Coral, with 7 months since her last drink, shares her story……
Do we have to say it again? Let’s drop the stigma regarding addiction. The research shows that alcoholics have a genetic predisposition towards alcohol. It is not a character defect, nor a moral weakness. Yet, even after these results are published, about 20% of the general population, along with many psychiatrists still believe that it is a personal weakness.
Kenneth Bloom conducted early experiments on neurology and molecular genetics. Hundreds of these experiments showed that alcoholism is hereditary. Many adoption studies have also been done and they show that children with at least 1alcoholic biological parent were 3 to 4 times more likely to become an alcoholic, regardless of their non-alcoholic adoptive parents.
When an alcoholic drinks, our neurotransmitters go awry and our bodies break down booze differently than normal drinkers. That’s the facts folks.
SHOW NOTES
[14:08] Paul Introduces Coral.
Coral – I am 32 years old and live in Idaho. I work in an industrial plant. I am married and have a 9 year old son.
[16:08] Did you think you had a problem with drinking?
Coral – My husband and I have been trying to conceive but after our IVF failed, I went on a 2 week bender, full of self- pity. I would grab a beer first thing in the morning. Drinking was not helping anything. Now it just feels surreal to be sober. I did not think that I could do it. Drinking has always been a part of my life. But being in a recovery program keeps me from getting stagnant.
[19:21] When did you realize that you had a problem?
Coral – There were plenty of times I told myself that I should slow down. These slow down plans never worked. I would try to limit hard liquor or not drink during the day. Sometimes I was able to slow down but it never lasted long.
[22:11] Paul and Coral discuss her bottoms.
Coral – One of my worst memories was having some new friends over to my house for a BBQ. I ended up tripping over something in the yard and fell into the fire pit. I was burned over 10% of my body. Even after this, I never looked at myself as having a problem. It took a few months to re-cooperate after this accident. I was on heavy pain medications and still drank while on them. After 3 months, I went to the doctor to get a refill of my pain medication. He would not refill my prescription and I ended up going through withdrawal.
[26:00] How did you quit drinking 7 months ago?
Coral – I started listening to podcastsand going to meetings. I joined the Club Soda club on-line and I also started seeing a therapist.
[30:00] Paul and Coral discuss her relationship with her husband and his drinking.
Coral – My husband was also a drinker and struggles a little bit. He has been very supportive of my recovery. He has his own path in recovery and I have mine.
[31:33] When did your thinking shift from “I can’t do this” to “I can do this?”
Coral – Probably around 90 days. I had been denied a promotion that I thought I had in the bag. I felt like jumping out of my own skin. I decided to get in the car and drove many miles to a meeting. I left the meeting wondering why I hadn’t gone to a meeting in so long. It was so good to be around other people with this same problem. Sobriety is my #1 priority now, otherwise I will lose everything.
[33:33] What have you learned the most about yourself?
Coral – I am still learning about myself. Right now I am in the middle of the 4th step and it has been very eye opening.
[34:34] How have your cravings been?
Coral – I do eat a lot of sugar. I gave up alcohol, caffeine and cigarettes at the same time. So I need my sugar. When a craving hits, I try to meditate, exercise or go to a meeting.
[35:40] How have your relationships changed?
Coral – My husband and I get along much better. Instead of having arguments, we discuss things now. I am also closer to my extended family since they are non-drinkers.
[36:43] What is a typical day like for you?
Coral – I usually say a prayer every morning and then head off to work. I will go to a few meetings each week and enjoy spending time with my family.
[37:00] Rapid Fire Round
Resources mentioned in this episode:
Connect with Cafe RE- Use the promo code Elevator for your first month free
Sober Selfies! - Send your Sober Selfie and your Success Story to info@recoveryelevator.com
“We took the elevator down, we gotta take the stairs back up, we can do this!”
Michael, with 32 years since his last drink, shares his story.
In a recent CNN interview with Jeremy Broderick, he talks about how the GOP replacement plan for Obamacare makes things worse for the addict. Many treatment plans were covered under Medicaid as well as the Affordable Care Act. Trump-care isn’t what is seems to be and pushes more for accessibility instead of universal coverage. In the meantime, 200 people die a day while the government sorts this out. It is estimated that for every $1.00 spent on treatment, $4.00 is saved on healthcare and for every $1.00 spent on education/prevention, $50.00 is saved on healthcare.
SHOW NOTES
[8:18] Paul Introduces Michael
Michael – I am 60 years old with 32 years of sobriety. I have 2 twin sons and I run health and wellness websites. I like to walk, hike and meet like-minded people.
[10:48] When did you realize that you had a problem?
Michael – it was long before I was 28 years old. I started drinking alcoholically at age 14. I was in an accident and arrested for DUI at the age of 19. My drinking slowed down a little when my uncle died but I picked up smoking weed instead. Cocaine was finally my downfall. I was starting to spend hours in blackouts and was continuously apologizing for things that I had done.
[13:14] What were your drinking habits like?
Michael – During nights’ outs, I could drink 20 bottles of beer. We would go out to the bars starting at midnight and drink until 7am.
[14:08] Did you ever put any rules into place to control your drinking?
Michael – I couldn’t start drinking early in the day because I would keep going. I intentionally started drinking later in the day so that I had a chance to make it home safely.
[15:23] What drug do you think led you to cocaine? Pot or alcohol?
Michael – It was probably the pot. I needed it when I first woke up in the morning just to be able to get to work.
[16:04] How did you do it?
Michael – I started going to meetings and was completely overwhelmed by the love of the community. They enveloped me with their hugs and love. Our motto was hugs, not drugs. I went to 1 sober party after another. There wasn’t any time to do drugs. I learned to be careful who I surrounded myself with. Build your community of sober friends. Community is everything to me. I never feel alone when I surround myself with people who are moving in the same direction. There is no addiction sigma within these sober communities.
[22:29] Did you start with NA or AA?
Michael – I started with NA and we were a small group. We were sponsoring 5-10 people at a time. I received some advice that I should try an AA meeting in order to see what longer term sobriety was. My first AA meeting had some old timers who basically told me to, “sit down and shut up.” They taught us what real time recovery was.
[25:35] What is your advice for finding real recovery?
Michael – You’ve got to tap in to your resources. There are many milestones that are going to happen to you in recovery. Your world can still fall apart at any time. You will always have to deal with emotional experiences.
[27:27] What advice would you give to your younger self?
Michael – When we are drinking, we tend to gravitate towards other drinkers. Most of the rest of the population does not drink like we do. It is OK to be with these normal/non-drinkers. There is an entire world full of incredible people who do not care whether you drink or not.
[30:00] Tell us your thoughts regarding sugar addiction.
Michael – I think that sugar is the real gateway drug. It is so subtle that you do not realize it is even happening. Sugar is a powerful psychoactive drug. You can become physically and mentally addicted to sugar. We crave it when we need a mental break. When we eat sugar, we temporarily feel better about ourselves.
[35:40] What is viral recovery.com?
Michael – It is my website where I advocate to change the stigma of addiction with healthcare. I post what others are doing (such as Paul!) to change the attitudes surrounding addiction.
[36:51] Rapid Fire Round
Resources mentioned in this episode:
Connect with Cafe RE- Use the promo code Elevator for your first month free
Sober Selfies! - Send your Sober Selfie and your Success Story to info@recoveryelevator.com
www.facingaddiction.org – to sign the petition
“We took the elevator down, we gotta take the stairs back up, we can do this!”
Heath, with 40 days since his last drink, shares his story…..
*****Please review the RE podcast in iTunes*****
Can we taper off alcohol? It is nearly impossible to cut back on alcohol because it is so addictive. Our own addictive mind lies to us and tells us that we can cut back. In all of the interviews done on the Recovery Elevator podcast, there has not been 1 interviewee who claimed they were able to moderate. If you have, send a message to info@recoveryelevator.com. Paul would love to interview you!
What happens when we try to taper down our alcohol consumption? Each day gets more painful than the last as we try to limit our drinks. We often try to implement rules to control ourselves but these never last. The question to ask yourself is, “Where does alcohol stand on your priority list?”
SHOW NOTES
[10:00] Paul Introduces Heath.
Heath – I am 40 days sober, live in Atlanta and am 41 years old. I enjoy running, working out and spending time with my 9 year old daughter.
[11:14] When did you realize that you had a problem?
Heath – I knew that I had a problem all of my life. The last few years I have been trying to get sober. I finally wanted to get sober for myself.
[12:19] Did you ever put any rules in place?
Heath – I could not drink around my wife so I needed to keep my drinking limited to 9-5. I would occasionally go without drinking for a few weeks. Being self-employed made it difficult to remain sober. I turned to marijuana and Xanax to try and get through the day. Once the Xanax ran out, I went back to drinking.
[16:19] Did you hit a rock bottom?
Heath – I had multiple accidents where I totaled cars but this time nothing big actually happened. I thought to myself that either I have to deal with this now or deal with it later.
[17:31] How did you do it?
Heath – I kept very busy the first week of sobriety. Exercise was super important and I started running every day. I also go to SMART meetings. I want to be prepared once the pink cloud dissipates. When I go to SMART meetings, I try to look for similarities. When I see that someone has relapsed, I immediately think that I do not want that to be me.
[24:23] How have your relationships changed?
Heath – I no longer carry any guilt. My wife is still skeptical that I have quit for good but my daughter is super thrilled that I am sober.
[25:30] How have your cravings been?
Heath – When I first got a craving I raced right to the gym. 45 minutes on the elliptical machine stopped that craving. Exercise releases the endorphins I need.
[27:36] What have you learned about yourself?
Heath – I am not as anxious as I thought I was. Once I got off the booze and Xanax, I was more relaxed than I had been before.
[30:00] What have you accomplished in sobriety?
Heath – I still feel very humble in sobriety. I am looking forward to getting my relationship back with my wife and possibly starting to save some money.
[ ] Rapid Fire Round
Resources mentioned in this episode:
Connect with Cafe RE- Use the promo code Elevator for your first month free
Sober Selfies! - Send your Sober Selfie and your Success Story to info@recoveryelevator.com
Annie Grace “This Naked Mind” video course. Find it at www.recoveryelevator.com/annie. Enter promo code elevator50 to receive $50 off
AALRM = Run for recovery in Bozeman, MT on 5/20/17. Sign up link below: https://runsignup.com/Race/MT/Bozeman/AALRMRunforRecovery
“We took the elevator down, we gotta take the stairs back up, we can do this!”
Lou, with 2 years since his last drink, shares his story…
5/20/17 – Join us for Run for Recovery in Bozeman, MT. Not a runner? Sign up for a virtual run @ RecoveryElevator.Com/Run. Enter promo code recoveryelevator to receive $5.00 off.
Is quitting drinking a sacrifice? We often fear that we are giving up on pleasure if we have to give up alcohol. This is absolutely false. If we are in the right mind set when we quit drinking, there will not be any void. Instead, you will be giving up all of the shitty things that booze does to you. Soberity is not a sacrifice but an opportunity.
SHOW NOTES
[7:46] Paul Introduces Lou.
Lou – I have been sober for 2 years and live in NJ. I am 27 years old and enjoy meditation, yoga and living for a higher purpose. My work is my fun.
[9:17] When was your rock bottom?
Lou – My actual sobriety date was not my bottom. I fell in love with drinking during high school and college. I was arrested for attempted burglary in college because I was trying to get into people’s houses during a blackout. I made some bad decisions that were very shameful. I started seeing where I could have been and comparing it to where I actually was. I had been living for the weekends and the rave parties. In 2014 I heard a whisper that said, “I’ve got to stop this.” I started my journey towards personal development and connected with some young ambitious people. I finally started to see that I had a higher purpose than drugs and alcohol.
[20:46] Paul and Lou discuss meditation.
Lou – I was hiking up in Joshua State Park when I decided to stop and meditate. I started breathing and fell into a loving peace that I had never felt before. I kept thinking, “You are fulfilled.” The next day I started journaling. Again, I felt the spiritual experience. “Do I want what life has to offer?” I decided, at that point, that I needed to quit drinking.
[27:29] How did you quit drinking?
Lou – I wrote in my journal – On this day, I am done drinking. Started with just 1 day at a time. I kept having these spiritual energy experiences. I felt a call for a higher purpose. I quit my job without any notice which was totally out of character for me. My co-workers sent the police to my house. They were afraid that I was going to commit suicide.
[31:00] Did you use AA?
Lou – I did not go to AA. I had such a spiritual shift that I was a completely different person and did not want alcohol at all.
[32:30] What advice would you give to your younger self.
Lou – Look at who you are surrounding yourself with. Life is a natural high. You can live an exciting life without drugs and alcohol.
[33:00] What do you value most in sobriety?
Lou – I am proud of being a non-drinker. I do not feel labeled or an outcast anymore.
[34:07] What is your proudest achievement in sobriety?
Lou – I have written a book that tells my story. “Find Your Truth” can be found on Amazon. I like getting the message out to others that we all have a higher purpose. Once you get addicted to the right things, life is amazing.
[36:32] What does a day in the life of Lou look like?
Lou – I do a lot of journaling, meditation, yoga, and work on my business. I really do not think about booze at all.
[38:00] Rapid Fire Round
Resources mentioned in this episode:
Connect with Cafe RE- Use the promo code Elevator for your first month free
www.louredmond.com
Sober Selfies! - Send your Sober Selfie and your Success Story to info@recoveryelevator.com
“We took the elevator down, we gotta take the stairs back up, we can do this!”