79: What We Get Once We Step Into It

Detox can restore you in days—but what happens after you start feeling better? We explore the early, visible turnaround as someone stabilizes physically, emotionally, and mentally, while also addressing a hard truth: a reset isn’t the same as recovery.

Real change begins when you fully commit. We break down why half-measures fail and how returning to old thinking often leads to relapse. Lasting recovery is built on structure—working the Twelve Steps, staying connected to meetings, building a relationship with a higher power, and living in service.

Like training in jujitsu, recovery requires action, not just understanding. And while change can feel slow, over time it reshapes who you are from the inside out.

Listen in, then share the biggest change you’ve experienced in your own journey. If this resonates, subscribe, share, and leave a review to help others find the show.

Helpful Links:
Learn more about Restore Detox Centers
Filling the Void book by Steven T. Ginsburg
Overcoming the Fear and Lies of Addiction e-book
How to Love and Set Boundaries Without Enabling Addiction e-book
Call Us for Addiction Recovery:  1-800-982-5530

DISCLAIMER:
Welcome to the Addiction Recovery podcast, brought to you by Restore Detox Centers. We are dedicated to providing valuable and insightful information on addiction recovery. However, it is essential to understand that the content shared in this podcast is intended for educational purposes only. While we strive to ensure the accuracy and reliability of the information presented, we cannot guarantee its completeness or suitability for individual circumstances. The topics discussed in this podcast are based on general knowledge and should not be considered a substitute for professional advice or treatment.

It is important to note that the views and opinions expressed by the podcast hosts, guests, or contributors are their own and may not necessarily reflect the views of Restore Detox Centers. We strongly advise listeners to consult with qualified professionals, such as addiction counselors, therapists, or medical practitioners, before making any decisions or taking any actions based on the information provided in this podcast. Please be aware that listening to this podcast does not establish a client-provider relationship with Restore Detox Centers.

Transcript

Recovery Is Not A Menu

Steven Ginsburg 0:00

It's not a buffet. It's not an a la carte menu. It's a comprehensive, cohesive, proven system and solution.

Steve Coughran 0:10

This is the Addiction Recovery Podcast with Steven T. Ginsburg, founder of Restore Detox Centers in Sunny, California. Enjoy your experience.

Steven Ginsburg 0:23

Steve, hey, brother, this is cool. We've got a different start to our day today. I'm going to get our proverbial ball rolling. So I love that. I'm like Rain Man. I don't like change, but if you throw me a slider, I will do my best to hit it. So, brother, what I want to talk about today, which is really fun, you know, we had we had a the blessing and the privilege of someone who has been listening to our work, our podcast, reach out. And I was really honored. And and and we really do love hearing from the people who listen to this. And by the way, if you reach out to us or what have you or have a question, you are likely to hear back from us. And I often will pick up the phone and call people. And I love doing that. And one of the talking points this wonderful individual and I had is I proclaimed to them what we get out of it once we start getting into it. And I was like, oh my gosh, I love that. I want to pull up my notes and I want to write that down. When we get into the realm of our recovery or recovering or that level of awareness, what do we get out of that once we start getting into it? And I just want to really kind of focus on that for a moment because as we start to sort of uncover our experience, strength and hope, the things we've been through, the things we've gone to and where we have landed and we reflect on that past of ours and we don't have to regret it and we don't have to shut the door on it. What we can actually take from that, if we are willing to do the hard part, if we are willing to lean in and be transparent and let that fork deliver and be liberated through that surrender, the things we will gain from our experiences, the things we will gain from our trials and tribulations. I know that's something you and I share in common. Some of our the greatest good has come from the trials and tribulations of our past. So that is really my focus and my talking point for you and I today.

Steve Coughran 2:14

So, what do you observe people getting out of it once they get into it? Because I think this is a wonderful topic, and I agree. Thank you. I love hearing from people. So thrill of my life. Yeah, this is this is such a great episode to get into. So you get to see amazing transformations through your work at restore. Yes, I'm and so like what like what's the biggest initial change? Let's just talk about the the short-term change that you witnessed because you see somebody come in oftentimes at like rock bottom, they're completely broken, right? They come into the home. What's the fastest initial change that's most evident with these people?

Early Detox Changes You Can See

Steven Ginsburg 2:56

Such a great question. You know, it's amazing physiologically and neurologically what we see happen. It's like within a two to three day period, especially if an individual is in subacute or an acute detox, suddenly they are like literally coming to life, Steve. You see the color come rushing back into their face. You see their eyes like beautifully and magically and wonderfully and peripherally clearing. And you start to see them cognitively starting to really connect your dots. And you just see them gaining their foothold on health again, both mental, spiritual, emotional, and physical. They're starting to hydrate, they're starting to get real REM sleep rather than passing out. So we see all of that and they just start to pivot completely and they bounce back so beautifully. That is one of the first and most prevalent changes we see at restore.

Steve Coughran 3:48

Isn't that interesting with just that physical transformation? Because even I look back on the days when I was smoking dope and you know, I was drinking, I was overweight, and I was eating like terribly, sleeping terribly. I was just like a mess. And I can look at those pictures and I'm like, who is that guy? And I can even see it in my face. I can see like sadness in my eyes.

Steven Ginsburg 4:11

It's crazy. I think to your point, I think we wear it so much of it physically. And it so often lately, you know, things run in trends with where God calls me in my work. And so often lately I'm addressing that question, you know, like how free do I want to be? I always do me first, and then I believe I've got a licensure to approach the we. So I'll go to, I'll go say to the group, you know, how free do I want to be? And then I'll pivot and say to the group, how free do we want to be? You know, what level of surrender do we really want to accomplish? What level of willingness and humility are we really going to provide? And the reason why I ask that behind some of what we're talking about is that's what starts to allow us to be relieved of that burden and that bondage of self. And I will tell you this without that, you can get a good time out at restore. And what I mean by that is like you can get reset, like you can get your legs under you, you can come back to life, like you can get some good night's sleep, you can get some good food in your belly, you can get some rest, you can get out of that grind. If you go back to your old patterns and habits, the very thing that got you in there is going to come back with a roaring vengeance. And we often see people end up just terribly worse off than they were when they first got to us.

Steve Coughran 5:29

Yeah. They they come back and it, it's there, it's like an even deeper rock bottom, right? It's even worse. What else do you see people get out of it once they start getting into this?

Steven Ginsburg 5:40

You know, I very often see them have epiphanies and moments of clarity where they see their patterns, they see their habits, and then they even begin to see their setups, and they start to see very early on their part in the way things are. And they start to see again, through, you know, listen, we are, I am a broken record, we are a broken record at restore through the solution, through the footwork, through the steps with a sponsor, in meetings, under the care of loving God and with service. Those five things constitute the fabric of a remission and a reprieve in 12-step recovery and in sobriety. And they start to see where those things address those items that keep them in that constant pattern of what ails them coming and pulling them further and further deep into the abyss.

The Jujitsu Lesson About Commitment

Spiritual Malady And Doing All Of It

Steve Coughran 6:31

Yeah. Well, and it's interesting this whole topic because it's so interesting that what we put into things in life has like a direct correlation to what we get out of it. I mean, that seems so basic and so obvious, but let me just go a little bit deeper. Okay, I do jujitsu. I just started doing it like a year ago, and I have this conversation oftentimes with people in the school, and it's like, I can go for the next five years, and I could be like, uh, you know, go there and you know, say I go three days a week. I go three days a week and I'm tired and I'm, you know, shoulders are slumped, and ah, you know, I'm sighing, I get on the mat, and you know, I'm there, I go through all the same movements as everybody else, the same techniques, the same warm-up, everything, right? Same cooldown, and then I leave. Or I can go same number of days, same time period, engaged, right, ready to, ready to like really drill and really get into it and connect with people, and the results will be massively different over that five year time frame. Massively different. Same amount of time, same amount of effort, right? But massive results. And I just think that working the program, you have to be like a hundred percent committed to this. Absolutely, right? I mean, it otherwise it's not gonna work, and you're gonna find yourself in the same exact position, but if not, a worse position.

Charity Like Dew And Slow Change

Steven Ginsburg 8:05

Steve, it's so very spot on. We've got no ability to rest on our laurels, there's no room for any complacency, there's no space to do some of it, but not all of it. It's not a buffet, it's not an a la carte menu, it's a comprehensive, cohesive, proven system and solution that addresses what? At the core of this, at the crux of it, where we're applying this to recovery, is I suffer from a spiritual malady. There isn't a pill or a drug or a drink that will address that spiritual malady. It's through that conception of a power greater than myself. And for me, that's my Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. And for the men and women of this fellowship, it's a God of our own understanding, a God we can do business with. It's with the steadfast stewardship of that loving, caring, nurturing power greater than ourselves. And then all of the contents of what actually makes up the fabric of recovery, that we are enabled and allowed to continue to enjoy this daily reprieve from where we suffer from, but not with doing some of it, but not all of it. Not with I'm just not that into it today. Like we can't afford a day like that. It doesn't mean we don't rest, it doesn't mean we don't grow weary, it doesn't mean there's not exceptions in the moments, but there's always a way to make sure that we don't head into that subtle drift. And there's always a way that we don't let complacency rear its ugly head in our recovery.

Steve Coughran 9:43

Yeah, no, I agree. You know, I was thinking of this whole concept the other day because I was at church and in Sunday school, they're talking about the idea of charity. And, you know, oftentimes we want to be charitable, and you know, charity, like the the pure love of Christ, like be kind and merciful and patient and long-suffering and all these other attributes of Christ. And we I think most people want to possess that, but it's hard, right? You can have charity one minute, and then five minutes later, you know, you're snapping at your kids or whatever it is, or yelling at somebody who cut you off on the highway. And so we were talking about this in Sunday school, and it the idea of being possessed, like possessing charity is one thing. Like, I want to possess attributes of charity versus being possessed by you know charity. In other words, it's like if you think about, and and I always think about it like this you know, when you leave like a piece of clothing or like a sweatshirt outside, you know, in the summer or absolutely, and then the next morning you go get it and it's kind of damp. And it's like it's that dew, it's like the the dew. It didn't rain, it's just it's just like the dew, right? That gets it in, it gets it all moist. And so that's what I think about with with all this stuff. Like when we talk about these programs or just like working the program or going all in, or just whatever behavior changes we're referring to, that's what I see. It's just like this dew distilling upon the fabric, right? And so sometimes it may seem really slow the results and the outcomes that we get. You know, we're working the steps day by day, we're going to those meetings, we're getting on the zoom, and you're like, ah, you know, is this really making a difference? But it is because you're just you're becoming possessed by it rather than saying, okay, I'm just gonna, you know, try to have an it have these attributes. I want these attributes to be like instilled in me in a deeper level where it it changes my very nature. And and I know that's what you talk about a lot with just like working the program and becoming, not just working the program to check off boxes.

Listener Question And How To Reach Us

Steven Ginsburg 11:58

It's it's really good. And and kind of as we head into the home stretch here, you you you trigger man something that my sponsor, who I love, you know, who's 35 years sober and and his actions and words match. And I love the guy. You know, this isn't for this thing we're just what you and I are talking about right now, and it's more general broad strokes, and it's okay. Like this isn't a thing that is for people who want it, and this isn't a thing for people who need it. What it boils down to, the ones who are sober, the ones who continue to gain that remission and reprieve, it's a thing that is for people who do it. Recovery is a verb, it's an action, and it is akin to your jujitsu. You can conceptually look at every YouTube video in the world, you can watch every tournament, you can study until like your eyes and ears bleed, you can AI it to death unless you get on that mat and roll. I think that's the term, right? You roll on the mat, right? Okay, unless you get on the mat and roll, the practical application, if that's not done, there's nothing going on. Uh this is much the same for recovery. We will go about the business of doing it. We do those 12 steps, we do those meetings, we do that relationship with the power greater than ourselves, we do our life with our sponsor and we do service and off we go a day at a time.

Steve Coughran 13:12

Love that. So that's a great place to end. And so I'll ask you, what is the number one thing that you have seen change in your life as you've worked your program? Or, you know, maybe you're not in the program. Um, but what's the number one thing that you've seen transform in your life as you put in the effort and and you put in the work that we've been talking about? We'd love to hear from you. You can email us your response at hello at restore detoxcenters.com. And Steven, I'll turn it back over to you.

Closing Message And Safe Day

Steven Ginsburg 13:46

Steve, thank you. Like, what an exciting day. First off, you let me start off, which is just bizarre. I'm still like recovering from that, but I love it. Uh, just to the men and women out there who are giving us some of your time and who are sharing this moment with us. We love you. We are for you. Everyone, have a safe and sober day.