Live from Holy Name Retreat Center: Why Recovery Retreats Work

We’re recording live from Holy Name retreat center in Houston, Texas, surrounded by people doing the work at a 12-step retreat for compulsive gamblers. There’s something powerful about stepping out of your normal routine for a focused Friday-to-Sunday reset: fewer distractions, more honesty, and enough quiet space to hear yourself think. But what really changes people is not the schedule or the setting. It’s the willingness to sit down, talk to others, and finally move forward on the steps instead of circling the same problems for another year. 

We dig into what makes recovery retreats effective, especially the blend of structured step sessions and real fellowship. Over shared meals and long stretches of unhurried time, people open up, compare notes on where they are in the 12 steps, and find the courage to finish what they started. We also talk about why retreats are about more than spiritual growth. Emotional growth is the engine of lasting change, and that means facing the parts we’d rather avoid: inventory, amends, character patterns, resentment, stubbornness, and the beliefs we hold about a Higher Power. 

A big theme is brain change and emotional sobriety. Addiction recovery isn’t solved by willpower or “thinking harder” because you can’t out think an emotional issue. We connect the dots between neuroplasticity and daily practices that support healthier chemistry over time like natural dopamine, serotonin, endorphins, and oxytocin through connection, joy, and consistent action. If you’ve been craving a clearer next step, we also point to the Recovery Growth Scorecard as a free tool to help you start tracking real growth. 

If this resonates, subscribe to 1% In Recovery, share the episode with someone who needs hope, and leave a quick review so more people can find the message. What’s one piece of emotional work you know you need to face next?

Transcript

Live From A Recovery Retreat

SPEAKER_00 0:01

Here we are live at Holy Name at a retreat center at a retreat for gamblers. Work in the 12 steps.

Daily Recovery Mindset And Values

SPEAKER_00 0:13

Welcome again to another episode of the 1% in recovery podcast, where we encourage you to laugh every day, to work hard, work hard in recovery, work hard in relationships, job, business, school, just work. And to love unconditionally. Put much more love out there and watch much more love return. Remember, recovery is beautiful. Your EQ is your IQ. And you cannot out think an emotional issue.

Free Scorecard And Brain Chemistry

SPEAKER_00 0:42

Now out, download the Recovery Growth Scorecard. It is a free scorecard. I repeat, free. To help people start their journey, go to lifeiswonderful. And on this scorecard, you will be able to introduce natural dopamine, serotonin, endorphins, oxytocin. You've got to change the neuroplasticity in your brain. You have to change the transmitters. That way you can heal. So let's jump into this week's episode.

Why Weekend Step Retreats Help

SPEAKER_00 1:23

Here we are at Holy Name, a retreat center in Houston, Texas, at a 12-step retreat. Now, this one is for compulsive gamblers. But they have them for other 12-step rooms as well. But you know, with going through the 12-steps in a Friday to Sunday format allows people to do two things. Number one, we talk about the steps. We try to figure out where people are. Some people have already finished the step, some people are anywhere between one and twelve. And that is important to get people moving on to finish a step. Plus, it's about fellowship. Being around people, being on the property for two nights over three days, six meals, two ice cream socials. There's a lot of time. Property is big where you can sit down and talk, or you could sit there and meditate. You can go to your private room and do some writing and reading. Important things to get over the hump. The

Emotional Work That Changes Everything

SPEAKER_00 2:39

key thing is with any retreat is that it's about growth. People always assume all retreats are about trying to get more spiritual growth. That is true. You do, you will grow spiritually because it's almost impossible in such a serene environment. But the other thing that is so, so important is that you're going to be doing growing emotionally because you're doing the work. The only way to get to true recovery is to do emotional work. People always try to avoid it. I don't want to do an inventory, I don't want to do amends, I don't want to look at my character, I don't under want to understand who and what I believe in in terms of higher power of God. How can I improve? And if you're truly improving, you have to be honest with yourself. And that's where you're gonna put yourself in front of a mirror and then see how you are growing. How are you stumbling? What are the blocks? What are you holding on to such anger or resentments? Or why do you feel stubborn or inability to look at certain things in terms of past relationships or certain ways of doing, be open-minded, you know, really in terms of everything, the steps are about being open-minded.

Open-Mindedness And Letting Go

SPEAKER_00 4:04

And the more open-minded you are, the better things become, and then you just grow more. So I want to encourage people to go on retreats, but not only just go on retreats, do the step work, meet more people. Everything is about that oxytocin, but it's also about joy, it's also about freedom. You can only do this if you are growing spiritually and emotionally. All addiction is an emotional disease. And 12 steps, and there's a part of it any type of addiction where there's almost like some type of spiritual divide that you're trying to bridge, you're trying to get to that next level so then you can connect with others.

Simple Practices To Keep Growing

SPEAKER_00 5:03

So the best way to heal is, like I said, retreats, recovery, writing, reading, talking, doing the things that are necessary. And with that, you will continue to grow and enjoy life.

Closing And Final Encouragement

SPEAKER_00 5:21

With that, I'm gonna conclude this episode of the 1% in recovery podcast.