The #RecoveryFirst Podcast with Mike Todd "Recovering In The Pandemic, Loving Thy Neighbor"

The #RecoveryFirst Podcast with Mike Todd "Recovering In The Pandemic, Loving Thy Neighbor"

Get ready to hear a raw, off-the-cuff share from Mike Todd as he talks about what it’s like trying to stay clean and serene during a global pandemic. Aimed at people in recovery, loved ones, and even recovery housing operators, this episode centres on fear, faith, and how easy it is to slip back into old self-centred habits when life gets scary.

Mike is upfront about his struggles: losing in-person meetings, feeling cut off from his recovery community, catching coronavirus himself, and watching his sponsor fight for his life on a ventilator. As he puts it, "I have this thing inside of me that, if given the opportunity, would kill me. And lo and behold, there's something out here.

Given the opportunity, it will kill me." That double threat – addiction and COVID – drives him into depression, brain fog, and a harsh look at his own behaviour. You’ll hear him talk about snapping at his mechanic and his web designer, then using ninth and tenth step work to make amends and own his part. His message is simple: give other people grace, and give yourself a break too.

He leans hard on recovery basics – writing, working the steps, calling his sponsor, prayer, meditation, and proper rest. The episode also touches on broader community work: the South Carolina Recovery Housing Association, naloxone in recovery homes, and supporting vulnerable people in early recovery. Mike doesn’t pretend to have it all together; instead, he reminds anyone listening that fear and frustration are normal, but they don’t have to run the show. "Hope does. Faith.

That's recovery." If you’ve felt off-balance in recovery lately, this honest share might help you feel a little less alone and a bit more ready to show patience and love to your neighbours – and yourself. So, where could you offer more grace today?