I Used to Think Sobriety Looked Unbearable. Then I Became the Bird Feeder Guy.

Doing The Work from Naples Integrated Recovery · Jul 12, 2026 · 37m

This episode looks at addiction, dopamine, recovery, and the strange return of quiet joy through the unlikely doorway of bird feeders. Years ago, ordinary contentment looked ridiculous: a jigsaw puzzle, a massive John Adams biography, a quiet evening, a bird outside the window. Through addiction, the reward system gets trained around intensity, escape, threat, and relief, which can make normal life feel flat, boring, or almost offensive.

The deeper question is what changes when recovery reaches attention itself. A cardinal at a feeder, a book, a walk, or a morning cup of coffee can begin to…