Recovery Elevator

RE 496: One Way Street Aug 19, 2024

Show notes

Today we have James. He is 40 years old and lives in Melbourne, Australia. He took his last drink on November 20th, 2023.

Sponsors for this episode:

Use the promo code CONNECT for one free month in the alcohol-free community Café RE.

[04:16] Thoughts from Paul:

The Paris Olympic Committee opted to not sell alcohol. They were confident that they could have successfully applied to sell alcohol but still decided not to. In an article from NBC News, it mentioned the following: "While many people enjoy a casual drink, that's not always the case. According to estimates by the French Public Health Society, 49,000 people are killed a year by alcohol consumption, which also causes 120 billion euros in damages." Them choosing not to sell alcohol proves that things are changing around the globe regarding alcohol consumption.

Expanding on the topic of staying the course from last week's episode, Paul shares that sobriety is a one-way street. He has yet to hear a story where someone with alcohol-free has gone back to drinking and was happy with the decision.

The common theme when it comes to what drove them back to alcohol was that they drifted from the AF community and attended less meetings or stopped altogether. They second part of this is they all said it was not a pleasant experience and many ended up right back where they were.

Do not beat yourself if you do some field research. We often need those reminders to reinforce internally that you made the right decision. Paul says he hasn't met a single person who said they made the wrong choice when they decided to choose an alcohol-free life.

[11:03] Kris introduces James:

James lives in a rural area south of Melbourne, Australia. He is married with two kids, enjoys going to the gym and recently started playing football again.

James says he had a normal upbringing. He put a lot of pressure on himself and felt like he was always being watched. Alcohol entered his life when he was around 14 and drinking helped him turn things off as an escape and he felt freedom.

At 18, James moved out of his parent's home with some older friends and was drinking on extended weekends but still very functional. When he was 20, he ended up moving to London where he felt complete freedom to do whatever he wanted, including living in a pub. James continued the weekend binge drinking with very little consequence.

After moving back to Australia in his late 20's, James started a successful business and met the woman who is now his wife. Over time his feelings of not being "good enough" in many areas of his life were very stressful and found James drinking more to self-medicate and disconnect.

Towards the end of his drinking, James says he and his wife were very disconnected. He was acting out and taking a lot of risks. After confronting him one day, James told her his life was a mess and she told him it was either rehab or leaving. James opted for the easier option of leaving and chose an Airbnb close to a pub where he could drink and gamble. After a few days of this bender, his wife showed up and lovingly took him home. He started doing research but was scared to commit to inpatient care due to running his business.

James eventually found an outpatient treatment that would suit him. He has been alcohol-free ever since. Working on his connections with his family is something James is really proud of. He looks forward to doing the step work with his sponsor in AA and growing stronger spiritually.

James' biggest fear around quitting: feeling his feelings and having to digest them.

James' favorite resources in recovery: Recovery Elevator podcast and a book with spiritual principles for each day that he can meditate on.

James' parting piece of guidance: Stick to it, keep showing up day by day and the magic happens down the track.

We are the only ones that can do this RE, but we don't have to do it alone.

I love you guys.

RE 495: Stay the Course Aug 12, 2024

Show notes

Today we have Robbie. He is 28 years old from Palm Springs, CA and took his last drink on January 4th, 2024.

Sponsors for this episode:

Use the promo code CONNECT for one free month in the alcohol-free community Café RE.

[4:28] Thoughts from Paul:

You are listening to this podcast because you've correctly identified that alcohol is what is holding you back. You see that alcohol isn't delivering what was promised.

Your inner guidance to quit drinking, to explore what that would look like is correct. Stay the course. You're inner voice is spot on. You are on the right path.

Paul shares his struggles with finding homeostasis after welcoming his child into the world. He feels his nervous system is stuck in a level of fight or flight. While he is feeling a lot of emotions around this, he reminds himself to stay the course. So, for all of those parents who are seeking sobriety – we will stay the course with you.

What does staying the course look like when we depart from alcohol? Maybe it is tuning in to the podcast each week or logging just one more day alcohol-free. Maybe you are working through a quit lit book and the voice is saying it wasn't that bad. Keep reading. Keep listening. Keep showing up. We are on the right path and it's paramount that we stick together.

[10:18] Paul introduces Robbie:

Robbie lives in Palm Springs, CA. He enjoys tennis, pickleball, golf and interior design.

Robbie says he didn't drink much growing up and only started to drink while studying abroad in Australia. He was able to drink socially with little issue. The drinking became more frequent after Robbie had graduated college and was living alone in Denver. He found himself at happy hours and then returning home to continue to drink. At the time, Robbie knew that his drinking wasn't normal but chalked it up to being a phase.

During COVID lockdowns, Robbie ended up moving back to Montana to stay with his parents. Drinking was a great excuse since he didn't have obligations. After moving back to his apartment, his drinking began earlier in the day over time. He was starting to have physical repercussions from drinking heavily and decided to try and moderate or cut back. One event found him going to the liquor store for "hair of the dog" and on the way back he ended up passing out. Robbie woke up in an ambulance on the way to the ER and had no idea who called them. This didn't deter Robbie from drinking, he just knew that if he tried to quit again, he would need to have medical detox.

On a trip to Montana visiting family, Robbie ended up getting a DUI right down the street from his parents' house. After his father picked him up from jail, he knew the cat was out of the bag.

At Christmas, Robbie decided to stay in Denver and told his mother that he was spending time with his girlfriend but ended up staying home. When his mother found out he wasn't with her, see felt driven to send Robbie an email expressing concerns about his health. He felt a lot of relief when he read it and knew that he was going to be able to get help now since his family was aware of his problem.

Robbie went to Betty Ford and stayed there for 21 days. It was more social than Robbie was accustomed to, but he grew very close with the people he was there with. After a few step-down programs, Robbie still goes to Betty Ford frequently and while AA isn't his favorite modality, he enjoys trying new meetings and keeps an open mind to all things recovery. He utilizes meetings, podcasts and gratitude lists in recovery and when he has a craving, he has found box-breathing helps him a lot.

What has sobriety made possible for Robbie: reconnecting with and loving himself.

Robbie's parting piece of guidance: pick up the 100-pound phone, ask for help and you'll be really surprised by people's response to that.

Recovery Elevator

Go big, because eventually we all go home.

I love you guys.

RE 494: Discomfort = Good Aug 05, 2024

Show notes

Today we have Erin. She is 47 years old from Colorado and took her last drink on May 21st, 2022.

Sponsors for this episode:

Use the promo code CONNECT for one free month in the alcohol-free community Café RE.

[02:53] Thoughts from Paul:

Paul shares with us "pain is followed by pleasure and pleasure is followed by pain". Drinking to change the way you feel in order to feel better in the short term, will lead to a greater dip on the other side. Not only does drinking often come with a physical hangover, but the dopamine dip can be even worse.

The Comfort Crisis by Michael Easter is a great book on discomfort. The main point of the comfort crisis is to show that society's relentless quest for pleasure is actually doing us a tremendous amount of harm.

The discomfort that comes with ditching the booze is like a different type of gym that is making you so much stronger. Studies show that it was not uncommon for our ancestors to run and walk more than 25 miles in a day. Today we call that a marathon. They called it going out for dinner. A good sobriety tool to add to your toolkit is seeking discomfort – both the physical and the mental.

Buddha said that life is suffering, and all attempts to avoid the suffering only create more suffering. Logging alcohol free days and leaning into the boredom and discomfort is incredibly healthy for you and is actually level 10 self-care, even though it hurts.

[09:57] Kris introduces Erin:

Erin lives in a small town in Colorado. She is a psychotherapist. She lives with her partner and two dogs. They enjoy all things outdoors; hiking, skiing, walking, going to the lake and she is fortunate to love her work as well.

Growing up in a small town in South Dakota, Erin says drinking was part of the youth culture. Her older siblings drank and made it sound like fun. The first time Erin drank, she blacked out, but doesn't recall it being a bad experience. She drank at parties in high school, but her drinking slowed down when she went to college.

Living in Boulder, CO, Erin enjoyed more outdoor activities instead of drinking heavily. Her roommate and she got the opportunity to go on tour with their favorite band a few times and Erin remembers that as being when drinking was fun. She was a music lover and while working in clubs she enjoyed the perk of free drinks and meeting the bands.

In her late 20s, Erin had a career change and was with a partner that drank a lot. She says she drank a lot with them and was able to maintain her job and her martial arts training. She was working with women that came from domestic abuse situations so in comparison, she thought she was doing alright.

Erin ended up leaving the martial arts community but began drinking with her work community. Everyone else was able to drink Friday night and be done, whereas Erin wouldn't stop until Monday. She started having withdrawal symptoms when the bender was over, but this wasn't enough to make her quit.

Erin would try moderation and kept her drinking to a minimum when with her boyfriend, but it was different when she was alone. It wasn't until a bender while pet sitting that her boyfriend saw her in really rough shape. He made her leave with him and the next morning, Erin asked to go to the hospital because she knew it was time to quit for good.

Once Erin quit, she focused on telling the truth and surrendering to the fact that she could no longer drink. Erin has leaned into community and is going to retreats. It gives her something to look forward to on her calendar.

Erin's favorite resources in recovery – podcasts and other people's stories

Erin's parting piece of guidance – there's a wisdom in patience, and simplicity. Do one or two things each day that are good for yourself. Sobriety is a journey and the brain is healing.

We are the only ones that can do this RE, but we don't have to do it alone.

I love you guys.

RE 493: The War is Over and I Lost Jul 29, 2024

Show notes

Today we have Allie. She is 31 and lives in Central, MA. She took her last drink on March 20th, 2024.

There are still a few spots open on our next Alcohol-Free travel trip to Vietnam. This upcoming January 9th-20th, 2025, we're heading to this incredible Southeast Asia paradise for 10 days and 11 nights with 25 travelers who are done nursing hangovers.

Sponsors for this episode:

Use the promo code CONNECT for one free month in the alcohol-free community Café RE.

[03:25] Thoughts from Paul:

Paul shares that he lost the war with alcohol. It was not for lack of effort… for over ten years, he would get back up and keep fighting, he would implement new strategies to control his drinking, but it didn't matter. He still lost.

He eventually raised the white flag and through the process of deconstruction, Paul says humility entered on its own without invitation. Every day he has to remember just how bad he got his ass kicked.

Through the addiction process, humility is a gift that we receive. Humility is a modest view of one's own self-worth or importance and addiction is the equalizer that puts us all on the same level.

Losing the battle with alcohol is a humbling process which imprints on us a heaping dose of humility, which never leaves.

A big part of today's intro is empowering you to recognize this incredible gift.

Once the battle with alcohol is over and humility is gained, we ultimately win.

[10:38] Paul introduces Allie:

Allie is 31 years old, and currently lives in central Massachusetts. She is married and they recently bought a house. For work she is an occupational therapist for students with different learning disabilities. For fun she enjoys the beach, travel, reading and exercise.

Allie started experimenting with alcohol in high school – the typical parties on the weekend. Her parents were big advocates for safety around alcohol and knew that Allie and her brother were at the age of experimentation. Allie knew family members that had issues with alcohol but wasn't worried about them developing for herself.

After college, Allie moved to Boston and started to work. She says she enjoyed the social scene. Initially she didn't drink during the week but on the weekends the excitement of being with friends found her trying to keep the party going when others were fine to stop.

During COVID Allie and her friends would have happy hours over Zoom. Around 2022 was when she first heard the term "sober curious" but said the word "sober" scared her. Allie shares that she had times when she knew she had drank too much and felt some shame and guilt around it. This led her to start listening to podcasts about sobriety and hear stories from others that felt the same way. Allie found listening to other people her age quitting drinking was really motivating and helpful for her to realize she wasn't alone.

Because she wasn't an everyday drinker, she didn't think she had a problem. She would attempt moderation by limiting her drinks and avoiding certain alcohol. Allie quit drinking for stretches of time, but usually because of diet or an upcoming event. It wasn't until one night of overindulgence led to worrying her father when she realized that she needed to quit.

Since quitting, Allie listens to a lot of podcasts, attends therapy and journals regularly to reflect on where she is. Learning about the science has been very helpful to her and she has fostered a great relationship with herself while improving relationships with others. Self-discovery, self-acceptance and self-awareness have helped Allie realize that she is just someone that cannot drink.

Recovery Elevator

You took the elevator down; you gotta take the stairs back up.

I love you guys.

RE 492: Alcohol Isn't the Problem Jul 22, 2024

Show notes

Today we have Kristi. She is 50 years old and lives in Rome, GA. She took her last drink on December 11th, 2023.

We just opened a few more spots for our upcoming retreat this August 14th through 18th in beautiful Bozeman, MT.

Sponsors for this episode:

Use the promo code CONNECT for one free month in the alcohol-free community Café RE.

[02:19] Thoughts from Paul:

We think this is all about alcohol, but it's not. There are different support groups for many various addictions, and the one thing that they have in common is whatever comes before the word "Anonymous" is not the problem.

Page 64 in the Alcoholics Anonymous Big Book states that the liquor was but a symptom. The booze isn't the problem. There are deeper causes and conditions that are manifesting themselves in a drinking problem, gambling problem, shopping problem, etc.

For many of us, alcohol isn't the problem. It is but a symptom of what went down in our infant and toddler years. Childhood trauma (which can be both what happened to us and what didn't happen for us) can leave us with holes that we end up doing anything to fill. Many of those interviewed on this podcast explain that the first drink made them feel whole again.

We drink to change the way we feel and to cover up uncomfortable emotions. Alcohol is being used to cover up deeper issues. This may or may not be what you wanted to hear today, but it's important to keep this podcast real.

TRIGGER WARNING:

The upcoming interview references self-harm.

[10:54] Kris introduces Kristi:

Kristi is 50 years old and is a hairstylist in Northwest Georgia. She has a 33 year old daughter with special needs, a partner and three dogs. For fun she enjoys reading, cooking and looks forward to getting back to kayaking.

Kristi says she had a good childhood. Her parents divorced when she was young, and they both remarried when she was around seven. Growing up, Kristi felt like she was on the fringe of being part of the "in" crowd so would do what everyone else was doing to fit in.

Kristi had her first drink when she was around 14 years old. At age 16, she got pregnant and dropped out of school. After she had her daughter, she started experimenting a lot and found herself in and out of destructive relationships.

Around the age of 27, Kristi found herself addicted to opiates. During this time her father, who struggled with mental illness, committed suicide. This sent her on a downward spiral. About a year later she found a place that helped her quit the opiates. She was there for 8 months and when she returned, she drank because she knew that pills were her issue, not alcohol.

Kristi says she was a binge drinker. Alcohol was a way for her to mask the pain of the loss of her father as well as the struggles she had raising a special needs child.

As a hairdresser when COVID happened, she says she went downhill quickly. There was no work and being homebound found her day drinking and over time it started earlier in the day. The day drinking continued after returning to work and she had a few events that led her to seek treatment. It was an up and down experience for her after the first detox, but Kristi never gave up and neither did her family and friends.

After six months of sobriety, Kristi says it feels different this time. She has been leaning into Café RE and reaching out to some other friends to expand her connections. She found this and mediation to be most helpful to her.

Recently Kristi started going to college with the goal of being a counselor. She wants to use what she has been through to help others.

Kristi's favorite resources in recovery: Cafe RE and podcasts.

Kristi's parting piece of guidance: just do it. Life is so much clearer. There are so many things on the edge of your fingertips if you just put down the bottle.

Recovery Elevator

Go big, because eventually we all go home.

I love you guys.

RE 491: Sobriety is Not... Jul 15, 2024

Show notes

Today we have Santino. He is 36 years old, lives in Taunton, MA, and took his last drink on May 24th, 2022.

Sponsors for this episode:

Use the promo code CONNECT for one free month in the alcohol-free community Café RE.

[02:55] Thoughts from Paul:

A question we all eventually ask ourselves during our lifetime is – who am I? Eckhart Tolle (the author of The Power of Now and A New Earth) says that through the process of finding out who we are not, we also find out who we are.

One of our Café RE hosts, Tonya, shared a great list of what sobriety is not which Paul shares and elaborates on:

1) Sobriety is not the same for everyone.

2) Sobriety is not going back to how things were.

3) Sobriety does not rid you of your past.

4) Sobriety is not the end of your life if you enter recovery or treatment.

5) Sobriety is not the end of socializing.

6) Sobriety is not something you can do halfheartedly.

7) Sobriety is not just a temporary thing.

Rumi says "don't be held captive. Your life has no border or shoreline". Don't be held captive by a mind created definition of what sobriety is because in reality, it can be whatever you want it to be. It can be infinitely boundless.

[10:42] Paul introduces Santino:

This is Santino's third appearance on the podcast, and he is celebrating 2 years alcohol free at the time of this recording.

Santino grew up in the Midwest but currently lives in eastern MA. He is currently working on writing his memoir and he and his wife are expecting their second child.

Curiosity in his early teens led Santino to try alcohol. He joined the military after high school where drinking is generally part of the culture. Santino considers his drinking rather benign until his late twenties. It was then that he began to use alcohol for coping through uncertainty in his life. Once he started finding himself focusing more and more on his next drink, he began gaslighting and manipulating to protect his drinking. Santino acknowledges that he was becoming like Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde.

Several months before he quit drinking, Santino had a bad withdrawal experience. At the time he was depressed and cared little about himself. He recognized that this may be what a rock bottom feels like and didn't want to go through this again. He was able to quit for three months in early 2022, but a birthday celebration in March found him falling right into the old habits.

A turning point for Santino was after watching coverage of a school shooting while at the bar. Thinking about becoming a better example for the children of the future, he stopped drinking that day. He calls this clocking out of purgatory. An ultimatum from his wife after discovering hidden debt sealed the deal for Santino.

Comparing the first year of sobriety to the second year, Santino feels there is pure form of clarity that he has. He no longer feels the need to hide anymore. He is exploring who he is and what he can offer to the universe.

Santino says he has been attending individual and marriage therapy which has been helpful to him. He works on fostering his relationships, attends AA meetings, practices positive self-talk, and works on connecting with his emotions and his inner self daily.

Santino's favorite recovery quote: "the world record for the longest time without a drink is 24 hours."

One thing Santino has learned in sobriety: that he has always had something to offer the world – his true, authentic self.

Santino's favorite sober moment: having the emotional capacity to deal with life as he knows it as well as deal with conflicts he would otherwise run away from.

Santino's parting piece of guidance: give yourself the grace that alcohol will never give you.

Recovery Elevator

Go big, because eventually we all go home.

I love you guys.

RE 490: Expectations are Premeditated Resentments Jul 08, 2024

Show notes

Today we have Stephanie. She is 48 years old and lives in San Diego, CA. She took her last drink on January 11th, 2020.

Sponsors for this episode:

Use the promo code CONNECT for one free month in the alcohol-free community Café RE.

[2:21] Thoughts from Kris:

Kris shares that he and his family have always enjoyed camping. Recently, he was looking forward to a week that the family could get together, probably for the only time this summer due to work and social schedules. Things did not go as planned due to obligations, weather and some mishaps along the way.

Kris found his mind making the determination that if their week didn't look exactly like it was planned, then it was no longer good. This is one of Kris's work-in-progress areas in his recovery. He shares that it's somewhat normal to have expectations from the people in our lives and society in general, but what do we do when people, places and things fall short of those expectations?

A few things that Kris does is practice gratitude – he is grateful for the time he does get to spend with family and the great weather they had for most of the week. He also practices taking a self-inventory and shares page 86 from AA's Big Book to give us an idea of what that looks like.

Let Kris know how you navigate expectations and resentments – kris@recoveryelevator.com

[09:48] Kris introduces Stephanie:

Stephanie lives in San Diego with her husband and twin 16-year-old boys. She works as a legal analyst for a Fortune 10 company and loves sports. In her free time, she enjoys hiking, playing games and traveling.

Stephanie witnessed her father become a heavy drinker after the loss of her mother. She was young at the time and as she grew up vowed that she would not drink like he did. At 15, Stephanie first tried alcohol and ended up the victim of an assault during a blackout. Due to this, and her father's alcoholism, Stephanie was very careful with her consumption for many years.

After having kids and one of them was diagnosed with autism, she began to use alcohol as a coping mechanism to deal with her high stress job and parenting. Others would participate with her having drinks after work, so it felt like a normal, adult thing to do.

When Stephanie's husband became disabled in a work accident, things got tough for them financially. Her drinking increased while she was working to rebuild their lives. As things began to improve for the family, she realized that she was drinking too much but was sure she would be able to quit when she was ready – since she didn't look like her father, she didn't think it was that big of an issue.

When she tried to quit alone in 2019, she was able to get four months and thought she could return to normal drinking. After a while she was drinking to blackout again and knew she needed to get help. She attended rehab for 60 days and also discovered the RE podcast. Hearing others share their stories really helped her. Community has become so important to Stephanie, and she has made a lot of friends along the way that she calls her Spiritual Gangsters.

Stephanie's plan in sobriety moving forward: continue being present with others, exploring her life's purpose and living life authentically.

Stephanie's parting piece of guidance: despite what you have been told, life without alcohol is so much more fun, fulfilling and connected than your life while drinking ever was.

We might as well go big RE, because eventually we all go home.

I love you guys.

RE 489: The Best Parts of an Alcohol-Free Life Jul 01, 2024

Show notes

Today we have Chris. He is 56 years old and lives in Beacon, NY and took his last drink on April 18th, 2024.

Today's Sponsor: Café RE

Use the promo code CONNECT for one free month in the alcohol-free community Café RE.

Registration for our next Alcohol-Free travel trip to Vietnam opens TODAY! This upcoming January 9th-20th, 2025, we're heading to this incredible Southeast Asia paradise for 10 days and 11 nights with 25 travelers who are done nursing hangovers.

Welcome to our new listeners! We are glad to have you with us. You are in the right place. There is a whole new authentic life awaiting you, which isn't far away.

Congratulations to Paul and his wife on the birth of their new baby boy!

[04:10] Thoughts from Paul:

A few weeks ago, Paul asked our Instagram followers what is the best part of being sober or living an alcohol free life. He shares with us some of the responses he received.

The four biggest commonalities he saw were:

1) More authenticity

2) Less shame and regret

3) More energy

4) More clarity

Think of the sobriety quote "you're giving up one thing for everything".

Sober Link

[11:16] Paul introduces Chris:

Chris says he is 56 years old and grew up in northern New Jersey, close to NYC. Cooking is his passion, and he has worked in the food and beverage industry all of his life, currently in a director role. Chris also enjoys the outdoors and currently lives in the Hudson Valley.

Beyond the occasional night of overindulgence, Chris says his drinking was normal. He was around alcohol a lot in the industry he works in. After getting married, he and his wife enjoyed entertaining in addition to traveling to wineries and distilleries and building a collection. Over time Chris began drinking more than just wine with dinner, had booze all over the house and was drinking earlier in the day and more often.

After he and his wife got divorced, Chris found himself drinking more heavily and was less discriminate of what he was drinking as long as he was getting his fix, as he calls it.

He was breaking commitments and becoming less functional in his day-to-day life.

Chris didn't drink heavily around other people but told his family in 2018 that he needed help. He went into treatment and was able to gain 14 months. He was part of a sober community called Ben's Friends geared towards those in the service industry. Chris was able to gain some sobriety time but had a series of stops and starts with several more visits to rehab as well.

Currently at 34 days, Chris is working on rebuilding his life. He knows time will heal his relationships with family, and he is attending IOP for accountability. He is spending a lot of time outdoors and is grateful that the weather has been nice. He attends AA meetings, Café RE chats, and participates in meetings with Ben's Friends. Missing meetings is a non-negotiable for Chris and he also makes sure to nurture himself physically and spiritually.

Chris' best sober moment: being present with his partner while on vacation.

Chris' parting piece of guidance: stay connected.

Recovery Elevator

We took the elevator down. We gotta take the stairs back up.

You can do this.

RE 488: Hello Truth Jun 24, 2024

Show notes

Today we have Christine. She is 58 and lives in Ontario. She took her last drink on December 29th, 2022.

Today's Sponsor: Café RE

Use the promo code CONNECT for one free month in the alcohol-free community Café RE.

Recovery Elevator is going to Vietnam January 9th-20th, 2025. Registration for our newest alcohol-free travel trip opens July 1st. We have room for 25 passengers on this journey. We have AF workshops, a home stay and a service project planned, plus you'll be traveling with others who have already ditched the booze.

[02:56] Thoughts from Paul:

Paul shares with us some articles reminding us of what we already know: alcohol is shit.

Society is waking up to the fact that no amount of alcohol is good for you.

In 2023, GQ had an article titled The Year We realize Any Alcohol Is Bad For You.

The World Health Organization, who once supported the stance that one to two drinks per day is beneficial, is now doing an about face. Their headline was No Level of Alcohol Consumption is Safe For Your Health.

The New York times also had an article further showing that the truth is emerging: Even A Little Alcohol Can Harm Your Health.

Canadian Centre on Substance Use and Addiction shares Canada's Guidance on Alcohol and Heath.

NBC News shares their take on the fact that drinking moderately is not healthier than abstaining

If you want to join the discussion, go to the Recovery Elevator Instagram page and let us know what your thoughts are on today's intro. Or write to your local politician and let them know that alcohol is shit.

[10:08] Kris introduces Christine:

Christine is 58 years old and has two adult children, two cats, and is divorced. Christine is a massage therapist and enjoys participating in theater and reading in her spare time.

Christine said that she knew there was alcoholism in her family, and her parents didn't drink. She knew it was something that people needed to be careful with.

While at university, she saw her older brother participating in the party scene and believed that drinking was just part of the experience. She started drinking and says that it was like a release valve for her and helped her with her awkwardness.

After marrying her husband, Christine says drinking wasn't part of their life for a long time. The occasional bottle of wine turned into more alcohol towards the end of the marriage. Upon splitting up and moving to a new community, Christine found a music scene and easy friends there to frequently spend time drinking with.

Christine feels she was leading a double life and not many people knew the extent of her drinking. Her brother noticed and was concerned. Christine started having regret for her drinking and attempted moderation for a while.

Eventually she picked up Allan Carr's book at the bookstore and began taking notes. Toward the end of 2019 she was able to quit for a period of time until the pandemic struck.

Since she was not working and unable to care for her parents as she had been doing, she used the time to drink and felt entitled to the break. After being able to go out again, she started feeling the shame and despair set in. She began to realize she wasn't going out for the music and friends, but for the drinks. After getting sick for two weeks and being unable to drink, something told Christine to take this opportunity to keep going.

Christine found podcasts, YouTube testimonials, and began reading quit lit again feeling called to sobriety. She joined and became active in Café RE. Keeping a list in her phone of her whys and why nots which helped her a lot.

Christine's parting piece of guidance: we shouldn't be asking ourselves if it's bad enough to quit, we should be asking if it's good enough to keep.

Chrstine's plan in sobriety going forward: seeking in-person connections.

Café RE – promo code OPPORTUNITY waives set up fee.