In this deeply personal episode, Jason invites listeners into his sobriety journey as he sits down with his partner, Wendy, for an honest and heartfelt conversation about connection, isolation, and the realities of addiction recovery. Together, they unpack why isolation can feel safer during early recovery and how genuine connection supports maintaining long-term sobriety.

They delve into the razor-thin line between socializing and relapse, what partners often misunderstand about addiction support, and the complex emotions—fear, shame, and mental chaos—that drive addiction. Wendy shares her experience supporting Jason through relapses and healing, offering valuable insights for families and partners navigating the challenges of recovery together.

This episode is raw, messy, and vulnerable, delivering powerful survival stories and shedding light on rebuilding trust, setting boundaries, and the emotional reality of recovery. If you or someone you love is walking the path of addiction recovery, this candid conversation offers hope and understanding that truly matters.

Step 4 of the 12 Steps in addiction recovery challenges us to make a searching and fearless moral inventory of ourselves. While it may sound straightforward, this process can feel emotionally taxing and overwhelming, like facing your past head-on. In this episode of The Loudness McEvil Symposium, we explore what Step 4 truly means for those battling addiction and seeking recovery.

Discover how to confront resentments, fears, and a complicated history without falling apart or turning cruelty inward. Learn why honesty is difficult but necessary, and how writing can be a powerful tool to save us from our own thoughts. We'll tackle topics like shame, secrets, and the liberation that comes from self-truth, sharing personal experiences that make this step approachable and real for addicts and those supporting them.

If you're working the steps or supporting someone in recovery, this episode will provide valuable insights and encouragement. Addiction recovery is messy and imperfect, but you don't have to face it alone.

Subscribe for more episodes focused on addiction, recovery, and the complex systems we navigate on this journey. Remember, your story matters.

In this brutally honest episode of The Loudness McEvil Symposium, Jason opens the lid on the “Secrets Box” — revealing the unspoken traumas, shame, and confusion that shaped a generation struggling with addiction and drugs. From the fluorescent nightmare of 1980s small-town adolescence to the harsh realities of a detox ward, this story is about survival, addiction recovery, and the high cost of silence.

Jason dismantles myths surrounding mental health, masculinity, and personal responsibility, confronting systems that punish addicts instead of offering real help. This episode delves into childhood abuse, ADHD before it was understood, body dysmorphia, and the long, painful road to communication — the crucial element that could have prevented decades of destruction.

💬 Topics: addiction, drugs, addicts, childhood trauma, mental health stigma, ADHD, addiction recovery, communication, suicide prevention, family healing, homelessness, recovery storytelling.

🎧 Whether you’re curious about how addiction truly begins or how it can be overcome, this episode offers raw insights and hope.

👉 Subscribe, share, and help someone find a reason to keep going.

Explore the realities of early addiction recovery and the challenges that come with leaving behind a life of opioid addiction and homelessness. In this episode, Wendy and Jason share their deeply personal journeys through sobriety, with Jason now 20 months sober after 30 years battling opioid addiction and homelessness, and Wendy celebrating 8 years alcohol-free. They discuss the true meaning of early recovery, why "one day at a time" is crucial, and the grief involved in letting go of the life and substances that once defined them.

Hear candid reflections on transitioning from street life to stability, the misconceptions about white-knuckling sobriety, and the unspoken privilege dynamics in recovery spaces. They also give a unique perspective on COVID-19’s impact from the viewpoint of those experiencing homelessness.

If you're navigating early recovery, supporting a loved one, or seeking real stories about addiction recovery, this episode offers unfiltered insight into the difficult but transformative path toward long-term sobriety.

opioid addiction recoveryhomelessness and addictionsobriety podcastgrief in recoveryaddiction recovery storiesstreet life to recoverysubstance use disorder

This episode delves deep into the complex world of addiction and recovery through the lens of Wendy McCallum — a former corporate lawyer, life coach, and friend who has experienced love and loss intertwined with addiction firsthand. Explore the emotional and challenging reality of loving addicts, the heartbreak, and the hope embedded in the recovery journey. Whether you're navigating the struggles of addiction yourself, loving someone who is an addict, or seeking understanding, Wendy's story offers raw insight and powerful perspective. Tune in to hear how addiction impacts not only those who suffer but those who love them, and discover why recovery is often the hardest path yet the most necessary. This episode sets the stage for a deeper conversation about addiction, recovery, and the human connections that survive them.

AA STEP 3: The Art of Letting Go (Without Losing Your Mind)

The thing that kept you alive might be killing you. Let's talk about it.

This episode breaks down Step 3—where the program asks you to surrender control and trust something bigger than yourself. Sounds terrifying, right? It was for me too.

I'm sharing why I fought this step like hell, what "Higher Power" actually means (spoiler: it doesn't have to be religious), and how letting go became the most badass thing I've ever done.

The 12 Spiritual Principles: Step 1 - Honesty Step 2 - Hope
Step 3 - Surrender Step 4 - Courage Step 5 - Integrity Step 6 - Willingness Step 7 - Humility Step 8 - Love Step 9 - Discipline Step 10 - Perseverance Step 11 - Awareness Step 12 - Service

Whether you're in recovery, struggling with control, or just exhausted from fighting reality—this one's for you.

The Loudness McEvil Symposium - Where we talk about addiction, recovery, and getting your life back without the BS.

🌐 loudnessmcevil.com 📧 loudness@loudnessmcevil.com

Most people think recovery is about getting your life back. For me, it felt like a breakup — a funeral for the person who kept me alive when nothing else could.

After 19 months clean, I’m learning that sobriety isn’t just about staying away from drugs — it’s about mourning the version of yourself that didn’t make it. The one who hustled, charmed, survived. The one who wore the armor that kept you invisible — and safe.

In this brutally honest solo episode of The Loudness McEvil Symposium, Jason unpacks the grief, identity loss, and quiet loneliness that come after getting clean. Because nobody throws you a funeral for the person you used to be.

Keywords: addiction recovery, recovery grief, homelessness, opioid addiction, identity after addiction, addiction storytelling, mental health recovery, healing from trauma, addiction truth podcast, recovery journey, rebuilding after addiction

Step 2: Came to Believe That a Power Greater Than Ourselves Could Restore Us to Sanity

Step 2 is where recovery gets spiritual—or at least tries to. We explore what it means to believe that something bigger than yourself can help restore you to sanity, and why that's both terrifying and necessary when you're crawling out of addiction.

This episode tackles finding a higher power that works for you (religious or not), the difference between government-issued "thoughts and prayers" hope versus real transformative hope, and why coming back from homelessness gives you a front-row seat to watch society eat itself alive.

Featuring: Brutal honesty, dark humor, a satirical ad for HOPE™, and thoughts on why recovery and social critique go hand-in-hand.

Disclaimer: Not medical advice. Not therapy. Just one person's chaotic journey through the 12 Steps. Get real help from real professionals.