Recovery Elevator

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**Recovery Elevator**

It’s not a NO to alcohol — it’s a YES to a better life!
Bestselling author Paul Churchill interviews people who have successfully quit drinking, offering an honest, uplifting look at what an alcohol-free life can really look like. Each week, Recovery Elevator explores sobriety from fresh perspectives — no judgment, no lectures, just real stories from real people.
Whether you’re sober curious, newly sober, supporting a loved one, or already thriving in recovery, you’ve found your community.

Topics include: how to stop drinking alcohol, alcohol addiction and dependency, whether moderate drinking actually works, what happens to your brain when you quit drinking, the role of spirituality in recovery, whether AA is right for you, tracking sobriety milestones, and whether addiction might be trying to tell you something.

If alcohol is making you sick and tired, Recovery Elevator is your invitation to explore what life on the other side looks like — through candid conversations and inspiring guest stories.

Latest Episodes:

RE 368: The Mind F&ck of Alcohol Mar 07, 2022

Show notes

Today we have Stephen. He is from New Jersey and took his last drink on September 15, 2020.

Today's Sponsor: Café RE Use the promo code CONNECT for one free month in the alcohol-free community Café RE.

Highlights from Paul

Paul shares an email from a listener who asks Paul how people without a drinking problem can get help. He talks about the A&E show "Intervention" and how he often watched it while drinking alone, grateful he didn't have a problem with alcohol. The show, Intervention gave Paul countless examples of how alcohol "f&cks" with your mind. After 276 interventions on the show, 270 accepted treatment, with 151 remaining clean and sober today, which is a 55% success rate. If those numbers are accurate, they are much more optimistic than the broadly accepted low teen success rate you hear from the industry.

Paul reminds listeners that you probably have a drinking problem if you are listening to a sobriety podcast. The point of addiction is to get to know yourself and love yourself.

[13:10] Stephen is 45 and lives in New Jersey. He is a father (a "girl dad"), coach, and owns his own business. He loves coaching, sports, and everything outside.

Stephen's relationship with alcohol evolved over 25 years. Alcohol was his biggest challenge, but he also used marijuana. He dabbled in underage drinking and had fun on the Jersey shore. He managed his drinking well for many years. When his second daughter was born, he began to acknowledge his drinking was problematic. His drinking escalated over the years. He and his wife danced with moderation, and he occasionally took days off drinking. Stephen was the driver of the drinking in his marriage.

Stephen credits Paul Churchill's book with getting him sober. He tried several programs before he found Recovery Elevator. Ultimately, he went to a four-day detox. He was full of energy and enthusiasm after leaving detox. He relapsed a few times but rallied and has been able to stack days. Mismatched drinking habits pushed the end of his marriage. Meditation, journaling, exercise, and accountability are his best sobriety tools.

Value Bombs

Learning that alcohol was the symptom, not the problem, was eye-opening
Enjoy the moments
Once it gets good (in sobriety), it gets great quickly. Everything compounds.

Odette's Summary

If you are seeking anything outside of self, you are taking the long way home. Odette reminds us that everything we need is inside of us. There is no shame in having doubt. Stay on the path! Remember, you are not alone. Together is always better.

Upcoming events, retreats, and courses:

You can find more information about our events

Resources

Recovery Elevator YouTube - Subscribe here!

Sobriety Tracker iTunes

Recovery Elevator – it all starts from the inside out. I love you guys.

RE 367: Why Geographical Cures Don't Work Feb 28, 2022

Show notes

Today we have Aaron. He is from San Antonio and took his last drink on May 22, 2019.

Today's Sponsor: Café RE Use the promo code CONNECT for one free month in the alcohol-free community Café RE.

Highlights from Paul

Paul advises listeners that if you aren't doing the inner work, your problems will follow you, whether you move, change jobs, or change relationships. That's why geographic cures don't work. He speaks about some of his geographic solutions and why they helped temporarily, but eventually, he discovered he was the problem and had to buckle down to do the deep inner work. Paul highly recommends getting out of toxic situations.

Paul describes the inner work as connecting with yourself, learning to love yourself, setting boundaries, making decisions that benefit your sobriety, and standing up for yourself. Ultimately, inner work often causes you to leave toxic situations, relationships, jobs, etc. When you learn to respect yourself, you will choose environments that are conducive to your wholeness.

[11:54] Aaron is 27, lives in Texas, and works in finance for a corporate bank. He is a family guy, loves hiking, getting outside, food truck Friday's and hanging out with his nieces and nephews.

Aaron was raised by an amazing single mother and had a great childhood. His world was rocked when his mom died of breast cancer when he was twelve. Entering high school after losing his mom left him feeling disconnected from family, people, places, and himself. He started drinking his sophomore year, and alcohol gave him confidence, popularity, and connection. He moved to the Midwest to live with his sister and encountered a new environment, including harsh winters. Boredom led to more drinking, pot use, and the wrong crowd.

Aaron spoke heartfeltly about the role shame played in his delay in maintaining continuous sobriety. Resentments and anger fueled his drinking. He was 24 when he first attempted sobriety. Eventually, an early morning AA meeting became the key to stacking days. He started working out and listened to the Recovery Elevator podcast during his workout. His mom became a higher power for him as he got sober. Sharing his story with you today is Aaron's way to give back and offer hope.

Aaron discovered some co-addictions along the way, including co-dependency and disordered eating,

Value Bombs

You don't have to have a hard physical bottom to get sober.
You can get sober because you want a better life
You can stay sober because you have a better life.
A solid morning routine and discipline led him to stacking days.
Discipline has taught him to choose what matters most: his health, career, and family.
Aaron's relationships are now pure and genuine because he made a change.
Sitting with his feelings and journaling have helped him live life on life's terms.
Sobriety is an opportunity, not a sacrifice.

Odette's Summary

Odette reminds us that baby steps are progress. She reminds us we are too hard on ourselves and encourages us to remember the small things we are doing that move us in the right direction. Baby steps add up and create a compound effect. Those baby steps are decisions and small actions culminating in meaningful differences. Take inventory of the small things you are doing that move you in the right direction, and be proud! Remember that you are not alone and together is always better.

Upcoming events, retreats, and courses:

You can find more information about our events

Resources

Recovery Elevator YouTube - Subscribe here!

Sobriety Tracker iTunes

Recovery Elevator – we took the elevator down; we need to take the stairs back up. I love you guys.

RE 366: Walking Each Other Home Feb 21, 2022

Show notes

Today we have Hailey. She is 29, from Portland, OR, and took her last drink on September 3, 2019.

Today's Sponsor: Café RE Use the promo code CONNECT for one free month in the alcohol-free community Café RE.

Highlights from Paul

Focus on the similarities, not the differences – if you believe you are unique, your inner voice can sabotage your efforts.
Create a plan or strategy that will help you in those challenging moments when you want to drink. Have it with you and use it.
Be mindful of the inner voice that can cause you to self-implode. Awareness helps you override negative inner thoughts.
Walk each other home – listen to others, help others, and shine the light on a new way of living. As you heal, you will help others heal as well. Say thanks to those that walk you home. When you find love, enjoy life.

[11:35] Hailey has been sober for 2 ½ years and describes sobriety as different in the third year. She has been in the restaurant business forever. She lives in Oregon and has done several interesting things in the restaurant industry, including opening some restaurants in the Dominican Republic. She got sober in Minnesota and pivoted into the NA beverage business. She works for a non-profit that supports restaurant industry individuals in addiction crisis. Hailey loves longboarding but admits it's difficult in the rain.

Hailey tried alcohol and pot at age 12. She did a lot of experimenting with drugs at music festivals while her parents worked their food cart. She opened a cocktail catering company and developed an addiction to cocaine to get more done. Achievement and praise are Hailey's first addictions. She described taking it further than others to get uncomfortably high. She was reckless. She continues to feel she doesn't get enough done in a day. Her industry perpetuated that feeling.

She recalls marking the day it was one year from recognizing she had a problem and not doing anything about it. She wanted to get sober quickly and realized she had to take a break from her life to get sober. A friend connected her with a professional interventionist who helped her get into Hazelden.

Hailey's secret sauce for recovery is a robust gratitude practice coupled with things that make her proud. Hailey spent 31 days inpatient, followed by a month of outpatient treatment. She was convinced that her only problem was cocaine, not alcohol. Studying addiction instilled a healthy fear, and she became willing to work the steps. She went to meetings, sold her business assets, and took a part-time job to focus on recovery. "Ben's friends" (https://www.bensfriendshope.com/) and the right sponsor took her recovery to another level.

Hailey was very protective of her recovery during the first two years. With a solid foundation, she frequently explores other recovery venues. Service is vital to her success, and Hailey shares her story with Ben's friends to provide experience, strength, and hope to others in her industry. She relies on consistency over intensity.

Kris's Summary

Kris speaks to consistency over intensity and avoiding risky behaviors to maintain his sobriety. Building a life he loves so much that drinking doesn't have a place in it is at the core of his recovery. He learns more about his faith as he digs into his spiritual practice. Kris continues to learn and grow his recovery portfolio. He focuses on what he needs right now. Accountability keeps him on track.

Kris encourages listeners to look at your recovery with curiosity instead of judgment. Complacency is dangerous in recovery. Show gratitude for the tools that work for you. Find the practices that build you up and bring you joy.

Upcoming events, retreats, and courses:

You can find more information about our events

Resources

Recovery Elevator YouTube - Subscribe here!

Sobriety Tracker iTunes

Recovery Elevator – you deserve a beautiful life. I love you guys.

RE 365: So Who Do I Connect With? Feb 14, 2022

Show notes

Today we have Joshua. He is 36 years old and from North Carolina. His last drink was on October 31, 2020.

Today's Sponsor: Café RE Use the promo code CONNECT for one free month in the alcohol-free community Café RE.

Highlights from Paul:

Happy Valentine's Day! The opposite of addiction is connection. Paul shares that reality is a mirror reflecting your inner world. The most important connection we have is the connection we have with ourselves. If we don't love, treat ourselves with respect or stand up for ourselves, that will appear in our outer world. Connecting with yourself allows you to become your own healer. Once your inner connection/relationship is healthy, that will be reflected in your external connections.

Paul recommends splitting your internal and external actions 50/50. Connect with yourself first (via meditation, journaling, yoga, etc.), then connect externally (Café RE chat, Marco Polo chat, a family member).

Johan Hari's Ted Talk https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PY9DcIMGxMs

[10:45] Odette introduces Joshua

Joshua is from North Carolina, loves music, and works as an optician.

"Should" never helped Joshua quit drinking. Focusing on what he wanted from his life helped him shift his thinking and made an alcohol-free life possible.

Joshua's first drink was a Zima at a party in high school. He was generally a good kid and had a strong desire to belong. He recognized that alcohol did something for him early on before it did something to him. The first time he recalls getting drunk, he felt a euphoric escape. Alcohol was liberating and medicating. In college, a sneakiness appeared in his drinking. He wasn't aware of alcohol being problematic until 2014.

After divorcing, pent-up resentments led to accelerated drinking for Joshua. His drinking progressed. He attended his first AA meeting in 2017. After several false starts, AA helped him get 18 months of continuous sobriety. He stopped working his program and returned to drinking. He began to observe his drinking, and by Halloween, a dream helped him realize he wanted to be his best, and alcohol wasn't part of that vision.

Joshua credits AA for helping him and describes AA as binary; he has a realistic view of their history and acknowledges that many options are available for recovery today. Therapy helped him with harm reduction and to be less black and white.

Josh says quitting alcohol is hard, but the complications of drinking make your life exponentially harder. He is happier, more grateful, and knows the perceived benefits of alcohol were a lie. Life still has its ups and downs, which are easier to manage.

Odette's final thoughts:

You are enough. You are everything you need. You are loved. You are worthy. You are whole and complete, and you deserve a peaceful life.

Upcoming events, retreats, and courses:

You can find more information about our events

Sponsors:

Affiliate Link for Amazon: Shop via Amazon using this link.

The book, Alcohol is SH!T, is out. Pick up your paperback copy on Amazon here! You can get the Audible version here!

Resources:

Recovery Elevator YouTube - Subscribe here!

Sobriety Tracker iTunes

"Recovery Elevator –lighten up!

RE 364: Booze Cruise Feb 07, 2022

Show notes

Today we have Ben. He is 41 from England and took his last drink on September 26, 2021.

Today's Sponsor: Café RE Use the promo code CONNECT for one free month in the alcohol-free community Café RE.

Highlights from Paul

Paul shares some highlights from Recovery Elevator's recent trip to Costa Rica. The group wound up on a booze cruise, remained sober, and had more fun dancing, swimming, and connecting than others who were drinking. The group trusted Paul and had a blast.

Anxiety and depression often happen when we feel disconnected. Paul described driving through Montana in a location where people waived to one another on the road. That simple gesture was a form of mini-connection; it feels good and elevates dopamine levels in a healthy way. When you perform an act of kindness, it always provokes another. Paul suggests waiving at someone at a stoplight and reminds us that the opposite of addiction is connection.

[11:29] Ben looks at not drinking as an opportunity, not a punishment. The work inspires him, and it feels like a reward.

Ben is a musician; he's single and age 41. He loves reading, movies, exercise, board games, video games and aspires to get into amateur dramatics. He no longer needs alcohol to have fun, experience life, and do the things he can write songs about. His mindset is now hopeful and optimistic vs. trapped and hopeless.

Ben started drinking as a teenager at a party. He was under lots of pressure because he was into rock music, had long hair, and nobody approved. Drinking gave him an escape. He never drank when he played because he enjoyed the euphoria of performing. It was "game on" at the afterparties. He developed an eating disorder, which led to binge eating, drinking, and then starving. Hypnotherapy helped his eating disorder, giving him a sense of peace. Writing down what he ate to address his eating disorder helped Ben identify patterns in his drinking.

As his drinking progressed, it began to impact his performances. He often drank on the tour bus all night and partied into the next day. Anxiety, paranoia, and confusion crept into his daily life. He was constantly looking for something fun and continued drinking to avoid reality. He began drinking alone, which impaired his ability to enjoy music. Consequences began to emerge. Ben explored AA, and he was initially put off by those who continued coming to meetings after decades of sobriety. During his first share, he broke into tears. He was shaken to discover how much alcohol meant to him. His drinking progressed, and he became reckless. At some point, he recognized he was powerless over alcohol.

In 2021, Ben had three scary incidents that involved his work, health, and a friendship. He was scared sober. Initially, it wasn't difficult. Finding a new addiction or habit was his initial plan. He spent hours playing computer games and was grateful because those hours were time he wasn't drinking. Ben treats his sobriety like the levels of a computer game, adding new behaviors with each progression.

Odette's Summary

Odette speaks about "The Happiness Trap," a book she is discussing with her therapist. It debunks the myth that we are supposed to be happy all the time. The daily actions we take allow us to feel joy, pain, and boredom. Even uncomfortable actions propel us toward a life we want.

Upcoming events, retreats, and courses:

You can find more information about our events

Resources

Recovery Elevator YouTube - Subscribe here!

Sobriety Tracker iTunes

Recovery Elevator – embrace the journey of becoming. I love you guys.

RE 363: The Most Powerful Pharmacy in the World Jan 31, 2022

Show notes

Today we have Brian. He is 48 years old and from Ohio. His last drink was on March 31, 2019.

Today's Sponsor: Café RE Use the promo code CONNECT for one free month in the alcohol-free community Café RE.

Highlights from Paul: How do you leverage the brain to work in your favor?

Acknowledge there is a problem. Make sure your mental energies match your goal. Use the thinking mind to pull up a good memory (vacation, significant accomplishment). The cycle: The more the nervous system is in check, the more you want to do things that bring you joy. The more you do something that brings you joy, the more your nervous system calms down.

Listen to the nature sounds playlist. We forget that we come from nature; we evolved with crickets and blue jays. All you need to do is listen to nature sounds and allow them to calm the nervous system.

[11:19] Odette introduces Brian

Brian has been sober for 1000 days. He is from Cleveland, Ohio, likes mountain biking, the outdoors, art museums, and travel.

Drinking became an issue for Brian after high school. He experimented with drinking, pot, and methamphetamines. He was an addict for a year and eventually went to rehab. He dropped illicit drugs and continued drinking. His family drank, so they wanted him to quit drugs but continue drinking. Brian did everything to excess. He had two failed marriages, and his drinking always led to bad situations. He believed he could control his drinking.

In 2018, Brian started a new job. He blacked out at the end of a training event, and he knew he had to quit. He stopped on April 1 but was a dry drunk. He was always angry. He didn't know what to do because drinking was always a reward.

Today, Brian listens to podcasts and finds the similarities. He meditates. Regulating his emotions has been a struggle, but it's getting better. Café Re drove his recovery. His goal is not to be an embarrassment anymore. Brian removed himself from all his prior activities to avoid triggers. Now he follows the 7 Habits, s, lives his values, and sobriety is his number one priority. He appreciates his wife's support, and they have a solid partnership. After a year of firsts (holidays, anniversaries), he felt stronger in his recovery. He is a better husband, a better stepdad, and his career has progressed.

You may have to say adios to booze if...

If you find yourself crying in the shower, not knowing how you got to your room.

Odette's final thoughts:

Getting through a year of firsts is a legitimate challenge. Don't let the images of sobriety being easy or perfect discourage you. Sobriety takes time. It is uncomfortable; it is normal to feel angry; it's not always fun. Focus on doing the next right thing. It gets better.

Upcoming events, retreats, and courses:

You can find more information about our events

Sponsors:

The book, Alcohol is SH!T, is out. Pick up your paperback copy on Amazon here! You can get the Audible version here!

Resources:

Recovery Elevator YouTube - Subscribe here!

Sobriety Tracker iTunes

"Recovery Elevator –we took the elevator down; we need to take the stairs back up - I love you guys."

RE 362: Acceptance is the Answer Jan 24, 2022

Show notes

Today we have Noelle. She is 31 years old and from Colorado. Her last drink was on June 24, 2019.

Today's Sponsor: Café RE Use the promo code CONNECT for one free month in the alcohol-free community Café RE.

Highlights from Odette

Odette is working on Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) with her therapist. ACT encourages people to embrace their thoughts and feelings rather than fighting or feeling guilty for them.

Odette is learning not to shove her feelings away but to accept them and learn not to fuse them. Embracing negative thoughts can propel you into the right thoughts and behaviors.

If I let this thought guide what I can do, will it help me create the life I want? Use the thought if it helps; diffuse it if it's not helpful.

[8:54] Kris introduces Noelle

Noelle has been sober for 2.5 years – over 900 days! She is an engineer and works with her brother. She has a Doberman and loves hiking, skiing, and getting outside to enjoy Colorado.

Noelle had a fake ID at 17 and always thought about how to get alcohol easier. She got into college because of her basketball skills. She got a DUI at 18, but there were no consequences. She and others justified her drinking because she excelled academically, professionally, and in basketball. She drank to get drunk. She crashed her truck for her 2nd DUI, and the consequences didn't faze her yet. She continued to excel professionally. Workaholism and alcoholism went hand in hand for Noelle.

Noelle's got her third DUI at age 27. She went to jail and had five months of work release and in-home detention. She accepted a TOP 30 under 30 business award, but she wore an ankle monitor during the awards ceremony and slept in a cot in jail that night. Six months later, she stopped drinking. She was a dry drunk; she just removed the alcohol. She had a one-day relapse. The following day she went to an AA meeting. Noelle has now learned that sobriety is about quality vs. quantity. She has a sponsor, is working the steps, and spiritual elegance is part of her journey.

At her sponsor's urging, she wrote a drunkalogue which helped her see the wreckage of her past and the risky behavior. Noelle has learned that you are exactly where you are supposed to be. She is now learning to live in peace with unsolved problems.

Noelle met Odette in April when she was hiking at Zion National Park. Meeting Odette was a higher power "God shot" moment in front of hundreds of people. Recovery Elevator podcasts were critical to her early recovery and AA meetings.

You may have to say adios to booze if...

You get a Denver Business Award journal for the Top 30 Under 30 and sleep in a cot in jail that night.

Kris's final thoughts:

Kris spoke about the impact that his drinking had on his loved ones. A door opened after a challenging conversation with his wife. Acknowledging her comments, he was scared and hopeless and beginning to face the consequences of his actions. Faith carried Kris through, and he reminds us to do the next right thing. We heal with each step we take.

Upcoming events, retreats, and courses:

You can find more information about our events

Affiliate Link for Amazon: Shop via Amazon using this link.

The book, Alcohol is SH!T, is out. Pick up your paperback copy on Amazon here! You can get the Audible version here!

Resources:

Recovery Elevator YouTube - Subscribe here!

Sobriety Tracker iTunes

"Recovery Elevator –the door has been opened; let's walk through this together- I love you guys."

RE 361: A Healthy Cycle Jan 17, 2022

Show notes

Today we have Eric. He is 58 years old and from New Jersey. His last drink was on February 10, 2019.

Today's Sponsor: Café RE Use the promo code CONNECT for one free month in the alcohol-free community Café RE.

From Paul: Why is working with the nervous system so important?

The cycle: The more the nervous system is in check the more you want to do things that bring you joy. The more you do things that bring you joy, the more your nervous system calms down.

Listen to the nature sounds playlist. We forget that we come from nature, we evolved with the crickets and blue jays. All you have to do is listen to nature sounds and allow it to calm the nervous system.

[10:03] Odette introduces Eric.

Eric is 58 years old and from New Jersey. He is a teacher. He also enjoys performing in theater as well as teaching theater. For fun he likes hiking and going to the gym. Being in nature is important to him.

He grew up around alcohol and for him it was very normalized. As a kid in high school, he would take beer from his father and drink them on camping trips. In college is where he said his drinking ramped up. He was able to get drunk very fast and he began to black out from time to time.

After two DUIs in the Midwest he took a job in New Jersey and continued drinking. He then received a 3rd DUI and a 4th DUI. But because it was in a different state he skated under the radar and was able to deal with lower ramifications.

February 10, 2018 his mother passed. He thought to him as he was on the plane home "Now the healing can begin". He's been learning what that means ever since.

You may have to say adios to booze if...

you are now dealing with your 5th DUI and you still think it's just a glitch and it's not a problem.

Odette's final thoughts:

Don't put so much pressure on yourself. Get off the rat race and be kind to yourself. Take a moment today and focus on something good. Accept where you are.

Upcoming events, retreats and courses:

You can find more information about our events

Sponsors:

Affiliate Link for Amazon: Shop via Amazon using this link.

The book, Alcohol is SH!T, is out. Pick up your paperback copy on Amazon here! You can get the Audible version here!

Resources:

Recovery Elevator YouTube - Subscribe here!

Sobriety Tracker iTunes

"Recovery Elevator –stay awkward and weird, you won't regret it- I love you guys."

RE 360: The Nervous System Jan 10, 2022

Show notes

Today we have Lane. She is from San Francisco. Her last drink was on December 30, 1996.

Today's Sponsor: Café RE Use the promo code CONNECT for one free month in the alcohol-free community Café RE.

Paul reminds you that you're declining one drink at a time. When we think about quitting drinking, a scenario arises in our mind with 100's of people, simultaneously offering us drinks, all at once. That will never happen, and just like one day at a time, you're saying no to one drink at a time.

As Paul mentioned at the end of last year he wants to cover the Nervous System, which is what he'll be covering today, and in future episodes. Today he covers why it's important to have a balanced nervous system and he explains, in layman's terms, what the nervous system is.

[11:38] Odette introduces Lane.

Lane is in her 50s, and lives in San Francisco, CA. She took her last drink on December 30, 1996. Lane is a wife and mother and a mindfulness and meditation teacher. Lane loves to hike, listen to really good music and dance.

Lane had her first drink at the age of 12 and blacked out. This pattern continued with her into her 20s. She loved the effect that alcohol had on her. She was very involved in sports during school and nobody knew she was drinking like she was.

Everything on the outside looked normal, but on the inside she depended on that drink. She didn't think she had a problem because her friends drank like she did. To be hungover was normal, was life.

It wasn't until she sent her best friend to the hospital with a concussion, while in a blackout, that she started to think that something was wrong with her drinking.

On New Years Eve (1996) she went to a "meeting" with some friends, unknowingly this meeting turned out to be an AA meeting. She heard the message of recovery that night and had hope.

When Lane was 5 years sober she fell into Buddhism and found a way out, through prayer and meditation and that has been the golden thread throughout the last 20 years of her recovery.

Lane says becoming a mother 12 years ago has been the most challenging thing in her recovery.

You may have to say adios to booze if...

you just drank and you get into a car and you drive.

Odette's final thoughts:

Take care of yourself, believe in yourself and believe in possibility.

Upcoming events, retreats and courses:

You can find more information about our events

The book, Alcohol is SH!T, is out. Pick up your paperback copy on Amazon here! You can get the Audible version here!

Resources:

Recovery Elevator YouTube - Subscribe here!

Sobriety Tracker iTunes

"Recovery Elevator –together is always better- I love you guys."

RE 359: Silence Bruno Jan 03, 2022

Show notes

Today we have Shea. She is 42 years old and from Michigan. Her last drink was on August 9, 2021.

Today's Sponsor: Café RE Use the promo code CONNECT for one free month in the alcohol-free community Café RE.

From Paul: "I cannot tell you how to quit drinking"

For Paul the most important thing that helped him along his journey to being alcohol free is: accountability. Paul tells his story of one of his attempts to stop drinking in 2014. He told his family he needed help.

Paul's 2022 goal is simply: To be sober.

As he continues to build time away from alcohol, he wants to remind listeners that even he doesn't have it all together. And the thing he's most proud of is the ability to recognize the insanity of his own thinking mind.

* Silencio Bruno *

[09:03] Odette introduces Shea.

Shea is 42 years old and from Michigan. She took her last drink on August 9, 2021. She has two boys, a full time physicians assistant for cardiac surgery and is also in Law School. For fun she loves to move her body, recovery related activities and build community.

In Shea's senior year of high school she began to develop coping mechanisms for trauma through her life. At first the focus was on an eating disorder and then she turned to alcohol. Immediately she took to alcohol and drugs and she lost all fear. While she knew this path was wrong, she wanted freedom and thought it was here. By 18 she had developed an addiction to heroin, but focused on school with daily drinking. During this time she also attended her first AA meeting. Through some admitted luck she was able to avoid jail time and was put into a court appointed drug and alcohol program.

After 13 years (2015) of alcohol and drug recovery she decided she wasn't an addict anymore and began to drink again and would be able to moderate. Before the first glass of wine was done she was planning the second.

The community and steps of AA work for her, knowing that there are a million different avenues she can take to recovery has made her experience this time around different and meaningful. Finding and accepting her own self honesty has given her freedom.

You may have to say adios to booze if...

you are finding bottles in your basement in old boxes and you don't remember putting them there.

Odette's final thoughts:

This is a great time to set some goals and intentions. Write down what you want to happen this year.

The book, Alcohol is SH!T, is out. Pick up your paperback copy on Amazon here! You can get the Audible version here!

Resources:

Recovery Elevator YouTube - Subscribe here!

Sobriety Tracker iTunes

"Recovery Elevator –together is always better- I love you guys."