Unlocking Recovery: A Journey Beyond Addiction with Adam Jablin

Dive into an enlightening discussion on the Waismann Method Podcast, where special guest Adam Jablin joins hosts Clare Waismann, M-RAS/SUDCC II, David Livingston, LMFT, and Dwight Hurst, CMHC. Together, they tackle the transformative journey from addiction to a life filled with purpose and sobriety. Adam shares the raw and inspiring tale of his personal battle with addiction, leading to the creation of his life-changing Hero Project. The episode sheds light on the critical importance of internal work, spiritual awakening, and the strength found in supportive relationships for recovery.

Clare Waismann highlights the individualized nature of addiction treatment, stressing the importance of understanding each person’s unique experiences and challenges. David Livingston offers insights into the psychological aspects of recovery, including the crucial role of creating a new self-image and embracing life fully. Together, the panel explores how cultivating a healthy environment, both internally and externally, can significantly influence one’s journey toward lasting recovery.

If you’re seeking insight into overcoming addiction or supporting someone on their path, this episode offers a wealth of knowledge, practical advice, and heartfelt stories. Listen in for a thought-provoking exploration of addiction recovery, filled with actionable insights and encouragement.

Dwight Hurst, CMHC: All right. Hello and welcome everybody back to a podcast to answer your questions on addiction recovery and mental health. I am your host, uh, co-host Dwight Hearst. And I am joined by always by our coasts, uh, Clare Waismann and David Livingston. I think I just called you guys coasts. That was pretty slick of me there. You’re actually hosts to my co-host, so we’re off to a great start. We are also, uh, really grateful to have a wonderful guest here today. Adam Jablin is going to be joining us. So, uh, welcome, everybody. Let me go around and and introduce the crew. I’m Dwight Hearst, I’m a clinical mental health counselor and always here to, uh, moderate and ask the questions for our program and join, of course, by Clare Waismann, who is the founder and creator, the Waismann Method opioid detoxification specialist. And also the Domus Retreat. Um. Hi, Clare.

Clare Waismann, M-RAS/SUDCC II: Hi. How are.

Dwight Hurst, CMHC: You? I’m doing okay.

Clare Waismann, M-RAS/SUDCC II: Hi, everybody.

Dwight Hurst, CMHC: And, uh, David Livingston, who’s a licensed marriage and family therapist, is here as well, who’s the director of clinical services for Domus Retreat as well as for the Waismann Method. Hi, David.

David B. Livingston LMFT: Hi. Good to be here. Good to have all of you.

Dwight Hurst, CMHC: And as I mentioned, we’re really honored to have, I think, our first guest on the program. We do a lot of talk and answering of questions, and we’re so glad to have another, uh, an expert join us in the field to talk about sobriety and mental health. This is Adam Jablin, who is an author, life coach and recovery mentor. Uh, has written a book, Lotsaholic: From a Sick to Sober Superman. And, uh, Adam works regularly with people who are overcoming fears, denials, addictions. Um, and, Adam, one thing I wanted to mention that I thought was really cool on your website, in your bio, uh, said “I want to be the Morpheus to your neo, to be Phil Jackson to your Michael Jordan, to be, uh, Mickey, to your Rocky Balboa, to be Jor-El to your Superman and train you to be the one.” Very, very cool. I like that, that intro very much. So welcome, Adam. Thanks for being here.

Adam Jablin, The Hero Project: It’s an honor. It’s a privilege, guys.

Dwight Hurst, CMHC: Really, really cool that we were able to and that we got to set that up to have everybody here. Um, as everybody knows, if, you know, if you’re a regular to the program and if you’re a first timer. Thanks so much for being here and for listening to us or watching. If you’re happy to see the video of this as well. We do everything in this show, uh, based off of question and answers about mental health and substance abuse recovery. And so we’re going to start out today by asking some questions directly to you, Adam, we want to hear about your experiences. Um, you talk about your own really personal transformations and things that you’ve gone through in your book. And I wanted to start out by just asking you to, to share with us a little bit about what that experience was that led you into this, uh, this path of helping those with addiction.

Adam Jablin, The Hero Project: Sure. Um, I’ll try to make my story as or my path as brief as possible. Uh, I got clean and sober July 14th, 2006. Drinking and drugging, insecurities, fears, traumas, all things that I never dealt with. And I was a businessman and focused and driven and, uh. But never did the inside work. Never did everything on the outside, nothing on the inside. Uh, which led to me being in a 28-day treatment facility. And within that 28 days, it was the most beautiful spiritual education and experience I ever had. Uh, even to the smallest things like make the appropriate face with the appropriate emotion. That’s what a phony I was. I was so broken that I was always smiling, winking, you know, giving you that so you would think I’m okay. So I could do what I wanted to do. But it was a profound experience. And, um, maybe we’ll get into some of the lessons and the teachings that anchored in me within that 28 days. But, um, a part of me died or. Yeah, a big part of me died and a part of me was reborn. And honestly, guys, I didn’t know what it looked like. I didn’t know if I had to wear robes and veil poverty. I didn’t know if I had to wear a yarmulke or be baptized. I really didn’t know. But I knew that guy was sober and I jumped in with both feet. It made a decision. I never looked back and I attacked the program of sobriety.

Adam Jablin, The Hero Project: I attacked it like my life depended upon it, because it did. And one minute at a time, one day at a time, one month at a time, and eventually one year at a time. All these gifts and skills were coming out of me that I never really knew I acquired. I never really knew I had them within me, and my recovery and my sobriety became very attractive to other people, very contagious. And before you know it, I was helping people all around my town. And then I was helping A-list celebrities, and then I was helping professional athletes. This is all while running a family business when we decide to sell the family business. I had about 14 years clean and sober, and I went to my mentor, um, a Rock and Roll Hall of Fame legend named Dion from the Bronx, and he’s like my spiritual father. I just remember looking at him like, what am I going to do now? And he said, what are you talking about? He’s like, you’re going to finally be Adam Jablin. You know, you’re you’re going to influence thought to a higher reality. And he gave me the permission slip, if that’s okay to say to finally be myself. So I started the Hero Project, um, a coaching program in which I really ignite the hero within people. Take them through their hero’s journey, releasing them from alcoholism, addictions, unhealthy dependencies, fears, insecurities, and letting them live their best life. And that’s how I’m here with you now.

Dwight Hurst, CMHC: You mentioned a lot about that internal process and how, uh, you kind of had a mask up or you had some boundaries and barriers around, would you say, from those around you, but it sounds like maybe even internally in denial about yourself or not in touch with what you were experiencing?

Adam Jablin, The Hero Project: Oh boy, I had such a disassociation. I’ll give you an example. When I grew up, I’m a kid from the 80s, okay, born in 76 kid. And when I was growing up, I was the fat kid. I was the chubby kid. My dad used to call me El Chubbo. There was a movie called The Goonies, and this kid would do the chunk shuffle, and my friends would ask me to chunk shuffle. It wasn’t like I was picked on, you know, there was there was no bullying. You know, it was a little tougher of a generation. But I hated the way I looked, and I hated the way I felt, which gave me like a very extroverted, class clown, “like me” personality, you know, make somebody laugh with me instead of laugh at me. When we moved to Boca Raton, Florida, when I was around 10 or 11 years old, I could have my shirt off every day. It was hot. You know, I used to go in the pool and still wear a shirt and it would still suck to my fat. And I just remember making a decision that that was it. I’m not going to look like this anymore. I can’t do it. And my mom started, you know, they bought me a weight set and muscle and Fitness and Flex magazine. And I was watching Rocky Balboa and, you know, and I was just consuming this stuff. And in four short years, I went from being the fattest kid in the class to being the best-built kid in the class. I went from kids being like, yo, how many Oreos did you eat last night to hey man, how much can you bench press? And the girls liked me.

Adam Jablin, The Hero Project: Everything changed on the outside but me. I was still that insecure class clown, fat kid, you know? “Please laugh with me. Don’t laugh at me.” But with the muscles and with the charisma and with the skill set, I was able to hang out with the older kids. And I don’t know about when you were growing up, but there was always something cooler about older kids. They had more freedom, they had permissions, they were just doing fun stuff and they were experimenting. There was no peer pressure. There was nothing like that. They passed it. I drank it and it fixed something inside of me that I did not know was broken. It fixed it. And one of the things that really happened was I didn’t become cocky. I didn’t become arrogant, I didn’t become like this. I became me like I remember looking at my body being like, who is this? Like, there was such a and leadership came out of me and fun came out of me and charisma came out of me and confidence came out of me. What could be wrong with alcohol and substances? You know, I had a spiritual relationship with alcohol. It was spirit and substance. It was spiritual. Make no mistake, this wasn’t like I like chocolate or. You know what I mean? I enjoy a cigar. This was like it was spiritual. And, uh, when I took that as far as I could take it. I finally had to do the work on the inside so my insides could match my outsides without that stuff.

Dwight Hurst, CMHC: I was curious about Clare when you were establishing the Waismann Method approach. I know that, uh that goes into it a lot. Right, is as controlling and confronting or rather confronting underlying issues and not just the things, uh, on the exterior that, uh, that we try to solve those internal problems through. Right.

Clare Waismann, M-RAS/SUDCC II: Yeah. It’s, um, incredibly important, as you know, again, as Adam described, um, you know, his experience and, you know, the spirituality that came that he thought came out of it. Uh, you know, with, uh, the substance, it’s really important for us to, um, hear everybody because the paths are so different and the routes are so different. And the answer to, you know, the treatment is so different. So, um, as he was extremely lucky to have a 28-day that did change his life. Um, a lot of people on those 28 days, uh, lose hope and feel unheard. And, uh, they have a deeper, uh, psychiatric issues that are not seen. So, um. Adam’s story gives a lot, a lot of hope. And there are answers. Um, but just the answers are different for everybody because the root issue is different for everybody. So I think that’s the part of what we do is, uh, first, uh, deal with the, uh, physical issue of substance, uh, especially nowadays that the drugs are much stronger in the level of, uh, addiction is much higher. But we are living in a world right now where mental health issues are also extremely, extremely, um, more amplified than what it used to be.

David B. Livingston LMFT: It’s. I’ll just, uh, jump in. So first, first of all, thank you. Adam, I love the imagery. I really love it because, um, uh, the idea of death in a rebirth is an image is fantastic. The hero’s journey, you know? That happens. Um, so much of what happens during addiction is people lose a sense of an image of themselves or where they want to go. And I think that one of the and it sounds like you didn’t, you kept reinventing and creating images. And if you want to know where someone’s headed, just ask them what they want or listen to the images they have of themselves currently and where they see themselves headed. And so a lot of what happens when people get stuck in addiction is they lose an image of who they are, or they have a bad image of it, or they don’t have a sense of where they want to go. So, um, it seems like you kept that part of you really active forever, and that it’s been an incredible part of what you bring to others now. And I think that’s I can’t even tell you how important I think that is. And I’m so happy you’re sharing that because, um, uh, the greater we can help somebody in a treatment re-reorganize and create an image of themselves, that’s it has to be authentic to them. Right? They have to feel it. It has to be right for them. But when that starts to take place, you actually have a treatment that’s beginning to take place. I think in the absence of that image, um, it’s easy to wander around anywhere. And if your habit has been addiction, it’s easier to fall prey to that. But so I just love the images you set forth.

Adam Jablin, The Hero Project: Thank you David. That means a lot.

Clare Waismann, M-RAS/SUDCC II: An important thing that Adam had that is, you know, absolutely wonderful is the support of his mom, the support, you know, through his changes as well. And, um, unfortunately, we see a lot of people that does not have that, but, uh, you know, is a story of hope.

David B. Livingston LMFT: That, that to get off to, to make a change in your life is, um, and this, this word is, uh, configured, uh, incorrectly from my perspective or to some degree. But it’s an aggressive act. It is it is a movement towards something different. And, you know, and when I listen to you in the passion and the enthusiasm, you know, one of my favorite quotes was Bill Russell, uh, said, “Nothing great is accomplished without enthusiasm.” And if you do not bring that to what you’re doing, and I can just feel it in you when you talk, I can see your passion and so forth, and change happens. And so in any treatment, I think whoever you’re working with, they have to have a genuine enthusiasm. And then there’s, there’s something that can take place. So, um, thank you again for sharing that.

Dwight Hurst, CMHC: I wanted to ask a little bit more about that role of relationships. You mentioned family and Adam. You also mentioned having, uh, mentors and spiritual teachers and examples along the way. Uh, what could you say about the relationship between those types of, uh, having or developing or keeping those support systems and how that plays a role in recovery?

Adam Jablin, The Hero Project: Me?

Dwight Hurst, CMHC: Yeah, sure.

Adam Jablin, The Hero Project: Well, it’s it’s a wonderful asset if your family supports you. Having said that, I’m also somebody that went through a divorce. Uh, about 14 years after I got clean and sober because. You have to grow together. You have to grow together. So one of the main people that helped save my life saw me as broken. And then she thought she fixed me. She didn’t think it was rehab. She didn’t think it was spirituality. She didn’t think it was all the work I was doing. She thought she fixed me. And then I continued to grow. And in that relationship, you have to grow together. You have to. You have to recover together. You have to be a team. But, you know, God closes one door to open another. And also along the way I had a mentor or he’s really a spiritual father to me. We actually have a book coming out this year, and it’s kind of like a weekend at Morty’s. It’s it’s, uh, Deion’s life given to me in kind of the birth of the Hero Project, but I had an outside reference to my life. Somebody that I can lean on, somebody that I can talk to, somebody that has been through the war, can see the trenches, knew where the line the landmines were, knew where the tripwire was, uh, knew how, how to even speak this new language. And without that, I would never be the man I am today. Never, ever, ever.

Dwight Hurst, CMHC: Talk, maybe share a little bit with people about, uh, the experience of how that some of the spiritual things that you mentioned, how what are ways that you find people can get in touch with those things? When you work with people as well. Yeah.

Adam Jablin, The Hero Project: Well, I’ll do an exercise with them that, that a Catholic priest did with me. Okay. Now I’m a Jew from Jersey. Okay, I’m sitting across from a Catholic priest and he asks me point blank, do I believe in God? So, you know, I think anybody in my situation, if you’re sitting across the table from a Catholic priest, the answer is always going to be yes, of course. Yeah. Of course. Yeah. And I, and I, you know, pull out the chair for my wife and I opened the door for old ladies and I say, please and thank you and Law of Attraction and who, you know, I mean, he’s like, okay, okay. And he goes, well, please do me a favor and stick out your arm. So I stick out my arm. And he went like this. And he touched me like that. He goes, do you see what I did there? So I looked at my arm and I looked at the father. I looked at my arm. I’m like. I’m sorry, father, I have no idea what you’re talking about. He does it again. He was. Do you see what I did that time? And now I’m uncomfortable. Like so. As I told you guys, I use humor, you know? I mean, so I’m like, you know, father, I’m Jewish.

Adam Jablin, The Hero Project: Maybe there’s a disconnect here. I don’t know, maybe we’re not speaking the same language. He does it again. Cuz you see what I did that time? Now I’m really uncomfortable and I’m like, you know, father, I heard about you guys with little boys, you know what I mean? And he starts laughing and he turns the lights off. It goes black in his office and he takes a UV light out. And there are all of his fingerprints, purple glowing in the dark. And I’m staring at these fingerprints that he just touched me. And he goes, do you believe that there’s been a power all around you that you can’t see, taste, touch? None of the five basic senses, senses that’s been loving you, protecting you and brought you here to me now. And I’m staring at these fingerprints. And I’m like, father, I can believe, I can believe. He turned the lights back on. They went away. I’m like, oh, do it again. I thought it was like a magic trick, you know what I mean? But this Catholic priest took this Jew from Jersey and, like, downloaded him in the matrix. You know, I got a real taste of what spirituality is.

Adam Jablin, The Hero Project: The unseen, the unknown. And I was explained, you know, that you can have healthy spirituality and unhealthy spirituality. The spirituality was like muscles and that you can’t get more spiritual, right? You can’t get more muscles. I can’t get another deltoid, another bicep, another tricep, another quadricep you’re given, you’re given from birth all the muscles and spirituality you need. Now, what you can do is you can make it bigger, faster, stronger, healthier, more powerful, but you can’t get more of it. And when it was explained to me in these, it was like they spoke my language. They were making things very digestible, very easy to see how you could see healthy spirituality. There’s a shine in the eyes, a happiness, a glow, a feeling of warmth and celebration. These people tend to find their words very easy, you know, and then you can see unhealthy spirituality. They break eye contact. They’re looking down. There’s a strange vibration around them, almost like they’re lying or they’re worrying. They see, um, uh, you know, you know, you know, they can’t find themselves very fast. Well, at that time I was unhealthy. And I want to get healthy muscles. I want to get healthy spirituality. And that’s what I dedicated myself to.

Dwight Hurst, CMHC: It’s interesting. As you said, uh, when he’s doing this little experiment, uh, or questioning, uh, above all, even aside from just the spiritual aspect of that, it struck me that you were still, at that point, very much playing to the crowd, uh, which we all do. But but I think that goes towards what you had said, the pathological. I gotta be what I gotta, you know, here’s what I want. I think I, I’m supposed to say, here’s what I, I think that I want to give this impression. And his questions were putting you in a place where you had to actually respond instead of saying, like, I don’t know what he wants me to say if he’s touching my arm, that’s that’s something that stood out to me. Is that stripped away, that, uh, ability to hide behind anything, perhaps.

Adam Jablin, The Hero Project: Yeah.

Dwight Hurst, CMHC: And that seems like that’s important.

Adam Jablin, The Hero Project: I think that’s actually one of the biggest. I never worried it that way. But you said it so beautifully. I think that’s maybe one of the biggest parts of recovery is stripping away that mask and stripping away that false identity and stripping away the old ideas, the old belief systems and allowing something else to come out.

Dwight Hurst, CMHC: Yeah. We talk a lot on this show about the role of individualization in recovery and treatment and how to discover yourself and what works for you. And when it is a field that can sometimes feel overly prescriptive of everybody has to do it this way, everybody has to do it that way. And I think it would be curious to know, Adam, how you approach that as someone who has a very personalized experience. You obviously bring a lot of your experience to helping people in recovery. Uh, how do you find that there is that balance or importance for people to individualize their own, their own way of doing things, their own way of achieving health?

Adam Jablin, The Hero Project: Well, I’ll use things that were taught to me, and I’ll use my own personality as well. Um, let’s say with you guys, I’ll use we just spoke about basketball, right? I’ll use basketball. And I’ll say, look. There are certain things that you can’t escape. There’s dribbling the ball. There’s the basics. There’s the mid-range game. There’s the lay up, there’s the three-point shot. There’s the you can’t now within those confines, within that, you could be Michael Jordan, you could be Larry Bird, you could be Kobe Bryant, you could be LeBron James. That’s where it’s individualized right? That’s why I would even call it a project. But and certain things must be individualized, no doubt about it. But I do think some of the basics, no matter what you do in life, have to be addressed. Have to be addressed. It can’t be so personalized that you lose sight of what the end goal is, you know, which is recovery.

Dwight Hurst, CMHC: That’s right. David. I wonder if you could say a few words about kind of the role that the psychotherapeutic approach plays in that, helping people to do that?

David B. Livingston LMFT: I would add to that, I would say, I’d say this, that the end goal isn’t recovery, that the end goal is living your life as fully and authentically as you possibly can. And recovery is a necessary step because without recovery, you cannot realize the fullness and the authenticity of who you are. And so they are hand in hand. But when I listen to you, I don’t, I know we’re talking about recovery, but what I hear is a man who feels, who feels alive to speak his truth. Who’s able to be small and be big, that you have restored the full dynamic of what it means to be a human being. And I feel like in my process, in working with people, that that is my ultimate goal. And that that that is the hero’s journey is to be able to bring people back, you know, and everybody’s like you said, like, you know, um, not, you know, we’re not superstars and everything. We all have talents. We have things we’re good at. We have things we’re not good at at all. We have things to overcome. But there’s something about the, um, the fullness of that dynamic. You know, it’s it’s the birth and the death that you talked about initially where we can just, you know, the ability to be to embrace and get comfortable with that.

David B. Livingston LMFT: That is the hero’s journey. No small thing for anybody. I think we all need mentors. I’ve had some incredible mentors which have, you know, shifted my life like you’re talking about. I don’t think any of us do it alone. You know, they say that addiction is a disease of dependency. I would I’d put it a little differently. I would say that dependency is the thing that revitalizes us and moves us into life, right? So that when you find people who have done the work and who are enthusiastic and can begin to feel the fullness of their selves, we all learn from each other in that regard, I know I have I’m I you know, I’m learning. I learn from this podcast every time I hear something from Clare and Dwight and, you know, that’s a little different than what I have or what I can bring. And it’s it’s great, just as I’m learning from you today. Um. I think we set the bar too low. That’s that’s been my thing. But but. So when I hear you talk about the hero’s journey, I don’t think you’re setting the bar low.

Adam Jablin, The Hero Project: Thank you… I’ll double down on what David said that I would say 100%. I’m with David on that. I mean, it is really for a person, a man and a woman or whatever you identify as to be fully alive. But, you know, you also respect the house you’re in. And I know what the name of the show is. So I wanted to say recovery, right? But I agree with David. I double down on exactly what David said.

David B. Livingston LMFT: Right. And and look, this is an ideal. And as Clare saying you you start with where everyone’s at. And sometimes people come in very, very vulnerable, very broken, you know, struggling with just keeping things together. And you just try to, you know, you meet people where they’re at and wherever that is, you know, but it’s um, um, just to be able to be with someone where they’re at, I think is, uh, is a gift to both people or I feel that and, um, so, you know.

Dwight Hurst, CMHC: And we are who we are during those times of addiction, I one thing I’m curious about, Adam, is you mentioned earlier, I think that when you got into the addictive behaviors as well as just those external, uh, working out and having that image in front of people, um, it seemed like you were trying to get in touch. The, the underlying goals that you had were not bad. I want to feel better about myself. I want to be, as you put it, when, boy, if I drink, I can emerge socially and there’s this charisma and there’s different things. So the goal is that you were pursuing were healthy. It was just what was happening to try to meet them?

Adam Jablin, The Hero Project: No, absolutely. I mean, healthy to an extent, you know, healthy for where I was at the age that I was at and with the education that I had, you know, but, you know, uh, let’s say believing it or not, religious or not, let’s say God gave us these like ten healthy commandments, right, that are are pretty, you know, no matter where you lay in religion, they’re pretty, pretty great. You know, they’re just they’re just ten commandments. If you follow these, they’re great guidelines to live by. You know, uh, honor thy mother and father, you know, I mean, don’t sleep with your neighbor’s wife. Thou shalt not kill like very simple things. Well, you know, at ten years old or 11 years old, I made that first commandment. If I look like Sylvester Stallone, all my problems will go away, you know? And that ten-year-old ran my life until I was 30. So it wasn’t that it was, uh, unhealthy, but it wasn’t on course.

Dwight Hurst, CMHC: And not evolving either. I mean, that that that to me, when you say appropriate for a ten-year-old, right? Sometimes then we can get stuck with expectations, some of which you mentioned are basically social expectations. But, um, I think along with that mentality, I’m thinking that your, your commentary about finding the inner Superman versus kind of being obsessed with looking like Superman, is that a good way to put it?

Adam Jablin, The Hero Project: That’s great. You know, the ending of my book actually is, um, my father and I, and we had, you know, we had an interesting relationship, very loving relationship, but interesting to say the least, was me pushing my kids on a swing and him saying, you know, Adam, you’re finally like Superman. And I really didn’t know what he was talking about. He said it so beautifully, but out of nowhere, and he’s not a deep guy. He is a real rough and tough cowboy. He wrote the rodeo circuit. I was like, what do you mean? He said, well, you used to think Superman was about the powers and the muscles and the magnificent feats. He’s like, but you know what Superman does? And I’m like, what? He goes, he saves lives. And it hit home. You know, my my my rough and tough cowboy father, you know, spoke language of the heart with me. Mm.

Dwight Hurst, CMHC: Is that where you pursued the inner Superman? The idea of the inner Superman?

Adam Jablin, The Hero Project: Oh, that’s a long story. I mean, I the day I was born, literally May 19th, 1976, I had an S on my chest. I have no idea why this thing stuck. I’m looking forward to the day that I’m not on this earth. And I can ask God, what was that about? What’s with the fascination? What was the calling? What was it? You know, it never left. It never left. You know, I, I like I see a lot of kids and it’s from Star Wars to this to that, you know what I mean? It’s I think it’s a natural, healthy, healthy evolution to change. But this fascination with this character never ever left.

Dwight Hurst, CMHC: Mhm. Interesting.

Dwight Hurst, CMHC: What how do you help people to interpret, define and pursue that for themselves? Like do I discover what my inner Superman is or do I have to reinvent to get there? Is it some kind of combination of both?

Adam Jablin, The Hero Project: It’s definitely a combination. You know, I love what Dave said. First you have to meet them where they’re at. So I have to build a common language. So like when Bill said Bill Russell, I, I automatically said, well, let’s use the parameters of basketball. So I meet my client where they’re at, if they’re really speaking these esoteric Eckhart Tolle, Abraham-Hicks things. And I’m going to start using words like vibration. And yeah, I have to meet if they’re speaking sports analogies and they’re talking about New England, I’m going to talk about the Patriots and the Celtics. I, I first, you know, meet the I, I create a common language so I can lower the fever. Right. So I can actually address the problem. Uh, from that point we’ll usually go through finding out the causes and conditions of really why they’re here with me. We’ll destroy some denial, some things that they think happened or they believe happened but may not have happened. And what would the opposite be? We will write a mission statement and a purpose of what it’s going to be like going through this process. You know, I’ll find out what the what what their energy is like, what their driving force is like.

Adam Jablin, The Hero Project: Um, you know, we go through everything even to the point that at the last stage when they’re really about to, you know, really return home in the hero’s journey, we’ll even go over love languages because I want the family to be together. You know, my former wife. You know, something that I wish I had known very early was like, you know, her love language was acts of service. I’m not an acts of service guy. I never understood why she thought I was so sexy when I was gardening, or taking out the garbage or putting in a light bulb, and those were not my favorite things to do, you know? So I do think it’s really important that when the person comes home, they’re going to now be integrated in the family and not just to make this family member understand what recovery is like, but you start building a language within the family because now you’re in a role of leadership. Now you’re in. Now you are that hero within the family. And it would be really great to create harmony.

Dwight Hurst, CMHC: Oh, what kinds of things can…

Clare Waismann, M-RAS/SUDCC II: You tell me a little more? Because I’m interested on the Hero Project. So what? What is the process? Um, you know, when somebody calls you and, you know, they are broken, um, they see no light. Yeah. Um. They, um, have, uh, destroyed quite a bit, um, from relationships to, uh, self-esteem to, you know. Uh, professional, um, relationships. Uh, how do, you know, things work? What do you do? What is your first step?

Adam Jablin, The Hero Project: Uh, it’s going to sound really basic and practical. I mean, it’s it’s nothing too sexy, but it’s it’s really getting them to understand that I’m them 18 years down the road. It’s making them feel completely safe. Understanding that this is not something that just happened for me. This is something that can happen for anybody. Understanding their pain, understanding their feelings, understanding all of their doubts and fears in this journey. And I don’t would I would never use the word sell, but building enough faith and belief that this can happen for them to. If, if they are truly committed. If they truly committed, and my job is to show them that their old way isn’t working. And that this is a luxury. This is a luxury. This is not. You know, nobody’s mandating this. So this is something that really should come from within. You know, you can you can take it as far as you want. You know, you can learn these things in the prison system, you know, from wherever, wherever you want to finally learn them, but you’re going to learn them. You’re going to learn them, you know? Do you want to take do you want to take this time, this money, this opportunity, these finances and put it within yourself, or maybe to a lawyer with a DUI? It’s completely up to you. But I say we stop. Stop the fever now. You know, let’s lower the fever. And that way we could start slowly getting into what’s actually causing the fever.

Clare Waismann, M-RAS/SUDCC II: I think David, too. Um, you know, I don’t I’m not 100%, uh, you know who Adam sees. Sometimes, Adam, we see patients that that, uh, are so broken, um, that they can’t see it. They can’t they they can’t see it a day ahead. Um, well, you know, their hopes have been so shattered that, um. Even to commit, commit to anything. Uh, long-term becomes, you know, a mountain of anxiety and doubts and, you know, that just snowballs on them.

Adam Jablin, The Hero Project: Yeah, but clearly, you and David do amazing work. And I think if they’re there or if they’re in front of you, there’s something. Whatever.

Clare Waismann, M-RAS/SUDCC II: Oh. there’s something.

Adam Jablin, The Hero Project: Whatever we want to call it, there’s a sliver of hope. And, you know, we all, in our own ways, have a job to open that window as wide enough as we can so they can jump through. But if they’re talking to you, you know, there’s something. There’s something.

Clare Waismann, M-RAS/SUDCC II: We often say, uh, you know, me and David that, uh, even the ones that didn’t make it the week they were there, they felt heard. They felt cared for. They knew, you know, there is some light out there, even if they did. So you’re absolutely right. Yeah.

David B. Livingston LMFT: Yeah. Well, and kind of speaking to what you’re talking about. Adam, um. Um, you know, like, cures like. And, um, so you have to meet someone where they’re at, find a common language because you’re trying to eventually create a new image for them. And, and, you know, if you. Uh, what was it Einstein said? “Imagination is more important than intellect.” What you imagine is where you’re headed. And. But in order to do that, you have to, you know, some images. You have to be like a step ahead of the person if you’re too far ahead of them or you’re, you know, or you have nothing to offer them, it doesn’t move, doesn’t move things. So the idea of being just one step ahead of them and really kind of with them and creating a language, then you begin to have this feeling that like yours, like now, sometimes it is really, um. You, you use the word um, “broken” when you were describing yourself, and I don’t know you well enough, and I’m not saying whatever, but when I speak to you, you do not sound broken. And you can say, I don’t know the journey you’ve been on. I don’t know everything you’ve been through. All of that’s true. Um, but there’s something buoyant in you. And I think the minute something is buoyant, the minute someone is sitting in front of you and they’re asking for help, if they’re sitting there and they even just made it into the office, they’re asking for help.

David B. Livingston LMFT: And there’s already some buoyancy that is happening. And so it’s really, uh, and, and I and for me and I, I really mean this it’s really a privilege to be able to have someone sit down and, and, uh, want to get help. And so I, you know, and I think if you can begin to feel that there, there begins to be some sort of, um, process that that can move things in some way forward, I never know exactly what it’s going to look like. I never know exactly what I’m saying or doing is helpful or unhelpful. I am learning throughout the whole thing. Um, but there is something, you know, uh, incredible about just stepping in and asking for help and getting it and then finding the person who’s right for you and the situation that’s right for you. I think, um, like, you’re like, you’re saying, Adam, that it’s changed your life. I’ve had a similar experiences, many of them in different ways. I’m always looking for those mirrors. And, uh, so I encourage, you know, we should all be doing that throughout our lives forever.

Clare Waismann, M-RAS/SUDCC II: No doubt.

Dwight Hurst, CMHC: Well, it’s been such a privilege to be able to be together and talk about this as we’re getting close to our time today. Adam. Um, could you share some resources for people, people who might be, uh, struggling with addiction themselves or trying to help loved ones who are starting out on this path? What would you give them?

Adam Jablin, The Hero Project: Absolutely, absolutely. Well, um, if anyone ever wants to find me or look me up, it’s really easy. It’s just Adam javelin everywhere. So it’s Adam javelin.com and it’s Adam Javelin on Instagram and all the social media stuff. And on there I do have a free seven-day series very very simple called the Hero Seven, which you know is is basically a seven-step series of spiritual nature of just how to, how to start growing little, little things that they even gave me at treatment, uh, that that’s, you know, free for anybody to look up and use at any time.

Dwight Hurst, CMHC: A wonderful and thank you once again for taking your time to be here and for sharing that with us. Um, once again, your book, uh, said there’s Lotsaholic: From a Sick to Sober Superman. I get that right.

Adam Jablin, The Hero Project: Yes, sir.

Dwight Hurst, CMHC: And for those watching, uh, as we’ve touched on Superman so many times, those of you who are seeing the video here on the site or on our social media can see the big Superman right behind Adam as well. So that’s been in the room with us the whole time, as well as the real, the real inner Superman and helping us all to to find that. So really grateful to have you. We are, as always, very, very grateful to listeners, viewers and those who are out there who are watching and especially those who are sharing the information that we have here. Please, please share that wide and far and let people know we want to hear from you as well, so that we know, uh, what you want us to talk about and what questions you’d like us to be answering. You can always email us info@opiates.com, visit the Waismann Method website at opiates.com or reach out to any socials we are @opiates on on all of them. I believe Marina is really good about following up on that. And um, we’ll, we’ll always get you responses as well. So um, for everybody here for Clare and David and Adam, thank you so much again everybody. And I’m Dwight to, to to bid you all a farewell today and remind you to keep asking questions because if you ask questions and you’ll find answers, and when you find answers, you can find hope. And we’ll be with you again soon.

Podcast Episode Summary:

1. Introduction to Panel and Guest: Introduction of the podcast panel with special guest Adam Jablin, an author, life coach, and recovery mentor.
2. Adam’s Personal Journey: Discussion on Adam’s path to sobriety, tackling insecurities, fears, and traumas, leading to a transformative experience in a 28-day treatment facility.
3. The Power of Support: The importance of family support and mentorship in recovery, highlighting Adam’s relationship with his mentor, Dion, and his spiritual awakening.
4. Addressing Internal Challenges: Adam shares his struggles with self-image and how overcoming these internal challenges was crucial to his recovery.
5. The Hero Project: Introduction to Adam’s coaching program, aiming to ignite the hero within individuals, guiding them through their hero’s journey to overcome alcoholism, addictions, and other challenges.
6. Spiritual Awakening and Growth: Adam discusses the role of spirituality in recovery, emphasizing the importance of healthy spirituality and the impact of mentorship.
7. The Role of Individualization in Recovery: The podcast discusses the necessity of meeting individuals where they are and customizing the recovery process to fit their unique needs and situations.