Opening the Doors on a Real Recovery MeetingOpening the Doors on a Real Recovery Meeting
Really Good Shares
An open Small Bow recovery meeting brings together Aj Daulerio, Emily Gould and others as they share candidly about shame, EMDR, emotional sobriety and community. The conversation shows how different people shape their own paths in recovery, both within and beyond traditional 12-step rooms.
1:06:40•29 Jul 2026
Opening the Doors on a Small Bow Recovery Meeting
Episode Overview
- Recovery spaces can welcome anyone struggling, without forcing labels or strict affiliation to a single approach.
- Shame, guilt and self-loathing often sit underneath drinking and can be addressed through therapy, trauma work and honest sharing.
- EMDR and other structured therapies may help make long-circling issues concrete and give people practical tools for change.
- Emotional sobriety involves learning self-care, setting boundaries and sometimes choosing to leave situations that feel unsafe.
- Connection and community – whether in 12-step fellowships or groups like Small Bow – can be a powerful counter to isolation and relapse.
“I drank because I did not want to hear the voice in my head that was saying, you deserve this, you did something wrong and you are being punished for it.”
Host Aj Daulerio sets the tone by stressing that a Small Bow Meeting isn’t a 12-step meeting, even though "we rip off most of their format." No one has to label themselves; the space is open to anyone weighed down by "mental illness, drugs, love, sex, food, debt, codependency, inadequacy, or anything else that’s bringing you down." Writer Emily Gould takes the role of speaker, sharing honestly about shame, guilt and the harsh inner voice that fuelled her drinking: "You’re a bad person and everyone can tell." She talks about therapy, EMDR ("you kind of speedrun all of your shit"), and how structured work on trauma helped her start to believe, "I deserve to exist.
What drives someone to seek a life without alcohol? This episode of **Really Good Shares** throws the doors wide open on a real Small Bow recovery meeting, letting you sit in the circle and hear how people actually talk about staying sober and emotionally stable. I have a voice. It’s okay to have a voice." From there, the meeting shifts into cross-talk.
Danielle describes using EMDR and the Small Bow community to prepare for tough social situations and learning, "I can actually take care of myself." Brendan and Ben reflect on slogans like "the opposite of addiction is connection" and the realisation that alcohol was a temporary solution to a deeper problem. Alia brings in the idea of emotional sobriety, while Frank talks about boundaries and finding Adult Children of Alcoholics through a Small Bow article.
Sean, celebrating ten years, sums up the shift from alcohol as "best friend" to "worst friend" and how recovery became possible once he stopped needing total control over outcomes. Across all these voices, you’ll hear humour, candour, and a strong sense that recovery can look many different ways. If you’ve ever wondered what sharing in a non-judgemental recovery meeting actually sounds like, why not step into this room and see what resonates for you?
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