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Addiction is often the result of pain in our early years of life. Whether it\u2019s passed down through genetics or an attempt to escape the pain, many addicts can point to a hard childhood as the source of their addiction. This is why it\u2019s so important to recognize our family patterns and root out the disease of addiction while we still can.\xa0\nToday\u2019s guest, Kate Russell, grew up in just such an unhealthy environment. She was physically abused as a child and was raised by an alcoholic mother. However, she now holds amazing compassion as a result of having worked through her trauma and eventual addiction.\nKate is now the author of Down The Rabbit Hole, a memoir of abuse, addiction, and recovery. Getting to read her book, hear her story, and then talk to her on the other side of it all was amazing. Kate inspired me and I think she will do the same for all of you. Tune in to hear all about her book and how she not only endured but grew through her difficult life experiences.\nIn this episode, you will hear:\n\nThe \u201cGod voice\u201d that helped Kate get through the abuse she endured in her childhood.\n\nThe way abuse got so deeply embedded into her that she began to abuse her sister.\n\nWhen she first began to see the parallel between her, her mom, and addiction.\n\nWhere the term \u201crabbit hole\u201d in the title of her book came from.\n\nHow she became addicted to marijuana and alcohol.\n\nThe hole that\u2019s left in our hearts when we heal from an addiction.\n\nKate\u2019s journey towards sobriety.\n\nHow recovery looks different than she expected.\n\nHow she has developed such compassion for herself and her parents.\n\nWhy it\u2019s so important to feel all of your feelings and let yourself cry sometimes.\n\nKey Quotes:\n[04:38] - \u201cThat\u2019s really what the book ended up being about, for me, was the mind... it\u2019s just how our minds work. Not just addicts, but just how the mind works.\u201d\xa0\n[16:17] - \u201cSo \u2018Down a Rabbit Hole\u2019 refers to falling down into triggered thinking. So triggered thinking is when we revert back into a helpless childhood, that helplessness we felt in our childhood.\u201d\n[20:28] - \u201cThe drugs... aren\u2019t very successful at covering up that that deeper level of pain or loneliness or depression or whatever it is. And then you start to realize, \u2018Oh, wait, this isn't quite working anymore.\u2019\u201d\n[23:06] - \u201cI was always reaching out for help but wasn\u2019t always met with the results I would have hoped.\u201d\n[26:25] - \u201cThat\u2019s what I think recovery is. It\u2019s just like slowly unpeeling the onion.\u201d\n[28:19] \u201cWhen I got sober, there's a pink cloud, if you will call it\u2026 life is\u2026 different, but everything\u2019s the same. I had the same job, same apartment, same car, but I was sober\u2026 everything was new and different.\u201d\n[30:01] - \u201cThe addictive mind is fear: a fear to change. It's fear. You are set in your ways.\u201d\n[32:28] -\xa0\u201cIt's always when you get to the other side, you always look back and go, \u2018It wasn't that bad.\u2019 Or, \u2018You know what, it was hard at times. It was. But I got through it. And if I can get through it, so can you.\u2019\u201d\xa0\nSupporting Resources:\nNovusMindfulLife.com\nKateRussellAuthor.com\nDown the Rabbit Hole\nEpisode Credits\nIf you like this podcast and are thinking of creating your own, consider talking to my producer, Danny Ozment.\nFind out more at https://emeraldcitypro.com\nLearn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices