Welcome to Episode #18 of the Connection is the Medicine Podcast with Tommy Rosen. He is the founder of Recovery 2.0, a global community and platform that integrates 12-step recovery with yoga, breathwork, meditation, and embodied practices. 

Author of Recovery 2.0: Move Beyond Addiction and Upgrade Your Life, he has been in recovery for over 35 years and helps people retrain their nervous systems to move beyond the frequency of addiction into greater freedom, presence, and joy.

Episode Overview
In this heartfelt conversation, host Eaden Shantay sits down with Tommy Rosen to explore the deeper dimensions of recovery. Tommy shares two powerful crossroads moments from his own journey—reaching a life-threatening bottom with cocaine and heroin addiction in 1989, and the ongoing challenges of living a spiritual life one day at a time.

The discussion moves from the necessity of hitting bottom and the gift of desperation, through clear distinctions between abstinence, sobriety, and true recovery, into the nature of addiction as nervous-system entrainment. Tommy explains why change often requires ego death, how the “frequency of addiction” continues even after substances are put down (especially around food, sex, money, and technology), and how Recovery 2.0 complements traditional 12-step work with yoga, breathwork, and community.

The episode closes with an accessible reframing of “God” / Higher Power and strong words of encouragement for anyone still sitting on the sidelines.

Key Themes & Timestamps

• Crossroads & Hitting Bottom (01:55)
  Tommy’s 1989 bottom after a three-day cocaine and heroin binge, waking up paralyzed from the waist down, and the moment he finally told the truth and asked for help. The “gift of desperation.”
• Abstinence → Sobriety → Recovery (09:14)
  Clear definitions: abstinence as the necessary first step; sobriety as the point when the obsession lifts; recovery as the ongoing spiritual path of presence, relationship with a Higher Power, and living one day at a time.
• Why We Need to Hit Bottom (14:56)
  Changing levels of consciousness requires ego death. A bottom is simply the moment we are finally willing to tell the truth.
• The “In-Between” Zone (21:16)
  What about those whose addiction is more subtle—cannabis, food, relationships, technology, or living without full presence? Tommy reframes these as the “least fortunate” who are still alive but not truly free.
• Why It’s So Hard to Be With Ourselves (30:06)
  Addiction as deep nervous-system training. Different portals into addiction (trauma, anxiety, depression, rage). The hopeful flip side: if we can train ourselves into addiction, we can train ourselves out.
• Definition of Addiction (36:47)
  Any behavior continued despite negative consequences. The “Big Six” (drugs, alcohol, food, people, money, technology) plus the four aggravations (negative thinking, self-doubt, procrastination, resentment). Ultimately, addiction to “outside-in” living.
• The Frequency of Addiction (41:35)
  How the nervous-system frequency of addiction continues after substances are removed and shows up in food, sex, work, and relationships. Changing the channel so we can attract a different life.
• What is Recovery 2.0? (50:26)
  A mind-body complement to 12-step work. Yoga, breathwork, meditation, nature, food, and relationship as the core practices. Universal-format meetings, online programs, and destination retreats. Breathwork as non-negotiable for changing brain and nervous system.
• God / Higher Power Language (55:37)
  Softening the language of the 12 steps (Universe, Consciousness) to make the work more welcoming while emphasizing direct experience over belief.
• Words of Encouragement (1:00:45)
  If the thought “I need to find out what’s beyond this behavior” has ever arisen, it will never go away. Take one action today. A long, slow recovery is a gift.

Memorable Quotes

“A bottom is nothing more than the moment you’re finally able to tell the truth.”
 — Tommy Rosen (quoting his teacher Guru Prem)

“You are so wired for adrenaline… You need to become thrilled by the subtle.”
 — Tommy’s teacher

“If you have the thought, ‘I need to find out what’s beyond this behavior,’ that thought will never, ever go away.”
 — Tommy Rosen

Resources Mentioned

• Recovery 2.0 portal & meetings: r2o.com
• Book: Recovery 2.0: Move Beyond Addiction and Upgrade Your Life by Tommy Rosen
• Related teachers/practitioners referenced: Dr. Allen Berger, Heather Munro, and others in the Recovery 2.0 community

 If even a small part of this conversation stirred something in you, Tommy and the Recovery 2.0 community welcome you. Visit R2o.com for meetings, programs, and a wealth of free content. You don’t have to figure it out alone.

Connection is the Medicine explores consciousness, recovery, yoga, and the healing power of authentic connection. Hosted by Eaden Shantay.

www.connectionisthemedicine.com

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