How Steve Sweeney Helps People with Sobriety | Joe Rogan

It's like when you try to get people to do things, they're less likely to do those things. As soon as you are angry at them that they're not doing it, they're going to go the other way. People don't like being told what to do. Well, it's just like if somebody wants to get sober, right? Right. If they are ready, I work in jails, that's one of my part-time jobs. So what do you do in jails? I do substance abuse stuff in jails. So if you, if they're ready, everything you say, you're like a guru. If they're not ready, it doesn't matter what you say. So I do groups in jail, I teach meditation, I also teach goal setting. I've been doing it about six years. I've been in the field of substance abuse for a while. And it's very rewarding. It's not, you know, you don't make any money, but it balances the life. You know, I don't want to sit around all day. Most comedians, that's what they have to do, you know, they work at night. Right. So yeah, I work at Plymouth Jail. How often do you do it? Two or three days a week, yeah. That's good. So it's not every day. No, and I take the summers off too, because it's intense. Yeah, I mean, I've had groups, you know, I had one guy, he came in, and you do divide people ethnically. Great guy, but six-six, big fucking, you know, he did state time, he was all jacked, and he was wired. And he started complaining about the place. And I said, hey, this isn't, I teach him to breathe. You know, like that guy Haas you had on your show? Win-Hoss? Yeah. But I teach him a different method. It's just, you breathe in four, you hold it four, you let it out. It's just a calming breath. So anyway, this guy, I said, hey, the place isn't a hotel. He stands up, he says, I don't think I know, it's not a fucking hotel! I said, let's do our breathing. Let's relax. But a lot of guys, they can't see, they can't see themselves. They can't see contradictions. One guy, he was a Muslim, right? So I said, so you guys pray like five times a day. How do you know when to pray? And listen to this, Joe. He says, the guy said, well, if I'm doing a heist in the afternoon, you know, I'm going to miss that prayer. You don't see any contradiction. Looking amazing. The guy, the big giant guy that was angry, did he have a certain amount of time before he got out? Or was he in it for life? No, no, he was on his way out. He was coming close. That's when guys get the most anxious. How long had he been in for? He'd been in for about 17 years. It's a very polite society. Really? Prison society is very polite because every little thing, just picture, you're trapped with all these other guys. A lot of mental health shit, a lot of stuff. But every little thing is picked up on and reacted to. You know, it's like that scene in Heat between De Niro and Pacino where they're just reacting to each other. So you say, can you please pass the salt? The guy passed it. Because at any minute, that's what I try to teach is it's about impulse control. Any minute anything can happen. Yeah. Well, you're dealing with a bunch of very impulsive people that also have a very short fuse. They're used to violence. Violence is one way of acting out. So what I say to them is I have the same thing, but it's not through violence. For me, it's like texting or something. I react or I drank. So it's about stepping back. Staying calm. It's hard when you get tripped up. But the mind listens to the breath. That's the key. Rather than going up in your mind, take that breath. And you know, like when something's happening, like a car crash or something, first impulses hold your breath. Don't hold your breath. Let your breath out. I mean, a lot of traditions have this, you know, Tai Chi, you know, pranayama and yoga. Yeah, breathing is critical. When Wim Hof teaches it, you know, if you follow those methods, you can really change your physiological state. You can get out of a lot of things. It can get you through a lot of things. You know, the thing I don't buy though is that fucking cold water. I don't want to go into the Arctic like him. Holy shit. It's because you live in Boston. Oh my God. You get an allergy to cold. My friend Mark Delagrata, he's ready to go. He's done. He's been there for too long. I know. I know. I know. I know. I know. I know. I know. I know. I know. I know. I know. I know. I know. I know. I know. I know. I know. I know. I know. I know. I know. I know. I know. I know. I know. I know. I know. I know. I know. I know.