Recovery Means EmpowermentRecovery Means Empowerment
Addict II Athlete Podcast
Chris Norris shares his journey from early alcohol use and military drinking to long-term sobriety, ultra running and Buddhist-based recovery with Coach Blu. The conversation highlights multiple paths to recovery, the value of discipline, and finding identity beyond addiction and sport.
1:01:12•12 May 2020
From Alcohol and DUIs to Ultra Running and Buddhist Recovery
Episode Overview
- Stopping alcohol use may start with any route that creates distance from the last drink; the key is then finding a programme and sticking with it.
- Discipline is more reliable than motivation, both in training and in recovery, and building routines can carry you through discomfort.
- There are many paths to recovery, including 12-step, SMART Recovery and Buddhist-based approaches such as Recovery Dharma.
- Meditation, reflection and community support can help shift thinking patterns, handle stress and reduce resentments.
- Injury or lost roles (like running) expose how much identity rests on performance, and can be an opportunity to grow, seek therapy and re-centre on who you are without those labels.
“For every mile I ran, I became a little less of the alcoholic and a little more of the athlete.”
How do people find strength in their journey to sobriety? This conversation between Coach Blu Robinson and guest Chris Norris gives a raw, relatable look at what long-term recovery can look like when you mix military life, running shoes and Buddhist practice. Chris, speaking from Japan at the tail end of a 24-year Navy career, talks frankly about alcohol use starting at age eleven, multiple DUIs, time in jail, and the moment he planned to end his life.
Instead, he chose to “just not pick up a drink no matter what” and began attending 12-step meetings. From there, he gradually rebuilt his life, rediscovered old passions like motorcycling and the outdoors, and eventually headed into long-distance running. Running becomes much more than exercise here. Chris jokes about chasing the “pain cave”, but he also explains how discipline beat motivation: “The spreadsheet says we’re running eight miles this morning.
We’re running eight miles.” Over time, every mile shifted his identity: “For every mile I ran, I became a little less of the alcoholic and a little more of the athlete.” The episode also spends serious time on Buddhist-based recovery. Chris explains how the Four Noble Truths, the Eightfold Path and a daily meditation practice support his recovery, and how he moved from 12-step work into Refuge Recovery and then Recovery Dharma.
He highlights that Recovery Dharma “doesn’t ask me to believe in anything other than my own potential for awakening,” and stresses there are many valid paths away from addiction. A back injury that stopped him from running a 110 km ultra forces a different kind of honesty: who is he without running? Chris talks about therapy, family time, learning to listen to his body, and finding meaning even when plans collapse.
If you’ve ever wondered whether you’re “strong enough” for recovery or worried you’re a special case, this chat might make you ask a different question: what else could you do if you gave yourself a real chance?
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