EPISODE 100226EPISODE 100226
Clean and Sober Radio
Gary Hendler and Mark Sigmund share candid stories, news and listener questions about addiction and recovery, from seasonal struggles to family concerns. The conversation highlights real-life challenges and practical markers of both unhealthy drinking and healthy sobriety.
55:52•3 Oct 2026
Clean and Sober Radio: Real Talk on Addiction, Recovery and Everyday Life
Episode Overview
- Recovery has no quick fixes, but there are many resources and support options available.
- Increased THC products in everyday shops can pose serious risks, especially when marketed towards young people.
- Seasonal affective disorder and darker months can impact mood and recovery, and may require extra support.
- Signs of problematic drinking include hidden use, loss of control and growing unmanageability in work and relationships.
- Healthy recovery often involves staying clean, engaging with a recovery community and actively changing old behaviours.
“Remember, there are no drive-throughs and there are no delivery services to get you into recovery. But what is available are resources to assist you.”
How do people find strength in their journey to sobriety? This episode of Clean and Sober Radio gives you a front‑row seat to a fast-paced, funny and honest chat about life in recovery, hosted out of Philadelphia by Gary Hendler and co-host Mark Sigmund. You’ll hear them joke about showing up sick and post‑surgery—“Basically, we're a mess. We're a mess.
Complete mess.”—yet still turning up for the show, which instantly sets the tone: imperfect people staying clean, one day at a time. The episode blends recovery news, personal stories and live listener interaction, making it ideal for anyone who likes a mix of serious support and light humour. Gary and Mark talk about their 501(c)(3) work, stressing that “there are no drive-throughs and there are no delivery services to get you into recovery.
But what is available are resources to assist you.” They highlight local law-enforcement action on high‑potency THC products and share worries about substances like kratom being sold in corner shops, showing how closely addiction, policy and community safety are connected. The conversation moves through seasonal depression, the impact of darker months on mood and recovery, and some very candid confessions about hiding drugs, stealing from family and even trying to cheat urine tests.
Rather than glamorising it, they use these stories to show how addiction twists behaviour—and how recovery gradually replaces secrecy with honesty and humour. Listeners write in with questions about spotting a partner’s drinking problem and what healthy recovery looks like. Gary and Mark respond with practical markers: loss of control, hidden use, life “unmanageability”, and on the flip side, clean time, community, work, and showing up as a better parent or partner.
If you’re wondering whether your drinking—or a loved one’s—is starting to cross the line, or you just want to feel less alone in the chaos and comedy of getting sober, this wide-ranging chat might be the nudge you need. What part of your own story are you ready to look at today?
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