Ep 197. When the Life You’ve Built in Recovery No Longer Fits, with Jason DobbieEp 197. When the Life You’ve Built in Recovery No Longer Fits, with Jason Dobbie
Behind The Smile with Ash Butterss
Former chef Jason Dobbie talks with host Ash Butterss about getting sober, quitting daily marijuana, and rebuilding his identity and career through spiritual practice and self-care. The conversation touches on community, meditation, parenting and what happens when the life built in recovery no longer feels like a fit.
48:57•18 Oct 2026
When Sobriety Isn’t Enough: Jason Dobbie on Identity, Weed and Starting Over
Episode Overview
- Sobriety may remove alcohol, but deeper work is needed to answer the question "Who am I?"
- Marijuana can be just as addictive and disconnecting as alcohol, even when culture downplays its impact.
- Meditation doesn’t have to be formal; simply paying attention to the breath can be a powerful starting point.
- Listening to intuition and acting on it can lead to major life changes, including career shifts that better fit recovery.
- Putting yourself first through non-negotiables like mindfulness, gratitude and physical health helps you show up better for those you love.
“This is my life, and I can do whatever I want with it.”
What drives someone to seek a life without alcohol? This conversation between host Ash Butterss and guest Jason Dobbie pulls back the curtain on what happens when sobriety is just the starting point, not the finish line. Jason spent 26 years as a professional chef, getting sober while still running high-pressure kitchens. From the outside, everything looked great – big job, good money, the classic "you must be so happy" life.
Inside, he says he felt "completely empty" and admits he was "lying to myself and lying to other people" because he still didn’t know who he was without substances. You’ll hear Jason describe quitting alcohol and then facing an even tougher hurdle: daily marijuana use that left him "a shell of myself" and disconnected from his intuition. He talks about the two-year struggle to stop, the cycle of chasing the dopamine hit, and the moment a spiritual awakening shifted everything.
His turning point? Realising, "This is my life, and I can do whatever I want with it," and walking away from a prestigious head-chef role to rebuild his days around family, wellbeing and service. The chat digs into meditation and mindfulness in a really practical way.
Jason explains how group meditation rooted in Buddhist teachings helped him change his relationship with stress, and how he now teaches people to "forget the word meditation" and just think of it as paying attention to the breath. He and Ash compare experiences of spiritual growth in recovery, the discomfort of becoming a different person, and the impact on partners and kids when one person starts putting their own wellbeing first.
Jason closes with his three non-negotiables: daily mindfulness, gratitude, and caring for his physical health, all aimed at showing up as the "best version" of himself for his family and community. If you’ve ever felt like the life you built in sobriety doesn’t fit anymore, could this be the nudge to ask what you truly want next?
Do you want to link to this podcast?
Get the buttons here!
More From This Show
The latest episodes from the same podcast.