# How to Retrain Your Brain for Joy in Addiction Recovery With Dr. Eric Garland

Page: https://stenobird.com/podcast/sisters-in-sobriety-6679709/how-to-retrain-your-brain-for-joy-in-addiction-recovery-with-dr-eric-garland
Text version: https://stenobird.com/podcast/sisters-in-sobriety-6679709/how-to-retrain-your-brain-for-joy-in-addiction-recovery-with-dr-eric-garland.md
Podcast: [Sisters In Sobriety](https://stenobird.com/podcast/sisters-in-sobriety-6679709)
Published: 2026-07-20T10:20:00+00:00
Episode link: https://soniakahlon6344.podbean.com/e/drericgarlandepi/
Audio file: https://mcdn.podbean.com/mf/web/72h8xz4a9mnwsg43/DrEricGarlandEpi.mp3
Processing state: not_requested
JSON: https://stenobird.com/v1/public/podcasts/sisters-in-sobriety-6679709/episodes/how-to-retrain-your-brain-for-joy-in-addiction-recovery-with-dr-eric-garland
Duration seconds: 3362

## Resource

Addiction can gradually disconnect people from the ordinary pleasures, relationships and experiences that once made life meaningful. In this episode of Sisters in Sobriety, Sonia and Kathleen help make the science of addiction recovery practical and accessible with Dr. Eric Garland, a clinical researcher, psychotherapist and leading expert in mind-body therapies for addiction and chronic pain. Dr. Garland is the developer of Mindfulness-Oriented Recovery Enhancement, or MORE, an evidence-based treatment that combines mindfulness, cognitive behavioural therapy and positive psychology. Why do alcohol and other addictive substances begin to feel more rewarding than everyday life? How are addiction, chronic pain, depression, anxiety and trauma connected? Dr. Garland explains how substance use changes the brain’s dopamine and reward systems, why cravings can become automatic, and how mindfulness can create a pause between an urge and an action. He also discusses relapse prevention, emotional pain, moderation, harm reduction and the role of meditation in 12-step recovery. The conversation breaks down the three pillars of MORE: mindfulness, cognitive reappraisal and savoring. Dr. Garland explains how mindfulness strengthens attention and awareness, how reappraisal helps people examine the consequences of their choices, and how savoring retrains the brain to experience pleasure from ordinary moments. He also shares techniques for observing cravings, “playing the tape forward,” rebuilding natural reward and using the STOP practice before engaging in an addictive behaviour. Sonia reflects on how rediscovering simple pleasures and developing new hobbies contributed to a profound identity shift in her own sobriety. Dr. Garland shares how his personal mindfulness practice shaped hi…

## Actions

- request_transcript: `POST https://stenobird.com/v1/public/podcasts/sisters-in-sobriety-6679709/episodes/how-to-retrain-your-brain-for-joy-in-addiction-recovery-with-dr-eric-garland/transcription-requests` — Idempotently request low-priority transcript generation for this episode.
- read_markdown: `GET https://stenobird.com/podcast/sisters-in-sobriety-6679709/how-to-retrain-your-brain-for-joy-in-addiction-recovery-with-dr-eric-garland.md` — Read the agent-friendly Markdown representation of this episode resource.

A page view does not enqueue transcription. Agents should invoke `request_transcript` explicitly when they need this episode processed.

## Transcript

Full transcripts are not published on public pages unless there is a clear rights basis.