The Sober Shaman

The Sober Shaman

The Program

Lesson 6: The 4 Stages of Recovery

Randal Lyons's avatar
Randal Lyons
Mar 31, 2026
∙ Paid

Sometimes, we feel like we’re being pulled down, going under and drowning in the waves that life is throwing at us. We call this the Crisis Stage and all we can think about is keeping our head above water and catching the next breath.

When we finally get those immediate issues resolved and things start to feel stable, it may be time to get back to work and enter the Investigation Stage, so we can understand how things landed that way.

Then, when we see how and why it played out the way it did, let’s put all that knowledge to good use as we enter the Practice Stage. We “chop wood, carry water,” so that we create the environment, circumstances and relationships that we’re proud of.

And even as we achieve these successes in recovery, the cycles of the Renewal Stage await. Will we be ready when they inevitably arrive?

In this Lesson, we identify exactly what Stage you’re in right now, so we can identify exactly what needs to be done next.

Let’s begin…

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