Episode 1128: Showing Gratitude

Episode 1128: Showing Gratitude

Curious about how others navigate their sobriety journey? This conversation on Take 12 Recovery Radio’s Came to Believe Recovery Podcast zooms in on a topic many people secretly groan about: gratitude. What starts as light-hearted banter and a trivia showdown about Oregon quickly shifts into a rich, honest look at what gratitude really means in recovery.

Host Monty Meyer and co-host Tom Williams bring their usual humour and candour, weaving in a clip from neuroscientist Dr Andrew Huberman, who notes that, “It’s not sitting there and being thankful. It’s receiving gratitude or observing someone else receiving gratitude.” From there, they unpack how being willing to receive thanks can be just as uncomfortable—and just as important—as giving it.

You’ll hear them question shallow “gratitude meetings”, poke fun at cliché slogans, and then push deeper into how gratitude affects attitude, relationships, and service. They talk about shifting focus from stuff (“I’m grateful for my new house”) to the deeper reality behind it—being alive, sober, and capable of showing up for others. They also stress that gratitude isn’t about pretending everything’s fine: “Gratitude doesn’t deny our pain.

It prevents our pain from becoming the only thing that we can see.” This episode is especially helpful for people in 12-step recovery who feel stuck in negative thinking, resent traditional gratitude topics, or struggle with ego on one side and false humility on the other. Expect practical examples, spiritual reflection, and plenty of gentle challenge about whether your gratitude shows up in your actions—especially in step 10–12 work.

By the end, the question hanging in the air is simple but sharp: if someone watched your day without hearing a word, would they be able to tell you were grateful?