REBOOT Introduction to The W.A.Y. of Sobriety
Originally aired on April 19, 2021. Reboot published on November 8, 2021.
Show Transcripts
This is not an accurate transcript any longer. I'm rebooting this podcast so each show is going to be somewhat in line with what is written here. I'm not going to rewrite the episodes for this page because I can't justify the time taken from my family to do so…guess you'll just have to listen!
Hello everyone. Thank you for joining me here on The W.A.Y. of Sobriety. This show is dedicated to sharing who people become and the lessons they learn while living soberly. And, by that I mean abstaining from drugs and alcohol or simply living in a sober state of mind.
I am your host, Ryan Buzzard or By the Book Buzz like my friends from prison call me for being the one with the voice of reason and level headed encouragement to always do the right thing. I have struggled for over a year now to find the courage to share myself in this way. The stigma associated with my past that once defined who I was as a person has been difficult to overcome. Exposing myself and vulnerably admitting that I was once a drug addict and prisoner of the PA state corrections department has often tarnished the respect that I’d earned by being the man I am today. Along my journey I have worked diligently to challenge the status quo of what people think when they envision an addict or convicted felon. These days it is so common to see videos of addicts in recovery telling their war stories of how substance use disorder became a major issue in their lives followed by a redemption story of how they navigated the current systems of care to find their way to sobriety. I never liked these videos because it feels disingenuous to me. It feels more like advertisement for the current systems of care rather than a way to open the world’s eyes to the fact that people do recover, and that they become beautiful humans with great qualities that they share with the world. I just never feel good about the thought of being represented in that way…but that’s part of the fight to redefine myself I guess.
My story is one of redemption, self-discovery, forgiveness, selflessness, blessings, and learned experiences. Redefining who I am and what I bring to the world has been my daily philosophy. When I chose to make a change I set my mind on growing mentally, spiritually, and physically every day in whatever ways possible. I believed that this is how I would recover and develop myself into the man I needed to be so that my life actions would always be a silent apology to the people I hurt while not living a socially acceptable life. And, I’m not unique in this way. Many of us move onward to find different lives.
I am setting out to truly break stigma for prisoners, ex-cons, and addicts once and for all. This podcast is going to be a platform for men and women, who’ve been blossoming along their path, to share who they are, what defines them, and what they gratefully bring to the world around them today. I look forward to hearing meaningful and life changing stories of learned experiences from each person on this show. This will be an opportunity for them to share the wisdom they have gained with their brothers and sisters as an act of good will. My hope is that each episode will change the future of our listeners or brighten the road ahead for someone destined to see the same spot in their road at some point. This endeavor will be us seeking change from the inside out. Rather than having public officials, college graduates, or published authors offering guidance for someone experiencing addiction or conviction it will be people with street cred and roots that garner them the respect of our attention to brighten our minds and offer us knowledge.
A dear friend and mentor of mine, Ray Brannon, who is also the COO of a non-profit named My New Leaf described roots in a manner that sums up my sentiments brilliantly. Ray said, “They say that your past defines you. There is something terribly wrong with that statement. There’s a subtle yet powerful distinction between the past defining us and the past shaping us.” He is correct. Roots help us develop into who we are, but roots aren’t necessarily what define us right now. What defines us is how we live, the passions we share, the impact we make on the world around us. Each of the guests on this show have had lived experiences that coincide with stigmas when shared in the common way that we see them shared today. I’m choosing to allow the roots that coincide with this stigma to go unspoken. You won’t be hearing the typical war stories followed by the story of how each person fought their way out of their former life. You won’t hear me request stories of how a person ended up in prison or addiction. And you may never realize whether the person I’m interviewing is grouped into one or the other or both categories unless they choose to share that themselves. You might choose to decide the answer to that question as you hear the stories they share of lived experiences that changed who they are at their core. But, I encourage you to suspend the need to do so. Those categorical labels don’t matter. What matters is uncovering the treasure that these people truly are and the heartfelt wisdom they are sharing. Personal development is an epic undertaking, especially when you find yourself lost and then have chosen that it’s time to reimagine your self-image and polish the unique qualities about yourself to share them with the world in positive ways. Let us suspend judgment for any reason and accept people for where they are, who they are and who they want to be for us.
I believe that although adversity happens (self-actualized or otherwise) we can overcome and in the process develop our unique qualities for the betterment of mankind. By harnessing our current or past circumstances, seeking the lessons within them, utilizing them for personal growth, and not just letting life happen to us we are able to cultivate our best selves. We don’t have to live through addiction or prison without coming out the other end with minds that have an understanding of what it meant to us or how it impacted us in ways that put gems in our crowns rather than rust on the edges. We all bring a special something to the world around us. This special something is what I will be uncovering and praising on this show. Please offer us your unbiased ears as the guests on this podcast expose their roots in insightful ways so that their lived experiences might enlighten another along their path. Each person on this podcast is a living testament to the fact that you’re past is not your future, you have the power to redefine who you are and the place you hold in the world. As you journey forward my friends remember that we all must answer when asked, Who Are You?
This podcast is a platform for lived experiences to elicit change in the world. This podcast is for the voices that are often pushed aside or disregarded because of stigma. This podcast is going to promote change from the inside out. I expect for our minds propensity for stereotyping to be challenged as we hear from individuals who have a history that is understood vaguely but not spoken of directly, a history that if divulged at the outset or during the interview itself would typically cause a large majority of society to immediately stigmatize and ignore. This podcast is one of exploring what it looks like to grow through adversity and/or recover on the path to a life of renewed and redefined self-image.
So, now that you have heard the foundation for The W.A.Y. of Sobriety, how does it make you feel? I’d love to hear from you all…maybe I’ll read the email from a listener in a future episode. Please feel free to connect with me personally on linkedin at mrryanbuzzard or email me at thewayofsobriety.com or contact me on @wayofsobriety on twitter
As I say goodbye for now I’m going to leave you all with an empowering song called Hearts Still Beating from a Nashville Tennessee based band named Towne (that’s T.o.w.n.e). My friend, the lead singer, Steevie Steeves and her band mates have created this brilliant piece of art and have chosen to share it with us for this show. I cannot be more thankful for their kindness. Please show them some love and support at Facebook.com/towneband, on instagram and twitter @townemusic. They also have this song available for download at townemusic.bandcamp.com them This song reminds me that adversities have given me a chance to develop my resilience and resolve to overcome….that I can grow through the hard times in my life. This song reminds me that parts of me have broken along the way but that in the breaks I’ve strengthened and rebuilt beauty to share with the world. You are a treasure my friends…please remember that… and please subscribe to this podcast so that you never miss a discussion about The W.A.Y. of Sobriety.
To find My New Leaf, inc. Please go to https://mynewleaf.co/
To charitably contribute to Towne and download Hearts Still Beating : https://townemusic.bandcamp.com/track/hearts-still-beating
To find the band and shower them with love and appreciation please find them on the following social media handles:
Facebook: Facebook.com/TowneBand
Instagram: @TowneMusic
Twitter: @TowneMusic
Youtube: Youtube.com/TowneMusic
Website: www.TowneMusic.com
Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/artist/5ZahHnkvzvmN0qSSAlAV0q?si=QRU-o3AVR3WIP3Urkn6LCg
