#19: Stephen Hill on Addiction, Speak Sobriety, and His Journey to Recovery

Exploring Kodawari

This episode is our conversation with the speaker, author, and advocate for sobriety Stephen Hill. Stephen suffered from addiction for over a decade and his life was out of control.

But in 2012 he began a journey to recovery, and on September 30th 2020 he celebrated eight years of sobriety. He also started an organization called Speak Sobriety where he spreads his message and life lessons at schools, community events, conferences, etc. He says this in his memoir:

"After several years of drug use, illegal activity, and unsuccessful stays at a multitude of rehabilitation facilities, I have emerged as a proponent of sobriety instead of another deadly statistic. I believe that my rise from the abyss to the surface will resonate with people who can learn from my mistakes. My story has already affected the lives of thousands of people. For me, this memoir is a sojourn of the heart. This is the story of my journey to recovery."

Stephen's story is really inspiring, and it was a pleasure to have him on the podcast!

**This episode also contains video which you can watch on Youtube**

Timestamps(clickable on website):

• [03:30] Stephen's background
• [05:11] Stephen's book A Journey to Recovery
• [11:43] Why the blame game doesn't work with addiction
• [19:00] The Purdue Pharma lawsuit
• [20:53] What is the definition of addiction
• [25:18] Gabor Maté and how addiction comes from pain and fear
• [31:50] The problems with prescribing opioids after surgery and the psychological addictions they can cause
• [42:30] Should you regret the past or embrace it?
• [53:45] How COVID-19 affected Speak Sobriety
• [59:37] What does it mean to be clean and sober?
• [01:03:00] What are the problems with the zero-tolerance approach

Links:

• Stephen's Website
• His book, A Journey To Recovery on Amazon
• His social media: Facebook, Twitter, Instagram

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