Do You Ever Listen To The Sound Of Your Breath?

The New Year’s Resolution many people make is to improve their health. One simple way to do this is to become aware of your breath. Breath is much more important than most people realize…. As I was dying, my lung collapsed. When I woke up a ventilator was breathing for me. After I was taken off of the ventilator, my breath was very shallow. As my breathing improved, I became aware of the rhythm of my breath and it was very soothing to me and calmed my mind. It was as if my breath was the voice of my soul and it was telling me to breathe, and I did. I realized that the Vindictive Alcoholic Voice inside my head stopped. Right then and there my addiction died and I knew that I would live. Listening to your breath can improve your life. Effective breathing is the most important thing you can do for your:

• Emotional

• Physical

• Spiritual Wellbeing

As Addicts, we are addicted to feeling like a victim. We have been telling ourselves the shame & blame stories for so long that we don’t even realize that we are letting our thoughts run our lives. Through the awareness of our breath we can transcend these malicious & destructive victim stories. When we identify them in this way they lose their power. Try becoming aware of your breath from time to time throughout your day. We unconsciously hold our breath in stressful and anxiety producing situations. When a bad thing happens, stop, for just a minute, and listen to your breath. It will give you time to respond rather than react. Shallow breathing poisons us. Conscious Breathing is a form of meditation and in certain studies, meditation has been shown to combat Alzheimer’s Disease. Breathing in this way has been proven to give you:

• More Energy

• Improved Health

• Greater Harmony

• Less Anxiety

• Less Fear

• Improved Relationships

• Increased Happiness

During this show, I’ll bring you through 2 types of Conscious Breathing. It’s free and takes only a few moments and benefits are great. Please click here to listen to the show.

About The Host- Deborah O’Brien is the author of Bliss: Behind The Mask, the raw and candid memoir, about her struggle with alcoholism, which ultimately led to a spiritual transformation. Deb hopes to DE stigmatize addiction by sharing her personal experiences. She is a former model and current Image Expert. She focuses on transforming living spaces and clothing styles to empower your inner transformation. She understands that by releasing your limitations you can embrace freedom. 

How Can You Protect Your Sobriety From Unforgiveness?

In my book, Bliss: Behind the Mask, I describe my life as a Raging Alcoholic. In this episode today, I will reveal my story of how refusing to forgive created many problems in my life. Forgiving yourself is one of the most difficult parts of recovery; however, it is one of the most important aspects of a healthy and happy life. In today’s episode, I will share some practical ways to forgive others and yourself. You will also discover some of the wonderful benefits of forgiveness, such as:

• Released stress

• Improved sleep

• Increased happiness

• Boosted immune system

• Strengthened relationships

• Lowered blood pressure and heart rate

Research also has shown that by practicing forgiveness, we can live longer. Imagine that! An anonymous quote that comes to mind is: “Not forgiving someone is like taking poison and expecting the other person to die.” I will share much more about the power of forgiveness in the show. In this episode, I have included a short Forgiveness Meditation.

Please click here to listen to the show.

About The Author- Deborah O’Brien is the author of Bliss: Behind The Mask, the raw and candid memoir, about her struggle with alcoholism, which ultimately led to a spiritual transformation. Deb hopes to DE stigmatize addiction by sharing her personal experiences. She is a former model and current Image Expert. She focuses on transforming living spaces and clothing styles to empower your inner transformation. She understands that by releasing your limitations you can embrace freedom.

Why do you need a plan before you leave an addiction rehabilitation facility?

After a patient has completed a rehabilitation program, they are not finished! This is just the beginning. Recovery is a lifelong process and without a plan, a relapse is sure to occur. This is a pivotal time in your recovery. In this episode, I will talk about some very positive things that you can do before you go home that will help you stay on track. 

In recovery you need to be moving forward. If you stop moving forward, the old patterns are waiting to take over again. The biggest mistake is to think that you can go back to your old way of life and not use drugs and alcohol. Staying sober takes a lot of hard work and a plan. Make sure you take time to relax and avoid old stressors in your life. I will discuss some suggestions to help you maintain your sobriety on a daily basis.

Making a plan is good; but, be sure to follow it and measure your accomplishments. It is so easy to look forward to all there is to dao and be overwhelmed. Take the time to look at how far you have come. Life will get better and better as you maintain your sobriety.

Please click here to listen to the show.

About The Host- Deborah O’Brien is the author of Bliss: Behind The Mask, the raw and candid memoir, about her struggle with alcoholism, which ultimately led to a spiritual transformation. Deb hopes to DE stigmatize addiction by sharing her personal experiences. She is a former model and current Image Expert. She focuses on transforming living spaces and clothing styles to empower your inner transformation. She understands that by releasing your limitations you can embrace freedom. About The Host- Debis the author of Bliss: Behind The Mask, the raw and candid memoir, about her struggle with alcoholism, which ultimately led to a spiritual transformation. Deb hopes to DE stigmatize addiction by sharing her personal experiences. She is a former model and current Image Expert. She focuses on transforming living spaces and clothing styles to empower your inner transformation. She understands that by releasing your limitations you can embrace freedom.

When I wake up in the morning, I surrender the day. Throughout the day, I continue to surrender. Today Surrender is part of my life. But when I was drinking there was absolutely no way I was going to surrender. I refused! It took a near death experience for me to finally surrender. From that day on my life was transformed and yours can be too. In this episode, I will show you how. By learning to surrender, your life will improve in the following ways:

• Behavior

• Health

• Self-image

• Relationships

• Acceptance

• Peace

You might ask me, “Can letting go really improve my life?” And I will say “YES!”. Then I will ask you:

“Would you rather be

• Happy and relaxed

OR

• Disturbed and Stressed “

Surrendering can save your life. In this episode there is a guided meditation that you can listen to anytime you want to surrender.

Please Click here to listen to the show.

About The Host- Deborah O’Brien is the author of Bliss: Behind The Mask, the raw and candid memoir, about her struggle with alcoholism, which ultimately led to a spiritual transformation. Deb hopes to DE stigmatize addiction by sharing her personal experiences. She is a former model and current Image Expert. She focuses on transforming living spaces and clothing styles to empower your inner transformation. She understands that by releasing your limitations you can embrace freedom. 

The holiday season is saturated with stress from all the high expectations. This stress can hinder an individual’s judgement or spark a battle with depression. The most important thing to keep in mind for anyone in recovery is not to let the holidays be an excuse to relapse. In this episode you will discover how your life can improve during the holidays in the following ways:

• Spiritually

• Mentally

• Physically

• Emotionally

• Financially

You don’t have to shut yourself off from life and become a hermit for fear of falling into relapse. There are plenty of fun, safe and sober alternatives. Knowing the stressors that can lead to relapse is the first step in preparing for a happy holiday. Today I will share some tips to help you enjoy the holidays.

• Identify your triggers.

• Move past your cravings.

• Lean on a support system.

• Deal with loneliness.

• Stay alert.

• Say “no” to pressure.

• Release resentment.

• Find peace

Remember, the greatest gift you can give yourself, your family and your friends this holiday season is your sobriety. Make your sobriety your priority!

Please Click here ito listen to the show

About The Author- Deborah O’Brien is the author of Bliss: Behind The Mask, the raw and candid memoir, about her struggle with alcoholism, which ultimately led to a spiritual transformation. Deb hopes to DE stigmatize addiction by sharing her personal experiences. She is a former model and current Image Expert. She focuses on transforming living spaces and clothing styles to empower your inner transformation. She understands that by releasing your limitations you can embrace freedom. 

Today I am wicked grateful but I wasn’t always.

For many years I was Wicked Ungrateful. I didn’t appreciate what I had and no matter what – nothing was ever enough. It took a near death experience to teach me gratitude. It wasn’t until I was lying in a hospital bed, in the final stage of life, that I was completely overwhelmed by an amazing feeling of gratitude. As that feeling swelled and swelled inside of me, I felt an aliveness I had never known before.

From that day on I started to practice gratitude. Each day when I wake up, I immediately start my internal dialogue of gratitude. I list everything I am grateful for starting with the bed I am sleeping in. I have several techniques that anyone can do to start practicing gratitude. In this episode, I will explain how my life has changed forever and how you can change yours in the following areas:

• Happiness

• Relationships

• Health

• Finance

Research shows that gratitude heightens the quality of our lives. The practice of gratitude helps us see every situation in a different light. It has been linked to improvements in:

• Episodes of Depression

• Sleep Quality

• Satisfaction with Life

• Kinder Behavior

Also included in this episode is a guided meditation that you can listen to at any time.

Please click here to listen to the show.

About The Author- Deborah O’Brien is the author of Bliss: Behind The Mask, the raw and candid memoir, about her struggle with alcoholism, which ultimately led to a spiritual transformation. Deb hopes to DE stigmatize addiction by sharing her personal experiences. She is a former model and current Image Expert. She focuses on transforming living spaces and clothing styles to empower your inner transformation. She understands that by releasing your limitations you can embrace freedom.