Listen Up: Podcasts about Addiction and Recovery

Tap the info into your mobile phone, grab your earbuds and click on a program. Or boot up your computer, laptop or tablet, tune in and hit play. Perhaps do the same while traveling in your car, walking the dog, or doing the dishes. Do what? Listen to a podcast about addiction and recovery. A podcast? Isn’t that a niche medium? That’s hardly the case according to industry statistics. Podcasthosting.org counts more than 2 million ongoing shows, as of August 2023. That translates to more than 48 million episodes. How many podcasts cover addiction? There’s not exact data on this but, for purposes of this post, let’s say many. In fact, there are too many to cover in this brief overview. Here are several podcasts about addiction you may find interesting or helpful—or both.

1. Busy Living Sober

“The definition of addiction is the inability to control one’s use over a substance.” Those are the words of host Elizabeth Chance in the preamble to the podcast. She knows this firsthand, having struggled with substance use for years before sustaining long-term recovery. “Bizzy,” her nickname and apt term, describes her pursuits and resolve “to bringing addiction out of the shadows and educating society that addiction is a disease, not who you are.”

One of those efforts is the Busy Living Sober podcast. Its mission is to: “Give ALL people an opportunity to listen, learn and live a sober lifestyle without any shame while having fun!” She posts new content every Tuesday and Thursday which, at the time of this writing, tops more than 364 episodes. Some installments are interviews; others are personal musings and lessons learned. All mirror the challenges and key aspects of addiction. Find it on iTunes, Spotify and YouTube.

2. Recovery Elevator

The clever name of this podcast is uplifting and rightly so in line with its aim. “Recovery Elevator offers hope through community and connection.” How? By “partnering sobriety seeking individuals with other like-minded people.” The show’s Facebook page further explains it seeks “to give [listeners] the courage to take that last drink… and to help them successfully traverse the unchartered waters of sobriety and recovery.” It’s been doing this by way of more than 400 episodes to date.

Podcast topics have covered the unexpected benefits of sobriety, positive relationships and co-occurring disorders; and the awkward aspects of recovery. Each zooms in on a topic of interest to help listeners “overcome difficult parts of sobriety while also making room for the good parts.” Follow Recovery Elevator to, as its tagline promotes, “find your better you.” Catch it on Google Podcasts, Apple Podcasts and iHeartRadio.

3. Tiny Bubbles

For more than decade, Jean McCarthy, author, and blogger hosted The Bubble Hour. Now she gives you Tiny Bubbles, a weekly-ish podcast that lasts just 15 minutes but packs that time with inspiring messages meant to boost sobriety. Featuring insights, information, and interview clips from The Bubble Hour, Tiny Bubbles has touched on sober travels, oversharing, and seniors with addiction in its short 9-month history (so far). Listen on Google Podcasts, Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Amazon Music, ot iHeartRadio.

4. A Sober Girls Guide Podcast

Women in recovery, start here. A Sober Girls Guide is, in its own words, a “one-stop shop for women in recovery. Here, you will find honest conversations about mental health, self development, wellness, and spirituality and how they influence your recovery journey.”  One of its offerings is the weekly podcast of the same name. And all of this comes straight from the real-life saga of Jessica Jeboult, who emerged from a 10-year battle with addiction to help others fight the fight. On A Sober Girls Guide Podcast, the host shares “her experiences along the way to complete and utter sobriety.” That includes: health and fitness, relationships, dating, and even sober sex. In its 225 episodes thus far, a Sober Girls Guide Podcast has featured celebrities, sober experts, and more. Receive tools, guidance and motivation by joining in on Apple Podcasts, Spotify and the PodBean app.

5. That Sober Guy

Producer and host Shane Ramer tells it like it is—engaging and to-the-point. After all, he has work to do on this show he created, which is to guide  you along the path to recovery. “We help people stay sober… Hope you hear something that helps you—that’s the goal.” Achieving sobriety in 2013 after a 17-year odyssey with alcohol and drug addiction, he started this program within a year of reaching his own goal. Since then, he has amassed a huge inventory of content. His guests, from all walks of life—everyday people to well-known names—share their stories and struggles with substances. That Sober Guy Podcast at times devotes episodes to fielding listeners’ questions. Follow this podcast, known also by its acronym TSG, as it endeavors to “Keep Your Blood Clean.” Find it on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and YouTube.

6. The Addicted Mind

The Addicted Mind, from licensed marriage and family therapist Duane Osterlind, helps listeners understand addiction from a research and treatment perspective. His expert guests dive into the latest research in addiction, talk about the newest treatment options, and explore recovery from a variety of perspectives. Guests have included everyone from a train derailment survivor in recovery from pain medication addiction to a neuroscientist who helps decode the brain, from a psychotherapist sharing the transformative power of bravery to a licensed clinical social worker talking about a new therapy meant to help those who have trauma stored in the brain and body. Hear it all on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and Google Podcasts.

7. Addiction Talk

 Addiction Talk is actually American Addiction Centers’ (AAC) live online talk show, where celebrities, influencers, and everyday people impacted by addiction share their inspiring, touching, and, at times, funny recovery journeys. By telling their stories, these individuals help break the stigma and shame that often accompany addiction. Past guests have included musicians, former Miss USA pageant winners, successful CEOs, A-list celebrity families, and more. Listen and/or watch on Spotify. Apple Podcasts, and YouTube.

From Podcasts about Addiction to Treatment

If, when listening to these podcasts, you realize you would benefit from professional treatment services, AAC can help get you started on your path to recovery. We offer a full-range of treatment options and evidence-based therapies. Call us at to speak to one of our compassionate and knowledgeable admissions navigators, who will listen to your story, answer your questions, and explain your options.