Spiritual Sobriety Podcast is a grounded, practical exploration of recovery through the lived wisdom of Buddhism and the 12 Steps.
Hosted by Chris McDuffie, licensed psychotherapist, meditation teacher, and recovery guide, this podcast is for anyone seeking freedom from addiction, compulsive patterns, or the suffering that keeps us stuck. It’s also for those who love someone in recovery and want a deeper spiritual framework for healing.
Spiritual sobriety is more than abstinence. It’s learning how to meet life honestly.
To stay present without numbing.
To respond instead of react. To face pain without turning it into shame.
Each episode weaves together Buddhist teachings, 12 Step principles, and real-life application. No abstract philosophy. No spiritual bypassing. Just practical tools for living with clarity, compassion, and integrity.
This is recovery as a spiritual path. This is healing as daily practice. This is Spiritual Sobriety.
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In this episode of the Spiritual Sobriety Podcast, Chris explores:
The eight worldly preoccupations and how they drive our suffering
How our egoic thinking mind generates thousands of feelings from every perception
The Buddhist teaching of the Two Arrows and how we wound ourselves twice
Practical tools from both Buddhism and the 12 Steps to respond with loving-kindness
This episode is for you if:
You've been feeling trapped by emotions you can't seem to control
You're stuck in patterns of grabbing for comfort or pushing away discomfort
You're ready to approach your suffering with more honesty and self-compassion
The Invitation
Sobriety is not just the removal of alcohol. It is the return to your truest self.
In this conversation, we explore what it means to meet our emotions directly without being ruled by them, and how spiritual awareness can gently reshape the way you experience the push and pull of joy and suffering.
Featured Practice
Take 3-5 minutes today to try this. You will need a pen and paper.
Draw two columns and write these four pairings as opposites: happiness vs. suffering, fame vs. insignificance, praise vs. blame, gain vs. loss.
Read each term slowly and notice what sense feelings arise within you.
Write down the feelings that surface under each term.
Ask yourself: "Where do I see myself grabbing toward one side or pushing away the other?"
Let whatever arises be enough.
Journal Prompt
"What would it look like if I trusted my ability to hold both the joy and the sorrow, instead of reaching for one and running from the other?"
Write without editing. Let honesty lead.
Key Reflection
"The second arrow is always optional. The first arrow is pain. The second is the story we tell ourselves about that pain."
If this episode resonated with you, share it with someone walking their own sobriety path.
Chris McDuffie is a licensed psychotherapist, mindfulness teacher and sober coach in private practice. He is the CEO and lead therapist for Chris McDuffie Counseling, a leading concierge practice caring for mental and behavioral health needs. He lives in Carlsbad, California, and holds a Master of Social Work from Fordham University. He teaches recovery from addiction and co-occurring disorders through the spiritual practices of Buddhism and the 12 Steps.
If this episode resonated with you, share it with someone walking their own sobriety path.
Follow Chris for reflections and meditations: Website: https://www.chrismcduffietherapy.com/
In this episode of Spiritual Sobriety, Chris McDuffie introduces Dr. Paul O’s framework for building spiritual sobriety, using the metaphor of a baseball diamond to map the four bases of recovery: physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual sobriety. Drawing on Buddhist teachings, the 12 Steps, and the premise that no external person or event can make us angry, Chris offers a practical and empowering vision of what it means to round the bases of sobriety. Not once, but again and again, one day at a time.
What You’ll Learn:
• Why our emotions, including anger, begin within us, not outside us
• Dr. Paul O’s four bases of spiritual sobriety: physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual
• How the Eight Worldly Preoccupations from Buddhism connect to our anger and suffering
• What it means to stay “at bat” in long-term recovery with progress, not perfection
• How physical, mental, and emotional healing all build toward a loving connection with yourself and others
In This Episode:
• Chris recaps the Buddha’s Four Noble Truths and the 12-Step journey covered so far
• An introduction to Dr. Paul O’s book You Can’t Make Me Angry and its central premise
• The baseball diamond exercise: labeling each base and identifying who is on the opposing team
• First base—physical sobriety: eating, sleeping, hydrating, exercising, and healing the body
• Second base—mental sobriety: confronting the “thinking disease” of addiction and trauma
• Third base—emotional sobriety: identifying, feeling, and responding from our core values
• Home base—spiritual sobriety: choosing love, forgiveness, and seeing the good in ourselves and others
6. Balancing Suffering with Gratitude
Season 1 · Episode 6
Thursday, May 7, 2026 • Duration 08:55
In this episode of Spiritual Sobriety, Chris McDuffie explores the relationship between suffering and gratitude as complementary forces in recovery. Drawing on the Buddha’s Four Noble Truths and the teachings of Thich Nhat Hanh, Chris guides listeners through a live contemplative exercise and offers a fresh perspective: that learning to sit with suffering, rather than escape it.
What You’ll Learn:
• Why suffering and gratitude are not opposites—but partners in healing
• How our attachments and aversions generate anxiety, guilt, and remorse
• The Buddhist teaching of No Mud, No Lotus as a guide through pain
• Why turning inward—not outward—is the path to lasting relief
• A practical gratitude exercise to use daily as a relapse prevention tool
In This Episode:
• Chris introduces the mantra: “It’s okay to look at the past, just don’t stare” • The First Noble Truth and how we generate our own suffering through attachment • Cicero’s teaching that gratitude is the father of all virtues
• Thich Nhat Hanh’s No Mud, No Lotus and the secret to transforming suffering • The dog tied to a post: a Buddhist metaphor for how addiction traps us in circles • A live two-column T-chart gratitude exercise with reflection on the feelings it surfaces
Featured Practice:
Take 5–10 minutes today to practice this contemplative gratitude exercise. You will need a pen and paper.
1. Find a quiet space and take three slow, grounding breaths.
2. Draw a T-chart on your paper. Label the left column: I am grateful for having. Label the right column: I am grateful for not having.
3. Free-write in both columns. There are no wrong answers—this is your personal reflection. 4. Notice what feelings arise and write them down. If nothing surfaces, that is okay. 5. Ask yourself: “What does this list reveal about what I truly value?”
5. Buddhism and the 12 Steps: Defining Our Suffering
Season 1 · Episode 5
Wednesday, April 22, 2026 • Duration 09:07
In this episode of Spiritual Sobriety, Chris McDuffie explores the first of Buddha's Four Noble Truths: the Causes of Suffering. He delves into how suffering is rooted in attachments and aversions, drawing parallels between Buddhist teachings and the 12-Step programs. Chris also honors the works of influential authors and spiritual teachers who have shaped his understanding of spiritual sobriety.
What You’ll Learn:
The two chief causes of suffering: attachments and aversions
The role of mindfulness in overcoming suffering
How Buddhism and the 12-Step programs intersect in addressing suffering
Practical ways to use awareness to release suffering and create joy
In This Episode:
Chris introduces the teachings of Buddhist scholar Joseph Goldstein on the causes of suffering
How Buddha used the image of a wagon wheel to explain suffering
The connection between mindfulness and spiritual sobriety
Practical tools for letting go of attachments and achieving nirvana daily
Featured Practice:
Take 3–5 minutes today to practice mindful awareness:
Find a quiet space and take three deep breaths.
Reflect on any attachments or cravings that might be causing you suffering today.
Ask yourself: “How can I release this attachment and move toward peace?”
Journal Prompt:
“What attachments am I holding onto that are causing me suffering, and how can I let them go today?”
Key Quote:
“The way out of suffering is practicing skillful, mindful awareness and releasing from these addictions.”
Chris McDuffie is a licensed psychotherapist, mindfulness teacher and sober coach in private practice. He is the CEO and lead therapist for Chris McDuffie Counseling, a leading concierge practice caring for mental and behavioral health needs. He lives in Carlsbad, California, and holds a Master of Social Work from Fordham University. He teaches recovery from addiction and co-occurring disorders through the spiritual practices of Buddhism and the 12 Steps.
4. The Causes of Suffering
Season 1 · Episode 4
Wednesday, April 8, 2026 • Duration 10:36
What if your suffering isn’t coming from what’s happening to you… but from how you’re relating to it?
In this episode, Chris introduces a powerful workshop-style practice to help you see the root of your suffering in real time. Through a simple visual exercise, you’ll begin to understand how both grasping and resisting quietly shape your experience.
In this episode of the Spiritual Sobriety Podcast, Chris explores:
• The two primary causes of suffering: attachment and aversion • How “grabbing” and “pushing away” create internal tension • The connection between Buddhist teachings and the 12 Steps • How mindfulness helps interrupt automatic reactions
This episode is for you if:
• You feel stuck in patterns you can’t seem to break • You notice yourself clinging to or avoiding certain people, places, or behaviors • You’re ready to understand your suffering at a deeper level
The Invitation
Suffering doesn’t just come from what we experience. It often comes from how tightly we hold on or how strongly we push away.
As Chris shares, “attachments and aversions are the two key sources of suffering.”
In this episode, you’re invited to slow down and notice where this is happening in your own life, not with judgment, but with awareness.
Featured Practice
Take 5 minutes today to try this:
Draw a simple half-circle with two arrows: one labeled “attachments” and one labeled “aversions.”
Write down examples of where you are grabbing onto something or pushing something away.
Pause and ask yourself: “What am I wanting right now? What am I not wanting?”
Begin to notice the moment before the reaction.
Journal Prompt
3. The Three Jewels: Awakening, Practice, and Community
Season 1 · Episode 3
Wednesday, March 25, 2026 • Duration 11:27
Show Notes
Recovery is not only about stopping harmful behaviors. It is about waking up to our lives with greater awareness, honesty, and connection.
In this episode, Chris introduces the Three Jewels of Buddhism and explores how they relate to the principles of the Twelve Steps. These three foundations offer a framework for spiritual practice that supports sobriety, awakening, and meaningful connection with others.
In this episode, Chris explores:
• The meaning of the word Buddha and the idea of awakening • The Dharma as a path of mindfulness, understanding, and love • The Sangha as the importance of spiritual community • How these three jewels parallel the principles found in the Twelve Steps
This episode is for you if:
• You are curious how Buddhist teachings connect with recovery • You want a deeper understanding of spiritual awakening • You are learning how community supports long-term sobriety
The Invitation
The Three Jewels are the foundational refuges of Buddhist practice: the Buddha, the Dharma, and the Sangha.
The Buddha represents the possibility of awakening. In Buddhism, the Buddha is not viewed as a god but as a human being who awakened to the causes of suffering. His life reminds us that awakening is possible for all of us.
The Dharma refers to the teachings and practices that guide us toward awareness, wisdom, and compassion. These teachings are offered as suggestions and practices that help us see clearly and live more skillfully.
The Sangha is the spiritual community. It is the place where we practice these teachings together, support one another, and learn to cultivate loving awareness in relationship.
Together, these three jewels remind us that recovery is not meant to be practiced alone. Awakening happens through practice, guidance, and community.
2. What Do We Mean By Spirituality?
Season 1 · Episode 2
Wednesday, March 11, 2026 • Duration 06:28
When we use the word spiritual, what do we actually mean?
Is it religious? Secular? Personal? Universal? In recovery, this question matters. Because how you define spirituality will shape how you practice it.
In this episode, Chris explores the meaning of spirituality through the lenses of Buddhism and the Twelve Steps.
In this episode, Chris explores:
• The root meaning of the word “spirit” as breath • How Buddhism defines spirituality as a path of awakening • How the Twelve Steps frame spirituality as transformation • Why spirituality may be best understood as love
This episode is for you if:
• You struggle with the word “God” in recovery • You feel unsure how to define spirituality for yourself • You want a path that is spiritual but not rigidly religious
The Invitation
The Latin root of spirit means breath. A living force flowing in us, through us, and around us.
Buddhism describes spirituality as a path of practice leading to insight into the true nature of reality. Through meditation and awareness, we cultivate kindness and wisdom and gradually loosen the grip of ego.
The Twelve Steps describe spirituality as a transformation. A spiritual awakening is the moment we become able to do, feel, and believe what we could not do alone. It is the discovery of a strength beyond our isolated self.
Across both paths, a common thread emerges. We move out of self-centeredness and toward connection. Toward service. Toward love.
Spirituality may not be about doctrine. It may be about becoming capable of loving more fully.
Featured Practice
Take a few quiet breaths.
Inhale slowly and notice the breath moving through you.
1. Welcome to Spiritual Sobriety
Episode 1
Wednesday, February 25, 2026 • Duration 10:23
Welcome to the Spiritual Sobriety Podcast.
If you are searching for relief from addiction, longing for deeper peace in recovery, or loving someone who is struggling, you are in the right place.
In this opening episode, Chris shares the heart behind this podcast and the path we will walk together.
In this episode of the Spiritual Sobriety Podcast, Chris explores:
• The intersection of Buddhism and 12 Step recovery • How spiritual practice relieves suffering • Why sobriety is more than abstinence • The invitation to cultivate physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual sobriety
This episode is for you if:
• You are in recovery and want something deeper than willpower • You love someone struggling with addiction • You are ready to approach sobriety as a spiritual path
The Invitation
Sobriety is not just the removal of alcohol or substances. It is a return to awareness, connection, and truth.
Chris shares how the teachings of the Buddha and the founders of the 12 Step programs offer practical tools to move through addiction, trauma, depression, anxiety, and shame. Together, these pathways become a guide out of suffering and into grounded, sustainable joy.
Spiritual sobriety is for anyone seeking freedom.
If you are in crisis, please call 911 or go to your nearest emergency room.
Featured Practice
Take a moment now:
Take one slow breath.
Notice what is supporting you in this moment.
Ask yourself: “Where am I being invited to wake up?”
You might also ask: What helps me stay grounded? Who reminds me I’m not alone?
• W.H. Auden’s poem As I Walked Out One Evening and loving our crooked neighbor with our crooked heart
Featured Practice:
Take 5–10 minutes today to work with the baseball diamond exercise. You will need a pen and paper.
1. Draw a baseball diamond on your paper and label the bases: First Base: Physical Sobriety, Second Base: Mental Sobriety, Third Base: Emotional Sobriety, Home Base: Spiritual Sobriety.
2. Ask yourself: who is on the opposing team trying to tag you out? Name the emotions, people, or patterns at each position. Anger at third base, fear as the opposing manager, and so on.
3. Now fill in your own team. Who is supporting your recovery? Who is your coach?
4. Sit with this question: “Am I committed to rounding the bases again and again, not just once?”
5. Notice what arises without judgment. Let it be information, not indictment.
Journal Prompt:
“Where am I on the baseball diamond today and what would it look like to take one honest step toward the next base?”
Key Quote:
“Spiritual sobriety is a fluid, dynamic dance and freedom from our suffering, from dukkha, from our attachments, and from grabbing and aversions.”
Chris McDuffie is a licensed psychotherapist, mindfulness teacher and sober coach in private practice. He is the CEO and lead therapist for Chris McDuffie Counseling, a leading concierge practice caring for mental and behavioral health needs. He lives in Carlsbad, California, and holds a Master of Social Work from Fordham University. He teaches recovery from addiction and co-occurring disorders through the spiritual practices of Buddhism and the 12 Steps.
If this episode resonated with you, share it with someone walking their own sobriety path.
Follow Chris for reflections and meditations: Website: https://www.chrismcduffietherapy.com/
“What would it look like if I trusted the process of healing instead of reaching outward to escape my pain?”
Key Quote:
“Bringing gratitude to my suffering is the most loving, kind way to respond. Remember—no mud, no lotus.”
Chris McDuffie is a licensed psychotherapist, mindfulness teacher and sober coach in private practice. He is the CEO and lead therapist for Chris McDuffie Counseling, a leading concierge practice caring for mental and behavioral health needs. He lives in Carlsbad, California, and holds a Master of Social Work from Fordham University. He teaches recovery from addiction and co-occurring disorders through the spiritual practices of Buddhism and the 12 Steps.
If this episode resonated with you, share it with someone walking their own sobriety path.
Follow Chris for reflections and meditations: Website: https://www.chrismcduffietherapy.com/
“Where in my life am I creating suffering by holding on or pushing away?”
Write freely. Let patterns reveal themselves.
Key Reflection
“The grabbing and the pushing away are what generate our suffering.”
If this episode resonated with you, share it with someone walking their own sobriety path.
Chris McDuffie is a licensed psychotherapist, mindfulness teacher and sober coach in private practice. He is the CEO and lead therapist for Chris McDuffie Counseling, a leading concierge practice caring for mental and behavioral health needs. He lives in Carlsbad, California, and holds a Master of Social Work from Fordham University. He teaches recovery from addiction and co-occurring disorders through the spiritual practices of Buddhism and the 12 Steps.
If this episode resonated with you, share it with someone walking their own sobriety path.
Follow Chris for reflections and meditations: Website: https://www.chrismcduffietherapy.com/
Sit comfortably and allow your body to relax into the support beneath you.
Bring your awareness to your breath as it naturally rises and falls.
Notice the beginning, middle, and end of each inhale and exhale.
If the mind wanders, gently bring your attention back to the breath.
Simply watch the breath move in and out, allowing it to breathe you.
Journal Prompt
How do the three refuges of awakening, practice, and community show up in my own recovery?
Write honestly and notice where these supports already exist in your life.
Key Reflection
“A bad Sangha is better than no Sangha.”
Chris McDuffie is a licensed psychotherapist, mindfulness teacher and sober coach in private practice. He is the CEO and lead therapist for Chris McDuffie Counseling, a leading concierge practice caring for mental and behavioral health needs. He lives in Carlsbad, California, and holds a Master of Social Work from Fordham University. He teaches recovery from addiction and co-occurring disorders through the spiritual practices of Buddhism and the 12 Steps.
If this episode resonated with you, share it with someone walking their own sobriety path.
Follow Chris for reflections and meditations: Website: https://www.chrismcduffietherapy.com/
Ask yourself: “What does spirituality mean to me?”
Notice any resistance, clarity, or curiosity that arises.
There is no correct definition. Let your experience teach you.
Journal Prompt
“How do I define spirituality today, and how does that definition shape my recovery?”
Write without trying to sound spiritual. Write honestly.
Key Reflection
“Maybe there are as many definitions of spiritual awakening as there are people who have had them.”
Chris McDuffie is a licensed psychotherapist, mindfulness teacher and sober coach in private practice. He is the CEO and lead therapist for Chris McDuffie Counseling, a leading concierge practice caring for mental and behavioral health needs. He lives in Carlsbad, California, and holds a Master of Social Work from Fordham University. He teaches recovery from addiction and co-occurring disorders through the spiritual practices of Buddhism and the 12 Steps.
If this episode resonated with you, share it with someone walking their own sobriety path.
Follow Chris for reflections and meditations: Website: https://www.chrismcduffietherapy.com/
“What does spiritual sobriety mean to me right now?”
Write honestly. There is no right answer.
Key Reflection
“You don’t have to do this by yourself.”
Chris McDuffie is a licensed psychotherapist, mindfulness teacher and sober coach in private practice. He is the CEO and lead therapist for Chris McDuffie Counseling, a leading concierge practice caring for mental and behavioral health needs. He lives in Carlsbad, California, and holds a Master of Social Work from Fordham University. He teaches recovery from addiction and co-occurring disorders through the spiritual practices of Buddhism and the 12 Steps.
If this episode resonated with you, share it with someone walking their own sobriety path.
Follow Chris for reflections and meditations: Website: https://www.chrismcduffietherapy.com/
