TSP 061: "Connect, Hope, Live" with Brian Bailys, founder of ASCENT Recovery Aftercare Solution!TSP 061: "Connect, Hope, Live" with Brian Bailys, founder of ASCENT Recovery Aftercare Solution!
The SHAIR Recovery Podcast
Omar Pinto speaks with Brian Bailys about his relapse‑ridden history with alcohol, near‑fatal depression and eventual return to recovery. They also outline how the Ascent aftercare solution and honest connection can support people in early sobriety and help reduce relapse.
50:36•12 Apr 2016
Connect, Hope, Live: How Brian Bailys Uses Tech and Honesty to Beat Relapse
Episode Overview
- Honesty with yourself and others is essential; a half‑hearted, half‑truth recovery often leads straight back to relapse.
- Staying connected – through meetings, fellowship, or tech‑based tools – greatly reduces the risk of isolation and relapse.
- Spiritual growth can start with simply “suspending your disbeliefs” and being willing to try a different way of living.
- Planning ahead for stressful scenarios and having tools ready *before* you pick up is more effective than reacting afterwards.
- Jumping fully into recovery, rather than hanging back for months, gives a better chance at long‑term sobriety and restored relationships.
“Suspend your disbeliefs. I was not the higher power kind of person… and when I finally really, really let go, life started to get better.”
Curious about how others navigate their sobriety journey? This conversation with founder and recovering alcoholic Brian Bailys pulls back the curtain on what happens *after* treatment – and why staying connected can be the difference between relapse and long‑term recovery. Brian shares a classic “textbook alcoholism at its finest” story, from early blackouts and bar‑fight drinking to closet vodka sessions in car parks and a devastating relapse after six years dry.
He talks honestly about depression, suicidal thinking, and even drinking rubbing alcohol when every other option was removed. His turning point came in a partial hospitalisation programme, where, as he puts it, people “helped breathe a lot of hope back into me” and he finally started to believe he was worth saving.
You’ll also hear about the Ascent Recovery Aftercare Solution, a phone‑based “e‑recovery” system that pairs an app with real peer recovery coaches, 24/7 chat, wellness tools, and medication reminders. The idea is simple: people relapse when they isolate, so put support where everyone already lives – on their phones. Omar keeps things real and practical, especially for chronic relapsers and those in early sobriety.
He runs through vivid “what if?” scenarios – from walking in on a cheating partner to failing an exam or losing a parent – and asks the hard question: what tools will you use *before* you pick up, not after?
As he says, “If you fail to plan, then you’re planning to fail.” Brian wraps up with straightforward guidance for newcomers: be honest, “suspend your disbeliefs” about a higher power, and “jump right in” instead of hovering at the edge of recovery for months. If you’ve ever wondered why meetings alone aren’t working, or why you keep going back out, this chat might be the reality check – and the hope – you’ve been needing.
What tools are you willing to add to your recovery today so you’re not facing the next crisis alone?
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