Jeff Thomas - Head of Recovery Support Services

Jeff Thomas - Head of Recovery Support Services

Curious about how others navigate their sobriety journey? This conversation between host Tim Westbrook and recovery coach Jeff Thomas gives you a straight-talking look at early chaos, repeated relapse, and what eventually made long-term recovery stick.

Jeff shares how drinking in bands and clubs slid into cocaine and meth use and a near-fatal hospital stay: "I told myself, you might actually die right now." He talks about bolting from his first treatment stay as a "fence jumper," trying to quit on his own, and later finding several years of sobriety before slipping back into old environments and relationships that pulled him towards using again. A big theme is surrender.

Jeff admits that for years he did recovery his way – picking and choosing from the programme, saying "fuck that" to parts he didn’t like – and explains why half-measures kept him stuck. Tim and Jeff break down the different roles of a sponsor and a recovery coach, stressing that a sponsor focuses on the 12 steps, while coaching zooms in on daily life: routines, sleep, food, exercise, finances, relationships, and mindset.

You’ll hear practical ideas like building a morning and evening routine, using page 86–88 of the Big Book to review your day, and being ruthless about "people, places, and things" so you’re not relying on willpower alone in high-risk environments. Jeff also talks about working alongside therapists and using tools like EMDR and trauma work, always leaving diagnosis and clinical advice to the professionals. At the heart of it all is service.

Jeff says recovery only truly shifted when he embraced helping others: "The way you're going to change your ways is you're going to help others." If you’ve done treatment, gone to meetings, got a sponsor and still feel "something's missing", this conversation might get you asking: what extra support, surrender, or routine could make your sobriety feel more solid?