Episode 227: Clinician’s Corner - Recovery Is a Lifestyle, Not a Lifeboat – Maintaining Long-Term Recovery

In this episode of Clinician’s Corner, Molly and Clarissa explore the often-overlooked realities of long-term recovery. While many recovery programs focus on the acute phases and early abstinence, sustainable recovery demands much more—it asks us to renovate our lives.

Drawing from the latest research—including insights from Harvard’s Recovery Research Institute and their own published study on food addiction outcomes—they break down the average 17-year journey toward stable remission and emphasize that recovery is a process, not a finish line.

🧠 Topics include:

• The 3 stages of long-term recovery and why it takes time

• What “discovery” looks like after recovery stabilizes

• The role of coping skills, daily structure, and stress management

• Why routine = safety for the recovering brain

• The neuroscience behind mindfulness and relapse prevention

• How community support, peer connection, and giving back drive lasting change

• Permission to grow, evolve, and let go of what no longer serves your recovery

Molly and Clarissa also share personal reflections and client experiences that bring the research to life—reminding us all that recovery isn’t just about what we stop doing, but about what we start creating.

🔄 Whether you're early in recovery or navigating the path of long-term healing, this episode will offer validation, insight, and hope.

🧭 Key Links: • 🎟 Register for IFACC 2025 • 📄 Read the Delphi Consensus Paper  • 📄 Read the 12-Month Outcome Study on Food Addiction Recovery

🔗 Sweet Sobriety Foundations Course