Thad Ziolkowski: Surfing, Addiction, and Seeking Drama in Recovery

Send us a text

#20: Award-winning author Thad Ziolkowski joins us on the podcast today to discuss the unexpected connections between surfing, addiction, and recovery. In a conversation ripe with metaphors, we hear about Thad's own story and complex relationship with the waves. In addition to the wisdom of his lived experience, Thad employs philosophy, spirituality, and science to better understand the mechanism of addiction.
This conversation takes us in directions you may not expect!

• You'll hear about the "psychic surgery" that Thad performed to shift his relationship with substances.
• Thad shares stories of his youthful snake hunting expeditions.
• We discuss the concept of "intermittent reinforcement" as it relates to motivation and substance use.
• And a dialog about how we each view and approach labels used in the recovery space.

Thad's most recent book, The Drop, is the featured read for virtual book club on The Phoenix Live Stream platform in November! Join us Wednesdays at 6pm EST, and enjoy a special appearance of the author himself for a live Q & A at the end of the month! Sign up on The Phoenix App or www.thephoenix.org.
Thad Ziolkowski is the author of Our Son the Arson, a collection of poems, the memoir On a Wave, which was a finalist for the PEN/Martha Albrand Award in 2003, and Wichita, a novel. His most recent book, The Drop, which explores the relationship between surfing and addiction, was published by HarperCollins in 2021. His essays and reviews have appeared in The New York Times, Slate, Bookforum, Artforum, Travel & Leisure, Interview Magazine and Index. He is the recipient of a Guggenheim Fellowship and has a PhD in English Literature from Yale University.
Find Thad's work wherever books are sold, or use this link to learn more about The Drop: https://www.harperwave.com/book/9780062965936/The-Drop-Thad-Ziolkowski/
Find Phoenix events and more when you download The Phoenix App! In the app, you can connect with Liz, Bryce and other listeners in The Rise Recover Live Podcast Group. We can't wait to chat with you there!
Learn more about The Phoenix at https://thephoenix.org/ .

Join the Phoenix community & sign up for classes with a single click by downloading The Phoenix App! In the app, you can connect with Liz, Bryce and other listeners in The Rise Recover Live Podcast Group. Let us know what you thought about today's episode, and what you'd like to hear in future shows! We can't wait to chat with you there.

Learn more about The Phoenix, sign up for classes, or become a volunteer at https://thephoenix.org/ .
Find us on Instagram at @riserecoverlive