Teen, and Using Alcohol to Quit Suboxone

Trigger warning: Graphic description of suicide Hana's miraculous addiction recovery story begins with growing up with an alcoholic mother who created an extremely chaotic living environment. Hana was forced to caregive and be a "friend" to their mother, a phenomenon known as parentification -- when a child is forced to be in an adult role. She got into meth and alcohol as a teen in order to make...

18 November 2025

You're "Helping" Your Loved Ones All Wrong: Addiction in Families with Amber Hollingsworth

In today's episode, Early and Amber Hollingsworth of popular YouTube channel Put the Shovel Down discuss data-informed methods of how to help our loved ones escape their addiction. Most people accidentally put themselves in the "villian" role in their addicted family member's life, even though their actions are rooted in love. Why is this? What can we do better? How can we use compassionate...