20250903 - (13) The treatment is in the turning

20250903 - (13) The treatment is in the turning

How do people cope with the challenges of staying sober? This meeting-style episode of *Love Your Life, with Randy Mermell* drops you right into an international 12-step gathering, where real talk about alcoholism, anxiety, and spirituality takes centre stage. Randy, who introduces himself simply as “Randy and I’m alcoholic,” explains alcoholism as a disease that “centers in my mind” and speaks in his own voice.

He describes that restless, fault-finding thinking as the real problem: the mind that’s “always in a hurry, easily frustrated, and can’t stand the word no.” Alcohol, drugs, food, gambling, sex – all are framed as temporary attempts to quiet that noisy mind. A key theme is meditation and presence. Randy jokes that if someone sat through a 20‑minute meditation without a single distraction, “that’s a miracle,” using it to show how clearly the mind manufactures its own troubles.

He stresses that “the treatment is the turning” – turning attention back to the present moment, the breath, and a relationship with a higher power, rather than arguing with every thought. Randy leans heavily on the 12 steps as a path to a spiritual awakening, quoting, “Rarely have we seen a person fail who thoroughly follows our path,” and sharing how focusing on gratitude rather than lack shifts his whole experience.

He sees free will largely as the choice of where to place attention: on fear and scarcity, or on connection with a higher power. Fellow participant Rachel shares about using simple tools like mantras, the serenity prayer, and small action steps (“trust God, clean house”) to keep from feeling overwhelmed by life and relationships. Brief mentions of Sarah and Catherine add to the sense of a regular, supportive community.

Anyone curious about the mental side of addiction, or looking for a practical, spiritual way to calm a racing mind, may find themselves asking: where is my attention today?