Recovering From Reality

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Hosted by mental health advocate and former reality television star Alexis Haines, Recovering from Reality illuminates the messy and magical path of coming home to yourself. Whether you’re on the road to recovery, seeking self-care techniques for surviving the capitalist machine, or just need a moment to remember that you’re not alone in your loneliness, we’re serving up the ultimate truth: your trauma doesn’t define you - your decision to deal with it does.

Razor sharp, modern, and culturally resonant, Alexis delivers intimate conversations and expert insights to empower you on the road to authentic wellness. Are you ready to recover from reality?
Produced by Dear Media.

Ep. 1 A Special Kind of Hell - Recovering from Reality

In the very first episode of Recovering from Reality, Alexis Haines focuses on telling her "official" recovery story. Alexis got sober at nineteen years old after facing up to six years in the correctional system due to addiction. As the former star of the E! reality series Pretty Wild who faced a burglary conviction as a member of the notorious "Bling Ring”, Alexis understands the power of storytelling and media firsthand. As a survivor of the entertainment industry, IV heroin use, eating disorders, rape, physical violence, and childhood sexual trauma, Alexis is continuing her life-long journey of personal recovery by connecting with others and sharing her experiences with the world.

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Ep. 2 The Reunion - Recovering From Reality

For the second episode of Recovering from Reality, Alexis is joined by family therapist Michele Kambolis for a healing conversation with the ladies from Pretty Wild—you know, her 2009 reality TV show that aired on E!. Pretty Wild followed Alexis, her mother Andrea Arlington, and her two sisters, Tess Taylor and Gabby Neiers, as the girls coped with the chaos of addiction, trauma, and serious legal troubles. In this episode, "The Reunion”, Alexis lays the groundwork for her family to share their honest experiences with the show — 10 years later. Deep forgiveness, personal healing, and the process of setting boundaries are just some of the themes covered during this heartfelt episode.

Thank you to everyone who helped make this episode a reality... and so it is!

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Ep. 3 Variations of Normal - Recovering From Reality

Being married to a Backstreet Boy isn't always easy. Rochelle McLean joins us today on the third episode of Recovering from Reality to talk about what it's like being married to a pop star, online bullying, body shaming, and more. "We're all reactive human beings, so how do we process this reactivity in a way that's healthy?" Alexis sits down with her dear friend Rochelle to talk about online "hate mail", raising body positive daughters, and... cream cheese pretzels! Rochelle is a private soul who's life got just a little crazy when she married Backstreet Boy, AJ McLean. During this open-hearted episode, Rochelle shares her reality aka how she met AJ, her personal insecurities, and how she committed to a partner who's in recovery. This episode deals with relevant topics such as social media personas, the effects of online bullying, and woman on woman 'trolling'. We hear from some of our listeners and ask the question, "how to explain to your kids that people on the Internet are being mean?".

Thank you to everyone who helped make this episode a reality and a special shoutout to Ragamuffin Coffee Roasters for keeping our crew caffeinated... #andsoitis!

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Ep. 4 I Love You, Mom - Recovering From Reality

Bob Forrest has been to rehab 24 times and thinks Alexis's husband—Evan—(Bob's business partner at Alo House Recovery Centers) is altogether too nice. It's safe to say that this episode of Recovering from Reality covers A LOT of ground. Suboxone in the '90s, "best friend parenting" styles (think: Lindsay and Dina Lohan), and why we should all stop confusing lust with love. Alexis and Bob talk about how to collectively change the direction our society is heading by steering each other towards a more connected reality. We examine how the disintegration of the family unit is plaguing American families and leaving both parents and children without a solid support system. For more on this topic, we encourage you to check out Bob and Dr. Drews pod, This Life.

This episode doesn't shy away from heavy topics (trigger warning: divorce and sexual abuse are covered throughout) and Alexis opens up to her listeners about being an empathetic person dealing with internet trolls and frequent online criticisms, resulting in slumps of depression and frequent panic attacks. Bob shares his opinions about parents who talk about childhood molestation as the two briefly discuss the Michael Jackson documentary. A massive shoutout to Alo House Recovery Centers for being brave enough to approach treatment from an entirely new paradigm—something else we cover throughout this episode. Also, shout out to Brene Brown for getting us through the week with her book Rising Strong. 🙏

P.S Remember when Gwyneth Paltrow tried to make conscious uncoupling a thing? Yeah...

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Ep. 5 My Shrink Knows About You - Recovering From Reality

Being a woman means accepting responsibility for your actions and owning up to your shit, right? On this episode of Recovering from Reality, Alexis sits down with NYC based satire writer Millie Moore to talk about the mastermind that is Kris Jenner, the conspiracy that is Kim K's sex tape, and the chaos that is Jordan Woods's life. Trumps presidency is briefly discussed while Alexis and Millie muse about the responsibility for comedians like John Oliver and Bill Maher to "report" vs "entertain". Millie talks candidly about her experience with psychosis and how—at fourteen—her doctor prescribed her the same amount of Adderall as Lebron James—which probably had a lot to do with the voices she started hearing. We're reminded that there's an almost universal synchronicity connecting the need many people feel to detach. P.S. here's the article in reference #andsoitis

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Ep. 6 Sorry, Kristin Cavallari - Recovering From Reality

On this episode of Recovering from Reality, I cover a lot of ground. It all started with a video I posted of my two-year-old having a meltdown over powdered greens which triggered a bunch of people (mostly other women) to start mom shaming me OVER A BOTTLE. Luckily, LaLa Kent provided some comedic relief on this topic 😂. Anyways, those of you who weren't shaming had a few questions about what supplements I take daily. So, I decided to talk about some of the practices, supplements, and practitioners I use to counter the years I spent living as an addict. In my first two years of sobriety, I smoked a pack of cigarettes every day, lived on Redbull, and enjoyed copious amounts of fast food. Why? Because that's worked FOR ME. When I got pregnant with Harper I found out I had Hyperglycemia, so I started re-thinking some of my lifestyle choices. After giving birth to my first baby I was suffering from severe postpartum depression. This was really scary you guys, I didn't know I could get so low in sobriety, so turned to holistic and alternative medicine—which is ultimately where I find myself today. In this episode, I talk about balancing hormones, genetic testing, the gut-brain connection, and why I became a birth doula. I touch on heavy metal testing, EMF blockers, GMO's and MTHFR. Fair warning, I also talk about vaccinations. America currently has the highest maternal death rate of any westernized country, so I'm going to keep sharing my opinions and letting women know that we have the right to ask questions and get multiple opinions when it comes to our own health and the health of our children. P.S. Kristin Cavallari, I owe you an apology. #andsoitis

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Ep. 7 Would You Rather - Recovering From Reality

It's episode # 7 of Recovering from Reality and I'm sitting down with my wonderful, hilarious sister Gabby! We talk about everything from our upcoming Vegas trip to the different perceptions we each held of our childhood. Gabby and I spent quite a few years working through our own sh*t before we could get close to one another and have a real sister relationship. Sisters have such complex, chaotic, and sometimes telepathic bond. Throw in traumatic upbringing into the mix things are bound to be a little messy. We examine the different dynamics and roles we each played within the structure of our family unit and talk about how we don't want to extend those roles into our own families. This episode covers themes of forgiveness, resentment, and emotional oppression. We also play a pretty hilarious inappropriate game of 'would you rather' which gives y'all a shining example of the women we've become today. #goals #mauture #andsoitis

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Ep. 8 We Met in AA - Recovering From Reality

Romantic relationships in sobriety get a pretty bad wrap, so on this episode of Recovering from Reality, I sit down with my husband (and best friend) Evan Haines as we share some lessons we've learned along our path to recovery. This week we're celebrating our 7 year wedding anniversary and it feels like the perfect time to reflect on the story of how we met. When I first met Evan (yes, we met in AA) I would listen to him talk and feel almost envious of the things he would say. He seemed so... enlightened. I looked up to him in a way and he inspired me from our very first date. On our second date he asked to meet my mom and later that night he broke up with me. Here's just one example of the wisdom Evan drops throughout the episode, "In recovery, we learn to accept ourselves, and in finding that compassion for ourselves we can find it for others." #andsoitis

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Ep. 10 Living Anonymously with Dave from Dopey - Recovering From Reality

In this week’s episode of Recovering from Reality, we get to hear from Dave, the host of the Dopey podcast. Dave and Alexis talk about his recovery journey, if AA is still “anonymous”, and what Dopey is all about. Dave is an awesome guy that has a way of turning the darkest experiences into the funniest stories. His show Dopey is the perfect mix of discussion and debauchery, and has become one of the best recovery podcasts out there. At least we think so! I mean, he had Jaime Lee Curtis as a guest, how much better can you get? Recently, the show’s shift from silly to serious came with Chris’ tragic death. Dave has had to find a happy medium between laughter and mourning the loss of his friend. But it’s this vulnerability about his struggles that resonates with listeners the most. Back in the early days of Dave’s AA experience, he found himself shying away from the identity of “former addict”. There is still such a stigma around addiction, that he knew it would be hard to find work if he came out about it. This stigma is one that ordinary people face every day. And it is where the “anonymous” in Alcoholics Anonymous comes into play. Anonymity helps protect the people that are trying to get their lives back on track. Yet unfortunately as a public figure, Alexis didn’t have much of a choice in this department. She was recovering in the public eye, and everyone watched her struggle. Now after much growth, Alexis embraces her sobriety and her ability to speak out. She is out and proud about sobriety! And without people like her and Dave, the stigma will never end. Dave had a slightly different experience with anonymity. He attributes the program to his sobriety now, and took his anonymity very seriously in the beginning. An old sponsor told him that if he opened up and then relapsed while recording Dopey, he would be giving the 12-step fellowship a bad name. An old boss of his even said, “Once a junkie, always a junkie.” Sure, Dave was afraid of relapse and the risk of coming out about his issue, but after Chris’ death, he truly realized being vulnerable is really important to helping others. Chris was someone who knew all too well how important sobriety is, yet he couldn’t defeat his demons. He was 4 years sober when he relapsed, and died quickly after. Dave was in shock, and soon began to realize that not everyone recovers. This is what motivated him to continue with Dopey. The message of death is the strongest he could send to his listeners. And fighting through the mourning and grief and coming out with joy on the other side is truly inspirational. Remember, Alcoholics Anonymous is not the only method of healing. While AA helped Alexis in early recovery, she discovered her spiritual practice and holistic approach to be most helpful. But both Dave and Alexis agree that whatever works for you is what’s most important. Now that the whole world knows their story, Dave and Alexis have to share it with those most important to them: their children. While Dave’s 9-year old is too young to know all the details, she does know that her dad is sober and that he goes to meetings. Likewise, Alexis’ 6-year old daughter knows that her mom and dad don’t drink and they help other people stop drinking at Alo Recovery Center. Keeping things light and matter of fact with children is key. When Dave got clean, he realized he was doing the best he could do on drugs for 41 years. Now, he wants to see what his best is without them, in the next chapter of his life. If it weren’t for his desire to be a good father, he wouldn’t have gotten clean. He knew getting sober was the only way. Finally, Dave appreciates the adventure of sober living. He sincerely enjoys his life, and showing his genuine self to the world. “We spend so much time here on earth, frustrated about the highs and lows of living and expect life to be a certain way. But if everything was on a straight path, wouldn’t it be so boring?” It would feel more like death than life. “If you were happy all the time, there would be no happiness. Because you can’t compare the feeling to anything else.” We have to feel the lows to know the highs, and being sober allows you to check in with those emotions instead of check out from them. Instead of just living “bleh” life on drugs, you can live a beautiful life full of all the feels! With Dopey, Dave uses his voice to help others, because so many people helped him along the way. He spreads the message that if you are addicted to something, there IS joy on the other side.

…And that looking back and laughing at our old, crazy selves can bring the greatest healing of all!

#ANDSOITIS

If you or someone you love needs help, please go to alorecovery.com

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Ep. 11 Sober Kindred Souls w/ Arielle Lorre - Recovering From Reality

In this week’s episode, we have the lovely Arielle Lorre on to chat about her journey to sobriety, spirituality, and her new podcast, Over the Influence!

Arielle is a blogger and health and fitness guru that spends time posting delicious recipes, fitness tips, and curating her beautiful Instagram account. We are seriously jealous of her aesthetic! But what some people might not know about Arielle is that she is sober, and uses her recovery journey to help others.

Much like Alexis and Evan, Arielle and her husband met in recovery, and have a significant age gap between them. Part of recovery is joining a community of people from all different walks of life and age ranges. So instead of seeing someone’s age, we just the amazing, strong person and the struggles they’ve been through. Likewise, Arielle just sees the man that she loves, and not a number.

If you know your truth and rise above the judgment of others, you will never care what people think of age difference in a relationship.

This shared understanding among people that are sober is not just for spouses, but for everyone.

“You can go anywhere in the world and walk into a room of sober people and not know them and still have that bond. We are all kindred souls and have this shared camaraderie.”

There are also no age limits in the recovery world, which is why recovered people have friends of all ages. Everyone is on the same journey of healing and growth.

As far as Arielle’s backstory goes, she does not have the “conventional” traumatic history that most addicts do. She lived a relatively stable life growing up, and didn’t have much trauma. It wasn’t until she began drinking alcohol at age 17 that everything changed.

For the first time in her life, Arielle felt at ease. She realized that up until her first drink, she had felt nothing but unease her entire life.

Once she knew the feeling of relief, there was no turning back. She began partying and using cocaine, and at age 19, was sent to her first recovery program at an outpatient center.

For 10 years, Arielle was in and out of treatment, swinging back and forth between recovery and relapse. It wasn’t until a completely traumatic experience that she finally chose to gain control of her life.

She was living in California at the time, and remembered her parents flying in to host an intervention. At this point she was abusing alcohol, cocaine, Xanax, and Adderall. Seizures from overuse would completely overtake her body, and she was once found unresponsive in her apartment by the police and rushed the hospital.

Arielle knew she needed to surrender, but the idea of facing life sober seemed too overwhelming.

This is a common experience for those in recovery. For so long, you are used to numbing out any emotion with the high of a substance. Without anything to fall back on, you are left to feel those raw emotions. And it is so hard.

Unfortunately, there is no way to wean into life. But Arielle truly believes that her community of support is what got her through to the other side. Then, you must surrender to the process of healing and be humbled by it.

We have to be strong enough to admit that we don’t know everything, and that we must re-learn how to live life.

Learning to be okay with suffering is difficult, but that is where a spiritual foundation can be a real game changer. We can choose to believe in something greater than us, and rely on that to guide us through life. It is then our connection to something bigger that keeps us going.

“With faith, it makes the waves of life less turbulent. Life becomes calmer.”

All the joy, suffering, and pain that we feel on this earth are the essence of life. Without the pain and suffering, we can’t experience the pure joy.

Like the voice that called Arielle said, “There is something beautiful on the other side of this.” We need to hold out hope and remember the lessons we’ve learned from our painful experiences.

These principles are what Arielle is communicating on her new podcast. The community she’s cultivated with Over the Influence is really important, and she believes it is a true part of recovery.

Her online presence has allowed her to be open about her struggles, and help those that are struggling as well. She calls on her experiences with sobriety and health to create her amazing content and change people’s lives.

With a world that places a lot of value on numbers, we need to ask ourselves what really matters to the followers, and that is community. Even though engagement in the comment section might be low, there are a ton of DMs waiting to be answered, where people want to have a real connection.

Social media can be a great tool for fostering genuine connection between like-minded souls. Then, our relationships blossom into something empowering and real.

To wrap up and end on a light note, Alexis and Arielle play a fun game of Would You Rather. Because let’s be real…who wouldn’t love to choose between sex with Jason Bateman or a complete unattractive stranger?! You’ll just have to listen to find out!

#ANDSOITIS

If you or someone you love needs help, please go to alorecovery.com

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.