She went in not sure she had a problem. She came out with her people.

What does it take to build a life in recovery — not just stay sober, but actually find your people, set real limits, and feel like yourself again?

That's the question Cassandra P. spends the better part of an hour answering in this episode, and we're still thinking about parts of it. If you heard Part 1 last week, you know how she grew up inside recovery — AA meetings from age five, a home built on honesty — and still ended up in addiction at 32. Part 2 is what happened after she finally walked through the doors of Another Chance in Portland.

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She went in May 2024, not fully convinced she had a problem. She graduated six months later. Between those two dates, she did IOP five days a week, found a counselor named Julia through DBT who became her favorite person in the program, and discovered something she hadn't felt since high school — a real sense of belonging. "Another Chance has been good for you," her counselor Jerry told her at graduation, "but you've been good for Another Chance."

"I never wanna get complacent, and I never wanna take for granted the things that sobriety and recovery has given me thus far, like in my two years."

— Cassandra P.

Part 2 goes places that recovery conversations rarely do. Cassandra was still living with her ex when she started IOP. She set hard limits. He broke them within days. She talks openly about what that cost her — and about how she eventually found her way into a relationship that finally showed her what healthy actually looks like. She also admits she stopped going to meetings for two months when her schedule made it hard to get there. "If you make your recovery a priority, you'll find the time." It took a friend saying it out loud to bring her back.

We don't want to give too much away — you need to hear this one in Cassandra's own words. Episode 119 is available June 19: https://mdcr1.com/119

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RRP 119 — Cassandra P. / Love Wasn't Enough, Part 2: Finding Her People, Setting Boundaries, and the Life Recovery Actually Built

By the time she sat down with us, Cassandra had just hit her two-year sobriety mark. She's building a morning routine around the SAVERS framework from The Miracle Morning by Hal Elrod, exploring CNA certification, and looking seriously at whether a career in peer support is the right path. She went into treatment unsure she was even an addict. She left Part 2 knowing exactly who she is and what she's building next.

This one's for anyone who's ever wondered whether the work is worth it. It is.

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