Letting Go Isn’t Just Physical, It’s Emotional Too

Severn explores how addiction shows up in the everyday, through cluttered closets, toxic relationships, and the emotional weight we assign to physical objects. Sharing the story of his own fridge, filled with condiments he didn’t use but couldn’t throw away, he unpacks how grief, memory, and identity become entangled in our attachments. This conversation invites listeners to see addiction not just as substance misuse, but as a pattern of holding on, and offers a more compassionate path toward release.

About Severn Lang

Severn Lang, podcast guest

Creative Recovery Advocate Raising Awareness of Everyday Addiction

12 years sober Long-term recovery grounded in lived experienceAward-winning Best Iowa Short Filmmaker at the 2020 Spring Grove International Film FestivalEagle Scout Earned the Boy Scouts’ highest rank at age 16Playwright & filmmaker Creative practice

Severn Lang helps people see addiction for what it really is: not just a battle with substances, but the quiet, everyday ways we hold on when we should be letting go. Whether it’s staying in the wrong relationship, clinging to clutter tied to old grief, or numbing with digital distractions, Severn invites listeners to recognise their own patterns—and meet them with honesty, humour, and compassion.

Severn’s journey includes experiencing both active addiction and periods of homelessness, even during his first year of long-term sobriety. He openly shares the extremes of his addiction during interviews when it’s relevant, helping listeners understand the realities of substance abuse — and showing what’s possible on the other side.

Now twelve years sober, Severn draws from both lived experience and creative practice to explore what recovery looks like beyond the AA room. His work is grounded, reflective, and rooted in a belief that healing doesn’t require perfection, just presence. Working with his extreme dyslexia has been a daily challenge, but it has also taught him creative problem-solving techniques and new ways of thinking, fueling his determination to keep trying until he finds solutions.

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