Can You Ever Really Go Home Again? Reinvention, Family & Finding PeaceCan You Ever Really Go Home Again? Reinvention, Family & Finding Peace
Busy Living Sober with Host Elizabeth Chance
Elizabeth “Bizzy” Chance reflects on returning to the town where she raised her children after years away, sharing how long-term sobriety, faith and self-acceptance have changed how she relates to family, grief and her past. Her story focuses on finding peace, stepping away from drama and learning to simply show up as her authentic self.
20:13•15 Sept 2026
Can You Ever Really Go Home Again? Sobriety, Change and Quiet Peace
Episode Overview
- Returning to a former home can highlight how much a person in recovery has changed internally, even if familiar places and faces stir old memories.
- Long-term sobriety can shift someone from being reactive and attention-seeking to calm, quieter, and more comfortable not being the centre of the room.
- Letting go of people-pleasing, arguments and drama creates space for peace, but can feel lonely while new patterns and relationships form.
- Faith practices, such as reading psalms and looking for small daily miracles, can support a sense of purpose and stability in sobriety.
- Showing up, keeping quiet when needed, and being authentic is presented as more important than trying to control or change other people.
“You don’t have to sit in your house and inebriate yourself or take pills and all the rest of it. You get to be you.”
How do people cope with the challenges of staying sober? Elizabeth “Bizzy” Chance shares a raw and reflective story about going back to the place where she raised her kids after more than five years away, and what that revealed about her sobriety and sense of self.
This solo episode centres on returning home for her brother’s funeral and realising, as she puts it, that “going home was so beautiful in the end… I can come back here anytime I want. I’m not scared. I’m not remorseful. I’m not bitter. I am who I am.” You’ll hear how the town has changed, how her old recovery meeting has evolved, and—most importantly—how different she feels two decades into sobriety.
Bizzy talks about once being “like a pinball in a pinball machine” compared with the calm, less reactive person she is now. She shares how faith, reading psalms, and a daily focus on miracles have helped her find a quiet sense of peace. There’s honest reflection on people-pleasing, drama, and the old urge to jump into every argument, contrasted with her new ability to simply walk away.
Anyone wrestling with family dynamics, grief, or the fear of being judged for their past will recognise the tension she describes between who she used to be and who she is today. She reminds listeners that “you don’t have to sit in your house and inebriate yourself or take pills… you get to be you,” while admitting that change can feel lonely, especially after moving away from a long‑standing support network.
This episode speaks directly to people in recovery who are wondering if they can ever really “go back”, and to anyone trying to reinvent themselves without losing their roots. It’s a gentle nudge to keep showing up, one day—or even one second—at a time. What might shift for you if you gave yourself the same time and grace to grow?
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