Episode 1124: Socially Accepted Addictions (Part Two)Episode 1124: Socially Accepted Addictions (Part Two)
Take 12 Recovery Radio
SOCIALLY ACCEPTABLE ADDICTIONS (Part Two). In this episode, of the Came to Believe Recovery Podca...
1:07:33•19 Aug 2026
Socially Accepted Addictions: Shopping, Busyness and the 12-Step Solution
Episode Overview
- Socially accepted behaviours like shopping, busyness and image focus can become just as damaging as alcohol or drugs when they start running your life.
- Steps 10, 11 and 12 provide a daily way to notice harmful patterns, correct course and seek strength from a Higher Power.
- The issue is not money itself but the love of money and the way overwork and financial striving can hollow out relationships and spiritual health.
- Having margin, rest and “sabbath” time is presented as essential for people in recovery, especially those who equate constant busyness with worth.
- Helping others in recovery is framed as a powerful way to get out of self-obsession and find genuine freedom beyond mere abstinence.
“Step 10 says check yourself, step 11 says talk to God, step 12 says help somebody and suddenly life ain't quite so odd.”
What can we learn from those who have battled addiction when it comes to the habits society happily looks the other way on? Episode 1124 of Take 12 Recovery Radio’s *Came to Believe Recovery Podcast* takes a hard look at socially accepted addictions and how they can quietly rob people in recovery of peace and freedom.
Host Monty Dale Meyer and CEO of Came to Believe Recovery, Tom Williams, chat candidly about compulsions that don’t always scream like booze or meth: shopping, busyness, appearance, people-pleasing and the drive for status or money. They share examples of overspending at places like Costco, stretching finances for cars and guitars, and the cultural pressure to answer “busy” whenever someone asks how things are. Instead of shaming, the conversation keeps circling back to practical 12-Step tools.
A standout moment comes with Sassy Bone Jones’ closing song, *The Addiction Shuffle Ballad*, summing up the message with a simple formula: "Step 10 says check yourself, step 11 says talk to God, step 12 says help somebody and suddenly life ain't quite so odd." This one’s a good fit if you’re sober but still feel chained to your phone, job, online basket or gym schedule and you’re wondering, “Is this just life, or am I stuck in a different kind of addiction?”
The pair highlight how Steps 10, 11 and 12 help people spot when "acceptable" behaviour starts running the show, make course corrections and ask, "Is this really fulfilling me, or just filling a hole?" A strong spiritual thread runs through the chat as they talk about the difference between having money and loving money, the need for margin and rest, and the freedom that comes from a real relationship with a Higher Power rather than with work, shopping or image.
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