Shane Meyer

24/11/2025

Honoured to speak at The Future Leaders graduation ceremony today.

Thank you for welcoming me into your space and allowing me to share a message - humility, character development, and authenticity.

To every graduate: your journey forward will demand courage, consistency, and a willingness to continually refine who you are. Stay grounded, stay true, and keep choosing growth over comfort.

Grateful for the opportunity. Proud of each one of you.

18/11/2025

Honoured to be invited to speak at The Future Leaders graduation ceremony. I will see you this Saturday. Well done to all of you!

11/11/2025

Have a look at the game "Werewoolf" developed by a PHD Psychology student, DIMITRY DAVIDOFF.

If you look at the brilliance of the research, you will discover how insidious addiction and mental health struggles are. No one person is the wolf, yet the wolf wins if we don't address our issues (loosely applying mental health to the game).

03/11/2025

Every great idea has 1 believer first

24/10/2025

Can Therapy Really Help With Addiction?
🧠 The brain science says YES.

Here's what therapy addresses:
✨ Cognitive patterns: Identifying and changing the thoughts that lead to substance use
✨ Behavioural strategies: Building skills to cope with cravings and avoid triggers
✨ Emotional regulation: Healing trauma and managing co-occurring mental health conditions
✨ Support network: Connecting you with people who understand your struggle
Therapy isn't just talk. It's rewiring. It's healing. It's giving you the tools to build a life you don't need to escape from.
Combined with medication-assisted treatment (when appropriate) and peer support, therapy creates a comprehensive approach that dramatically reduces relapse risk.
You deserve evidence-based care. You deserve to heal from the inside out. 🌱

24/10/2025

Can I Really Recover Without Treatment?
💭 "Can't I just quit on my own?"
Here's the truth: A small percentage of people achieve lasting sobriety through "willpower" (extremely lightly put) alone, but research shows that structured care quadruples your long-term success rates.

If achieving sobriety is in success rate of single digits, you know that there are even fewer who accomplish this alone. "White-knuckling", I know, is not the life for me. I prefer freedom.

Evidence-based therapy addresses the root of cravings and thought patterns. Medication-assisted treatment stabilises brain chemistry. And peer support provides accountability when you need it most.
Recovery isn't about being weak—it's about being smart. Professional guidance fills the knowledge gaps, especially during early withdrawal or emotional challenges. It makes the climb safer, faster, and far more sustainable.
You deserve support. You deserve tools. You deserve success. 💚

21/10/2025

Good fences make good neighbours

21/10/2025

The silly season has a way of sneaking up on you when you're in recovery. One day you're managing fine, and the next you're standing in a grocery store while "Last Christmas" plays overhead, feeling like the ground just shifted.
If you're navigating trauma or working through recovery right now, here are some things worth keeping on your radar:

The performance tax is real. Family gatherings come with an unspoken expectation that you'll show up as your "normal" self. When you're still processing difficult things, this performance takes energy you might not have. What looks like a simple dinner party to everyone else might cost you three days of recovery time.

Sensory overload isn't just annoying—it's triggering. The constant music, crowded shops, and bright lights everywhere. Your nervous system doesn't distinguish between "festive chaos" and "threatening chaos." It just registers overwhelming.
The gap between experiences can feel enormous. When everyone around you is excited about traditions and you're just trying to make it through each day, declining invitations (which is completely reasonable) can leave you feeling isolated right when connection matters most.
Financial pressure compounds everything. Recovery often comes with its own costs—therapy, medical bills, time off work. The expectation to buy gifts, host meals, or travel can add to the stress of everything else you're dealing with.

Your body remembers. If your trauma occurred during this time of year, or if you're facing your first holiday season after loss, the dates themselves can trigger responses you didn't anticipate. The anniversary effect is real.

The gratitude pressure can feel invalidating. Being told you should feel grateful when you're in the middle of processing trauma doesn't help. Recovery doesn't pause for the calendar, and struggling during a season that's "supposed to be" joyful doesn't make you ungrateful. It makes you human.

What might actually help: Give yourself permission to do things differently this year. Skip certain events. Create smaller traditions. Be honest with one or two trusted people instead of maintaining the facade that everything's fine.

20/10/2025

I just listened to a powerful sharing by Sandy B. where he digs into how acceptance and forgiveness work together in recovery and in life. Some of his key points:

He starts by saying that problems often continue because we don’t fully accept the past, ourselves, or the consequences of our actions.

He emphasises: “Acceptance has its biggest power when you accept immediately; forgiveness has its biggest power when you forgive immediately.”
YouTube

He outlines that ongoing guilt, resentment, blame, whether towards ourselves or others, keeps us trapped. Forgiveness is the bridge to freedom.

He points out that forgiveness doesn’t mean denying what happened or pretending it was okay; it means letting go of the hold that the hurt or wrongdoing has on your life.

He connects acceptance + forgiveness with healing: when we accept what is and forgive, we open the door to growth, peace, and service.

He paints recovery as not just abstaining, but transforming: learning to live with integrity, heal relationships, and help others.

This tape was recorded shortly after Sandy's daughter had been found murdered. Also, in a very short period of time, another one of his daughters passed awa...

19/10/2025

The Power of the 12 Steps

The 12 Steps should never be diminished in value; their power is absolutely insane. These principles have changed and continue to change millions of lives across the world.

They’re not just about abstaining from substances; they’re about a spiritual awakening, a complete transformation of how we see ourselves, others, and God. Even the great psychiatrist Carl Jung recognised this. When he heard about the Oxford Group (the movement that inspired the 12 Steps), he referred one of his own patients to it, realising that what psychology couldn’t fix alone, a spiritual experience could.

The 12 Steps are not outdated. They are timeless. They cut through ego, denial, fear, and resentment, the real roots of addiction - and open the door to peace, purpose, and freedom.

If practised with honesty and willingness, these Steps can lead to a life that is truly reborn.

13/10/2025

In recovery and mental health, connection is our lifeline. 🤝 Reaching out, sharing our truth, and being present with others can light the way through tough days. But disconnection? It shows up in subtle ways—isolating ourselves, dodging calls, losing interest in things we once loved, or masking pain with distractions. Recognizing these behaviors is the first step to breaking the cycle. Text a friend, share a laugh, or just listen. You’re not alone. 💙 What’s one way you’re staying connected today? Share below. 🌿

10/10/2025

Emotional Regulation in Dual Recovery 💬

One of the biggest challenges for those with dual diagnosis is managing emotions : not running from them, not numbing them, but learning to feel and regulate them.

Many of us used substances to quiet the mind or escape emotional pain. When we remove the substance, all those emotions we’ve been avoiding come rushing back , fear, anger, sadness, guilt. It can feel overwhelming. That’s why emotional regulation is at the core of healing both addiction and mental health.

🧠 When you learn to identify and sit with your emotions, you reduce the urge to use.
💚 When you manage your triggers through therapy, mindfulness, or grounding, your mental health stabilizes.
⚖️ When you build emotional balance, recovery becomes more sustainable.

Recovery and mental health are two wings of the same bird, you need both to fly.