Sex, Drugs, And Rock N’ Roll: The Healing Powers Of Music From Addiction With Tim RinggoldSex, Drugs, And Rock N’ Roll: The Healing Powers Of Music From Addiction With Tim Ringgold
I Love Being Sober
Tim Ringgold shares his journey through sex addiction, trauma and grief, and explains how music and the three-circle model support his recovery. The conversation blends personal experience with neuroscience to show how music can reduce stress and cravings for those seeking a sober life.
49:05•9 Feb 2021
Sex, Sobriety and Sound: How Tim Ringgold Uses Music to Calm Cravings
Episode Overview
- Music activates the brain’s reward system and can turn off the stress response faster than oral medication, helping to ease cravings.
- Sex Addicts Anonymous uses a three-circle model (inner, middle, outer) to define behaviours and view sobriety as a dynamic, personalised process.
- Relapse and slips don’t erase recovery progress; many people build longer periods of sobriety incrementally over time.
- Party playlists and certain genres can be strongly linked to past using behaviours, so early recovery may require avoiding those triggers.
- You don’t need a "music gene" to benefit from music—everyone has rhythm, and simple actions like tapping, drumming or singing along can support recovery.
“A craving is your brain's way of trying to love itself.”
What drives someone to seek a life without alcohol or compulsive behaviour, and how can music actually help? This episode of **I Love Being Sober** pairs sex addiction recovery with the science of music in a way that's direct, funny, and very practical. Tim Westbrook chats with board‑certified music therapist Tim Ringgold, whose life was torn apart when five of his closest friends were murdered in a single week.
He shares how, amid funerals and heavy substance use, live music was the only thing that brought him genuine peace—and how that moment eventually led him into both 12‑step recovery and a career in music therapy. You’ll hear Tim talk candidly about sex addiction, porn, and the shame that kept him in denial, including the shock of filling an honesty inventory and realising his behaviour was far worse than he believed.
He breaks down the "three circles" model in Sex Addicts Anonymous—inner, middle and outer behaviours—and explains why sobriety for process addictions isn’t as black‑and‑white as "had a drink / didn’t have a drink". On the music side, Tim explains what happens in the brain when you listen to or make music: dopamine for pleasure, oxytocin for connection, prolactin for that calm afterglow, and a rapid reset of the stress response.
He warns about "party playlists" that are wired to old using behaviours, but makes it clear you don’t need talent or a "music gene" to get the benefits—"every body runs on rhythm". The episode is ideal if you’re in recovery from alcohol, drugs, or sex addiction and you’re curious about practical, non‑judgemental tools to handle stress and cravings. It mixes personal stories, neuroscience, and simple ideas like drumming along to your favourite track to stay present.
If music could turn off your stress faster than a pill, how might you start using it differently in your own recovery?
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