This week we&apos;re talking about why funerals present such a lot of potential triggers for anyone in recovery.We also discuss experiences of being close enough to touch the Queen without actually doing so, ridiculously extravagant restaurants, the importance of making a death plan, and funeral music.Martin tells me what he definitely doesn&apos;t want on his funeral playlist, and I tell him about some cakes I definitely do want at mineIt&apos;s more uplifting than it sounds.

Sideways

Funerals

This week, in response to a question we got from a listener, we&apos;re debating the difference between abstinence and recovery.Martin finds it difficult to show any sympathy for my particularly nasty head cold, I remember a time my ex-girlfriend confused Uri Geller with a famous cosmonaut, and Martin inadvertently comes up with a great band name for an REM tribute act.

Abstinence v Recovery

This week we&apos;re talking about whether it&apos;s possible to live a life without regret and, if not, can we make use of what seems to be such a destructive emotion?We also cover favourite sandwiches, selling off your football medals, Frank Sinatra, and we both go all multi-lingual, momentarily.

Regrets

This week we&apos;re talking about what causes boredom and the terribly destructive things we sometimes have a tendency to do when we feel bored.In the course of the conversation, we touched on a range of topics including "The Young Ones",  queues at petrol stations, ramraiding bakeries, and wetting yourself.Don&apos;t miss it. It&apos;s not boring.

Boredom

This week we&apos;re talking about the way we use the word ego and what it takes to keep it under control.I urge Martin not to look into its Freudian roots and instead we discuss indoor shoes, reasons for getting caned at school, and scrap metal.

This week we&apos;re talking about the things that make us cringe and why avoiding awkward situations might have negative consequences.Martin finds it hard to let go of my past mistakes and displays a distinct aversion to the sound of silence.

Awkward

This week we&apos;re talking about the difference it can make to overcoming mental health difficulties when you believe that you can.While trusting the process of change won&apos;t be enough on its own for most of us a belief that we are unchangeable will definitely block progress.I have a new box of pencils, and Martin celebrates the completion of a project.

Growth Mindset v Fixed Mindset

This week we&apos;re talking about why empathy is far more valuable than sympathy, and how the former creates connection while the latter tends to break it.Martin has another obituary for us, I wax lyrical about driving over a bridge, there&apos;s some fascinating talk about moccasins and foot spa&apos;s, and a predictable but appropriate addition to the Spotify playlist.

Sympathy & Empathy

This week we&apos;re talking about the debilitating issue of sleeplessness.We discuss what causes the problem, how we have a tendency to perpetuate it in ourselves, and what we can do to address it.Martin has a new mic, we reminisce about a re-write of a classic children&apos;s storybook, and touch on the purpose of cheap lager.

Insomnia

This week we&apos;re talking about trauma. Where it comes from, what it looks like, and how we might go about treating it.We also have a conversation about dead birds, an unfathomably large breakfast, and smoking weed in an immersive art exhibition.

Dealing With Trauma

This week we&apos;re talking about assumptions.We discuss why we&apos;re obsessed with making up things we don&apos;t really know and why it tends to have a really destructive impact on our lives.In addition, we cover a whole range of other topics including the price of bedding, corporate speak, Agatha Christie and her thoughts on assumption, religious cults, and John Denver.We also ponder the question, "Is it OK to be drunk in charge of the kids?"

Making An Ass Out Of You And Me

This week we&apos;re talking about why rejection hurts so much, what makes us take everything so personally, and why it&apos;s often better to let go at the times when we most want to hold on.We also discuss leather trousers, the usefulness of swearing, and how Martin reacted to being left out of the squad for a cup final.

Dealing With Rejection

This week we&apos;re talking about why we find it hard to make decisions, why we say yes when we mean no, and how we can relieve our stress and anxiety by confronting the issues that make us stressed and anxious.In addition, we mourn the demise of early closing and black football boots, Martin gets some feedback, and we disagree about Yorkshire Pudding.

How To Make Decisions

This week we&apos;re discussing the ways in which finding things to laugh about helps us to feel better about ourselves and how elusive it becomes in the madness of addiction.I spot a pop star lookalike, Martin is unimpressed with a lofty claim from a drinking game app, and we discover that shoes can be very useful in an emergency.

Laughter

This week we&apos;re talking about how to work out what matters most in life and to prioritise that instead of wasting time flicking through pictures of cats playing the piano (unless that IS important to you).We wonder why Henry James felt the need to repeat himself, disagree about Britpop, and observe a distinct lack of furniture restoration from Jay Blades on the BBC show "The Repair Shop"

How To Know What's Important

A podcast about addiction, recovery, and friendship.

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Sideways

hubhopper