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Recovery Elevator 🌴

It isn't a NO to alcohol, but a YES to a better life! Best selling author Paul Churchill, along with Kristopher Oyen interview people who have stepped away from alcohol in their own lives. Each week this podcast does a deep dive into an exploration of what a booze free life might look like from various perspectives and opinions.  If you are sick and tired of alcohol making you sick and tired, we invite you to listen to Recovery Elevator. Check out what an alcohol free life can look like as others share their own stories of sobriety. If you are sober curious, newly sober, supporting a loved one or living your best life already in recovery, then you are in the right place. This podcast addresses what to do if you’re addicted to alcohol, or if you think you’re an alcoholic. Other topics include, does moderate drinking work, does addiction serve a purpose, what happens to the brain when we quit drinking, should you track sobriety time, is A.A. right for you, spirituality, and more. Similar to other recovery podcasts like This Naked Mind, the Shair Podcast, and the Recovered Podcast, Paul and Kris discuss a topic and then interview someone who has ditched the booze.
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Now displaying: January, 2019
Jan 28, 2019

Dusty, with a sobriety date of  9/21/15, shares his story.

 

On January 1st, I launched the 3rd private, unsearchable Facebook accountability group.  All CafĂ© RE signups starting January 1st-January 31st will be placed in the new group.  This group will be capped at 300 members to ensure intimacy.  For the entire month of January, you can use the promo code 2019 for 75% off registration.

If you’re a Recovery Elevator podcast listener and you live in or close to the Nashville area, join us Saturday, February 23rd for Recovery Elevator LIVE in Nashville at 7 pm.  Go to recoveryelevator.com for more info.

I recently finished reading the book The Tipping Point by Malcolm Gladwell.  The book isn’t specifically a recovery book, but some of the ideas and themes can be applied to getting sober and staying sober.  When it comes to the journey into sobriety there are 2 tipping points I want to cover in this episode.  The first one happens when you start to question whether alcohol is serving a positive purpose in your life and the second one occurs when you quit drinking. 

At the end of the episode I will talk about a third tipping point, one to avoid. 

 

SHOW NOTES

 

[6:55] Paul Introduces Dusty.

 

Dusty is 38 years old, lives in Bozeman, Montana, and has a sobriety date of 9/21/15, just over 39 months since his last drink.  He is an accountant.  He loves playing recreational sports, just started playing hockey this year, after learning how to skate. 

 

 

[10:30 ] Give us a little background about your drinking. 

 

He started drinking when he was in high school and fell in love with it.  Same thing through college, but once he finished college that is when his drinking progressed.  It was at this time drinking was no longer fun and started to get out of control.  He was drinking alone in his apartment. 

 

[11:43 ] Did you ever try and put any rules into play, or try and quit?

 

He would try and only drink on the weekends, try and cut out beer, try to regulate.  It never worked. 

 

[15:01 ] What was your rock bottom, or your tipping point?

 

After going on a 10 hour bender, watching college football one Saturday in the downtown bars of Bozeman he was informed the following day that he had kicked a girl that night before.  He had no recollection of doing that.  Running into the girl on Sunday and seeing the look on her face was his rock bottom. 

 

[24:52 ] How did you stay sober after the first month?

 

He has a great group of friends that once he shared that he was an alcoholic they gave him 100% support.  He also got really involved in the RE Facebook group. 

 

[30:35 ] Referring to the quote, “drinking is but a symptom”, do you know why you drank?

 

Probably genetically predisposed to it, it’s on both sides of his family.  And like he stated earlier, he started drinking for fun in high school and then it turned into more of pity drinking in his late 20s. 

 

 

[38:50 ] Rapid Fire Round

 

  1. True or False, love is the answer…and why?

 

Absolutely!  Love conquers all.

 

  1. What was your worst memory from drinking?

 

After moving back from Kentucky he was living with his Mom for a couple of months.  She came into his room asking if he was going to work and she screamed after discovering a puddle in the middle of his room.  She blamed it on Buster the cat but he was sure it was from him.   

 

  1. Did you ever have an “oh-shit” moment?

 

Probably the look on Buster’s face.

 

  1. What’s your plan moving forward?

 

Staying involved with the CafĂ©RE community and creating those relationships.  Going to Nashville.  Getting out of his comfort zone.

 

  1. What’s the best advice you’ve ever received (on sobriety)?

 

Get some sober friends. 

 

  1. You might be an alcoholic if...

 

You pee on the floor in the middle of the night and blame it on your cat. 

 

Resources mentioned in this episode:

This episode is brought to you in support by Blinkist. Right now, my listeners can try Blinkist for free. Visit blinkist.com/elevator for your seven day free trial. 

This episode is brought to you in support by ZipRecruiter. Right now, my listeners can try ZipRecruiter for free. Visit Ziprecruiter.com/elevator

Connect with Cafe RE- Use the promo code OPPORTUNITY for your first month free

Sobriety Tracker iTunes

Sobriety Tracker Android

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!”

 

Jan 21, 2019

Kane, with 49 days of sobriety, shares his story.

On January 1st, I launched the 3rd private, unsearchable Facebook accountability group.  All CafĂ© RE signups starting January 1st-January 31st will be placed in the new group.  This group will be capped at 300 members to ensure intimacy.  For the entire month of January, you can use the promo code 2019 for 75% off registration.

If you’re a Recovery Elevator podcast listener and you live in or close to the Nashville area, join us Saturday, February 23rd for Recovery Elevator LIVE in Nashville at 7 pm.  Go to recoveryelevator.com for more info.

Recover Who We Were Meant To Be

Tony Robbins and Russell Brand recently did a podcast titled Recover Your True Self.  In this episode there are two value bombs I want to talk about.  The first is Russell Brand’s definition of recovery, and the other is his idea of the main intention of the 12 steps.

At the end of the episode, I share a story about letting go. 

  

SHOW NOTES

[6:49 ]  Paul introduces Kane

Kane is 45, lives in Adelaide, Australia, and has 49 days of sobriety.  He is a government worker.  He loves hiking and doing yoga in the mornings.  He is also a birdwatcher.  He likes socializing, and has been doing more social events since he’s been sober. 

[ 11:00 ]  Give us a little background about your drinking. 

He started drinking in late high school, and quickly progressed to “drinking for drunkenness.”  In college, alcohol became an escape from “this busy brain.”  He surrounded himself with friends who drank like he did.   

[31:40 ]   What does a typical day in your recovery look like?

He gets up early, does yoga and goes to work.  After work, he takes his dog Rusty for a walk, and spends time with his wife (without fighting).  He has been surprised by how much he enjoys socializing in sobriety

[40:39]   What’s on your bucket list in sobriety?

First and foremost, to continue to improve his relationship with his family.  He wants to keep expanding his honesty.  He is looking forward to eventually getting a caravan (camper) and going on road trips with his wife, birdwatching along the way.  He also looks forward to continuing having good times without alcohol.

[44:00] Rapid Fire Round

 

  1. What was your worst memory from drinking?

 

Not being as good a father as I thought I was.

 

  1. Did you ever have an “oh-shit” moment?

 

Waking up after a blackout, and finding a misspelled note on his phone that he’d written to himself telling him where he’d parked his car after trying not to drive while drunk.

 

  1. What’s your plan moving forward?

 

Socializing, yoga, taking responsibility.

 

  1. What’s your favorite resource in recovery?

 

The Recovery Elevator Podcast.  He also has gone to an AA meeting, and enjoyed it. Learning to be able to be honest with others about not drinking.

 

  1. What’s the best advice you’ve ever received (on sobriety)?

 

Asking “Is this working for me?” and if the answer is “no” change it.

 

  1. What parting piece of guidance can you give listeners who are in recovery or thinking about quitting drinking?

 

Take responsibility for how you act.

 

  1. You might be an alcoholic if...

 

you ask your mother for lift to your car, because you’d been drinking the night before.  When you get to where you think you left your car, it’s not there.  You then remember that you’d driven it home drunk.  You then ask your mother to drive you a little past your home where you had parked your car so your partner didn’t know you’d driven home drunk.

Resources mentioned in this episode:

Tony Robbins and Russell Brand Podcast, Recover Your True Self:

This episode is brought to you in support by Care/Of. For 25% off your first month of personalized Care/of vitamins, go to TakeCareOf.com and enter the promo code ELEVATOR

 

“We took the elevator down, we gotta take the stairs back up, we can do this!”

 

Jan 14, 2019

 

Lucy, with 65 days of sobriety, shares her story.

 

Do I need to avoid social situations where alcohol will be present? 

 

The answer is yes, then no, then yes.  Sorry if that’s confusing. I explain better in the episode.

 

On January 1st, I launched the 3rd private, unsearchable Facebook accountability group.  All CafĂ© RE signups starting January 1st-January 31st will be placed in the new group.  This group will be capped at 300 members to ensure intimacy.  For the entire month of January, you can use the promo code 2019 for 75% off registration. 

 

[8:40] Paul introduces Lucy

 

Lucy, with 65 days of sobriety, lives in London England.  She is a freelance makeup artist, which she loves doing.  She is single, likes walking, hiking, cooking, and drawing.

 

[11:30] Give us a little background about your drinking.

 

Lucy had her first experience with alcohol at age 12.  Her drinking kicked into full swing after she was 18, when she began working in bar and nightclubs.  She feels that it was a very quick descent into binge drinking and blackouts.  By the time she was 21 she found herself drinking alone more and more.  She lost every bar job she had because she would not show up for work because she was hungover.

 

[17:34]  Lucy’s first venture into sobriety.

 

At age 26, after moving to London to be a full-time makeup artist, Lucy realized that she might lose the career she loved if she continued to drink.  She tried AA, but it just didn’t resonate with her.  Within a year, after white knuckeling sobriety, she went back to drinking.

 

[20:01]  Her rock bottom.

 

Lucy had a suicide attempt at age 30, which she feels was a cry for help.  She regrets what she put her family through at that time.

 

She then had a second try at sobriety, and found that she had a lot of anger and resentment toward drinkers.

 

[23:40]  Since then, Lucy has realized that each relapse has taught her something.  She cannot moderate her drinking at all.

 

[27:50}  Did you attempt to moderate your drinking?

 

Never doing shots.

Having three blood alcohol calculators on her phone.

Avoiding going out as much as possible.

 

[44:28]  What is your plan in sobriety moving forward?

 

Not drinking, staying connected, putting sobriety first.

 

 

 

 

[45:04]  Rapid fire round.

 

  1. What is your worst memory from drinking?

 

That night in the hospital after her suicide attempt.

 

  1. What was your “oh shit” moment?

 

My 10th blackout in a row, and a four-day hangover.

 

  1. In regards to sobriety, what is the best advice you’ve ever received?

 

Find your tribe.

 

  1. What parting piece of guidance can you give listeners?

 

Believe in yourself, you’re stronger than you know.  There’s a way out for everyone.

 

     

[46:45]  You might be an alcoholic if . . .

 

            You factor in an extra 100 pounds ($150 US) for every time you go out drinking

            Because you never know in what part of the city you’ll wake up, and you might

            need to call a cab.

 

 

 

This episode is brought to you in support by Robinhood. Right now, Robinhood is giving my listeners free stock such as Apple, Ford or Sprint to help build your portfolio. Signup at elevator.robinhood.com

Jan 7, 2019

Jeff, with over 2 years since his last drink, shares his story…

That could never happen…

Analysis of the famed James Bond movies reveals that James Bond is a full-blown functioning alcoholic living on borrowed time. 

“There is strong and consistent evidence that James Bond has a chronic alcohol consumption problem at the severe end of the spectrum… His workplace, MI6, needs to become a more responsible employer and refer him to support services and change their corporate drinking culture.” 

The amount of alcohol that James Bond is consuming in the films is enough to leave someone far too disabled to engage in any kind of crime fighting. 

SHOW NOTES

 

[7:07] Paul Introduces Jeff.

Jeff has been sober just over two years.  He’s 43 years old and lives near Denver, Colorado.  He is married with one adult son.  He and his wife enjoy Netflix, boating, and writing.  He is the same guest as a previous guest, episode 104.  He is a genetic researcher.  He is extremely busy, with three jobs.  He found that most people just drink in their downtime.  He went from habitual drinking around age 34 to a downward spiral once his wife left him.  There was a DUI, and a crash.  It enabled him to reboot. 

 

[12:20] What happened during that five year period where you drank normally, but the obsession was still there?

He was still micromanaging the quantities of alcohol that were available to him.  He was constantly making sure that consuming alcohol was going to be part of the plan and available just in case.  Even though he found like he had a new life, he included alcohol in his activities. 

 

[14:00] Did you try to moderate your drinking with rules?

Definitely.  Switching from hard alcohol to beer, or only on the weekends.  They seemed to break all the time.  Other parts of his life were great at the time.  His step daughter had a stroke, but when those three days were up he craved alcohol.  He realized he was using alcohol to take a break from difficult emotions and he figured out that he needed to try and find a better way.  He realized that he wanted someone else to step in and help him control his drinking.  He emptied a bottle and kept it around as a reminder of his efforts to get sober.  He discussed it with his wife, and they had a great conversation.  He’s grateful that she met him in the middle of his struggle.  She knew who he was and what he was dealing with.  She agreed to get sober with him to help him along, even though she didn’t have a problem. 

 

[22:50] How important is it to have your significant other or spouse on board with your decision to get sober?

Incredibly important.  There were times when he wanted to crack, but she was there to support him.  They agreed to find alternative ways to get through the holidays, etc.  It is better, to be honest than to be hiding it. 

 

[24:21] What is it like for you in the different stages of sobriety?

In the first 90 days, everything is new.  He binge listened to podcasts to help him rewire his thoughts.  He spent the first six months just learning.  In the first year, you are testing whether or not you can do things without drinking.  He was surprised at how much his brain came back online.  He found himself to be highly creative.  Sobriety has been a surprise.  The second year found him being a lot more available in his business.  He found surprising success in his business.  One never stops growing.  He began to look at his priorities.  He had to decide which areas of his life needed growth.  The second year is way more empowering.  You start hitting your stride and liking yourself more as a person. 

 

[33:06] What’s the most challenging thing you’ve encountered in sobriety?

The lake trip was the most challenging.  He was isolated on a boat, and everyone was drunk.  He would climb up to get cell reception and check in with his internet support group.  He felt incredible when he made it through without drinking. 

 

[35:09] What’s on your bucket list in sobriety?

He’s working on a book that involves sobriety.  He wants to learn how to schedule unproductive time.  He feels too busy.  He feels like he’s still learning.  He isn’t involved with formal recovery groups.  He’s still trying to explore the depths of who he is. 

 

[39:28] What are your thoughts on relapse?

It’s all an experiment.  How would it feel to spend a long time away from alcohol?  The results have been that sobriety is the way for him.  He feels better, more empowered. 

 

 

[42:00] Rapid Fire Round

  1. What was your worst memory from drinking?

    Not officiating his friend’s wedding.  He was trying to prepare the wedding, and he was in a dark place and dreaded the whole process. 
  2. Did you ever have an “oh-shit” moment?
  3. What’s your plan moving forward?

    He is excited to live one day at a time. 
  4. What’s your favorite resource in recovery?

    Recovery Elevator, and Cafe RE.  They are his support group. 
  5. What’s the best advice you’ve ever received (on sobriety)?

    “And remember, you don’t drink anymore.” 
  6. What parting piece of guidance can you give listeners who are in recovery or thinking about quitting drinking?

    Just keep at it.  It takes grit.  You can’t think your way into sobriety.. you have to act your way into changing your thinking.  Be patient; it takes time. 
  7. You might be an alcoholic if…

    “...you stash shooters in your friend’s son’s coat while going to a football game because he’s less likely to be searched than you are.”

 

Resources mentioned in this episode:

This episode is brought to you in support by Blinkist. Right now, my listeners can try Blinkist for free. Visit blinkist.com/elevator for your seven-day free trial. 
 
This episode is brought to you in support by Care/Of. For 25% off your first month of personalized Care/of vitamins, go to TakeCareOf.com and enter the promo code ELEVATOR

Connect with Cafe RE- Use the promo code OPPORTUNITY for your first month free

Sobriety Tracker iTunes

Sobriety Tracker Android

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!”

 

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