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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: October, 2020
Oct 26, 2020

Megan took her last drink April 20, 2020. With 108 days away from alcohol, (at the time of recording) this is her story of living alcohol free (AF).

 

Ditching the Booze - The What, the Why and the How. The new course will start November 11th, 2020. It’s FREE for Café RE members. Not a Café Re member? Sign up here and use the code OPPORTUNITY for waive the set-up fee.

 

Odette’s weekly installment of: Finding the Better You…..

 

Armchair Expert: Day 7

 

Odette discusses Dax Shepard and the recent restarting of his sobriety clock. She appreciates how he is always seeking a life build in honesty and finding moment of gratefulness. What connects all of us is a feeling. What connects us all is finding our way through this book of recovery. Different chapters and experiences but all rooted in the same goal. We are not alone. Keep protecting your energy.

 

 

[10:26] Odette introduces Megan.

 

Megan lives in Montreal, Canada and is 33 years old. She lives with her partner Tim. She is a cook at a vegan restaurant. For fun she paints and draws and loves animal portraits.

 

[17:29] Can you give listeners some background on your drinking?

 

Megan said she drank a few times drinking growing up. Her parents both drank in the home and it was very normal. She got drunk for the first time when she was 17 or 18. It allowed her to breakout of her shell and be social. Moving to Montreal it became even more “normal”. It is very much a part of the culture. It changed from being out and drinking, to drinking at home, to drinking at home alone. She began combining anxiety medication with alcohol and would black out. Megan questioned her drinking in her mid 20s due to so many different events. In March of 2020 she had all the alcohol that was meant for her wedding and in 30 days’ time drank all it. It was meant to be for 80 people.

 

[28:43] What happened in April of this year that made you stop drinking?

 

Megan said it was because she ran out of alcohol. She paused and realized she had drank about $800 worth of alcohol. Megan found herself filled with shame and she realized that the way she drank it would never be enough until she was dead.

 

[34:08] Tell me about the first few weeks after you stopped.

 

Megan said it’s a little hard to remember the time right after she quit. She remembers being exuberant in finding others and creating connections. Her sleep was a little off but she was also riding the pink cloud. As time went on, she wanted to get off anti-depressants. Now she’s starting to find an equilibrium. She can finally think properly.

 

[39:33] Tell me more about your new job and being sober.

 

Megan said she mentioned in the cover letter and again in the job interview that she is in recovery. She positioned it as an asset! They are really respectful of her being sober from alcohol.

 

[44:25] Tell me about your relationship with your partner now.

 

Megan said her partner already started out as a wicked person. He was concerned for her but also understood that the desire to stop drinking had to come from her. He’s really proud of her and expresses that to her.

 

 [46:36] Rapid Fire Round 

 

  1. If you could talk to day 1 Megan what would you say?

 

You are going to flourish!

 

  1. What is a lightbulb moment you’ve had in this journey?

 

That I am capable, and I am worth a lot. Stop telling myself bullshit.

 

  1. What’s your favorite AF beverage?

 

Coffee! Coffee with oat milk, iced coffee, black coffee.

 

  1. What parting piece of guidance can you give listeners that are thinking about ditching the booze?

 

Just take it day by day but remember to believe in yourself. You are capable and strong and you will keep amazing yourself.

 

You may have to say adios to booze... 

 

If you drank all your wedding booze in one month that was intended for 80 people.

 

Odette’s challenge this week:

 

Everyone is fighting their own battle and try not to judge anyone else. We need kindness and love, more than ever.

 

Affiliate Link for Endourage:

For 10% off your first CBD order with Endourage visit this link and use the promo code elevator at checkout. 

 

Affiliate Link for Amazon:

Shop via Amazon using this link.

 

Upcoming events, retreats and courses:

  • Ditching the Booze - The What, the Why and the How. The new course will start 11/10/20. It’s FREE for Café RE members. Not a Café Re member? Sign up here and use the code OPPORTUNITY for waive the set-up fee.
  • 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: 

Connect with Cafe RE - Use the promo code OPPORTUNITY to waive the set-up fee.

Recovery Elevator YouTube - Subscribe here!

Sobriety Tracker iTunes 

Sobriety Tracker Android 

Sober Selfies! - Send your Sober Selfie and your Success Story to  -info@recoveryelevator.com

 

“Recovery Elevator – “Stay humble and stay smiling – I love you guys”

Oct 19, 2020

DeeDee took her last drink May 5, 2020. With 91 days away from alcohol, (at the time of recording) this is her story of living alcohol free (AF).

 

This weekend is Recovery Elevator’s first ever REgionals! Join us for our online zoom conference this October 23-24th. This event is FREE for Café RE Members only. Not a member yet?! Sign up here and use the promo code OPPORTUNITY to waive the set-up fee.

 

Odette’s weekly installment of: Finding the Better You…..

 

After watching the Social Dilemma on Netflix Odette has some thoughts about social media and its place in our lives. She wants us to continue to protect our energy and set boundaries.

 

  1. Talk about it.
  2. Uninstall apps, unfollow people, unsubscribe from emails.
  3. Turn off notifications.
  4. Look for chrome extensions that removed clickbait.
  5. Fact check yourself.
  6. Delay giving devices to children.
  7. Try to have devices out of your bedroom.

 

[11:37] Odette introduces DeeDee.

 

DeeDee lives in Santa Barbara, California and is 29 years old. She lives with her finance and their 2 dogs. For work, DeeDee is the Director of Development for a non-profit. For fun she’s trying to figure that out still, but recently she’s begun crafting again and making candles.

 

[15:50] Can you give listeners some background on your drinking?

 

DeeDee grew up being aware of alcohol because alcoholism runs in her family. Her father got sober 14 years ago. She didn’t drink a lot in high school. When she turned 21, she drank to fit in, but even then, didn’t really like alcohol. In the beginning of 2013, she noticed that she drew a correlation between being loved and being intoxicated. Her partner at the time only expressed love when he was drunk. In 2017 DeeDee realized she was drinking alone. In 2018/2019 she dabbled in sobriety for short periods of time. She got engaged in late 2019 and they used that excuse for more drinking to “celebrate”.

 

[22:11] Did you ever connect the dots of alcohol being a problem in your family and your own drinking?

 

DeeDee said she was in denial for a lot of it. She didn’t know a lot of women who had problems with alcohol, so she rationalized that it was only the men in her family who had a problem.

 

[23:38] Did you and your finance decide together to quit drinking?

 

DeeDee said they came to the conclusion of quitting drinking on their own, but also at the same time. During early sobriety they both experienced different things and she has learned how to set different expectations based on their own individual experiences.

 

[26:28] Tell me about the last 90 days.

 

DeeDee said in the beginning she was very focused on how to live a sober life and what that was going to look like for her. She was seeing changes in her thought patterns. DeeDee focused on finding out why she is the way she is. After a month or so, she began to try and find balance in her life and her recovery.

 

[31:17] How did the conversation go with your father when you told him you weren’t drinking?

 

DeeDee said it happened on May 5th 2020. He’s been incredibly supportive. The conversation was very matter of fact and easy for her. Both her parents were there, and they met her with understanding.

 

[32:52] What do you do when you get a craving?

 

DeeDee said she has more emotional cravings then physical cravings. Seeing people with a glass of wine on a patio on a Friday afternoon makes her want that feeling, not the wine. That connection and relaxation is what she’s looking for. Now she plays the tape forward, knowing that it will not ever just be one glass of wine. Instead now she chooses a different action, be it a walk or a podcast or ice cream.

 

[36:47] What’s your favorite AF drink now?

 

DeeDee said sparkling water and also making a fun mocktails.

 

[38:54] What you been able to identify any emotional triggers?

 

DeeDee said she’s learned that she has emotional triggers when she’s feeling had a difficult day or moment. She wants to sit on the couch and feel like the alcohol is helping her unwind. Leaning her emotions are temporary has been huge.

 

[41:46] Have you gotten any pushback from people?

 

DeeDee said she started posting on an Instagram account she had that was mostly filled with followers she didn’t know in real life. It was easier for her to open up and share, giving her confidence to move onto people in her real life. It was liberating when she decided to post on her “real” account where she was followed by people in her real life. She received awesome feedback and responses.

 

[45:57] Rapid Fire Round 

 

  1. If you could talk to day 1 DeeDee what would you say?

 

In this moment, exactly where you are, you are enough.

 

  1. What is a lightbulb moment you’ve had in this journey?

 

The opposite of addiction is connection and how true this statement is.

 

  1. What are you excited about right now?

 

Getting married and starting a life together and doing it without booze.

 

  1. What is your favorite ice cream flavour?

 

Chocolate chip cookie dough

 

  1. What are some of your favorite resources in recovery?

 

Recovery Elevator podcast, Recovery Happy Hour podcast, AA meetings, therapy.

 

You may have to say adios to booze... 

 

If the first time you’ve ever been honest with a doctor about the amount your drinking AFTER you decided to stop.

 

Odette’s challenge this week:

 

Take inventory of the relationship you have with your smart phone. Be honest. Make a small list of boundaries you can put in place. Baby steps add up and came impact change.

 

Affiliate Link for Endourage:

For 10% off your first CBD order with Endourage visit this link and use the promo code elevator at checkout. 

 

Affiliate Link for Amazon:

Shop via Amazon using this link.

 

Upcoming events, retreats and courses:

  • Recovery Elevator’s first ever REgionals! Join us for our online zoom conference this October 23-24th. This event is FREE for Café RE Members only. Not a member yet?! Sign up here and use the promo code OPPORTUNITY to waive the set-up fee.
  • Ditching the Booze - The What, the Why and the How. The new course will start 11/10/20. It’s FREE for Café RE members. Not a Café Re member? Sign up here and use the code OPPORTUNITY for waive the set-up fee.
  • You can find more information about our events here.  

 

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

 

Resources: 

Connect with Cafe RE - Use the promo code OPPORTUNITY to waive the set-up fee.

Recovery Elevator YouTube - Subscribe here!

Sobriety Tracker iTunes 

Sobriety Tracker Android 

Sober Selfies! - Send your Sober Selfie and your Success Story to  -info@recoveryelevator.com

 

“Recovery Elevator – “Turn those f’ing notifications off, life’s too short to be looking down at your phone all the time – I love you guys”

Oct 12, 2020

Brandon took his last drink October 28, 2018. With 645 days away from alcohol, (at the time of recording) this is his story of living alcohol free (AF).

 

Odette’s weekly installment of: Finding the Better You…..

Now more than ever we need to stay rooted in kindness and live with the belief that people are just doing the best they can. In sobriety Odette has found she can give more grace to others because she is giving herself more grace and compassion.

Looking at perfectionism, it doesn’t actually yield perfect results. It instead creates feelings of guilt, shame, stress, addiction, loneliness and isolation. Unsubscribe from perfectionism and just be yourself. Take care of yourself and everything else will take care of itself. And that’s the real gift.

 

 

[7:08] Odette introduces Brandon.

 

Brandon lives in Orlando, Florida with his wife and son. He’s a social media manager. For fun he likes to go on adventures with his son, he plays music and enjoys being creative.

 

[10:42] Can you give listeners some background on your drinking?

 

Brandon said he started drinking at the age of 21, he wasn’t interested in drinking while growing up. He was focused on sports and playing in bands. His first couple years of drinking he didn’t suffer the usual repercussions. At about 3 years in he began to experience hangovers. College drinking helped him deal with his anxiety. Brandon noticed the years after college he was using alcohol as a crutch. He found himself turning to alcohol for to handle anything that life threw at him. He was trying to show a front of perfectionism while internally struggling so much.

 

[19:24] Did your wife every approach you about your drinking?

 

Brandon said his wife would question sometimes the beer(s) he would have with dinner. He could tell she knew something was wrong. His rock bottom was a Halloween party in 2018 where he drank too much and they had a fight. She was 7 months pregnant and expressed concern about having to do the next stage of life alone. That was enough for him.

 

[29:11] Talk to me more about the time right after you stopped drinking.

 

Brandon said he was prepared for it to be hell but didn’t consider all the other things that go into it. He was open with his wife and friends. He turned to fitness to keep his mind moving. He took things hour by hour and focused just on the moment he was in. Brandon discovered a confidence in himself he didn’t know was there.

 

[35:18] Do you still get cravings?

 

Brandon said no, but there are times where it sounds good to take the edge off with alcohol.

 

[36:27] What’s in your toolbox?

 

Brandon said his wife is his biggest support. The /r/stopdrinking Reddit page. The idea of sharing with others gives him motivation.

 

[39:32] Do you ever get push back from people?

 

Brandon said yes, he does. He feels because he dealt with it silently for so many years, people had a hard time understanding the level of drinking he had come to achieve.

 

[44:57] Rapid Fire Round 

 

  1. If you could talk to younger Brandon what would you say?

 

Listen to your parents, don’t try it.

 

  1. What is your go to NA beverage?

 

Sparkling water.

 

  1. What parting piece of guidance can you give listeners who are thinking about ditching the booze?

 

Listen to your gut. What’s in your mind is the truth. There’s no better time than now.

 

You may have to say adios to booze... 

 

If you’re in a meeting at 2pm and you’re thinking about what you’re going to drink tonight.

 

Odette’s challenge this week:

 

Try to see yourself differently this week. Be more compassionate when you make a mistake. Give people in your life the benefit of the doubt. Be nice to strangers.

 

Affiliate Link for Endourage:

For 10% off your first CBD order with Endourage visit this link and use the promo code elevator at checkout. 

 

Affiliate Link for Amazon:

Shop via Amazon using this link.

 

Upcoming events, retreats and courses:

  • Recovery Elevator’s first ever REgionals! Join us for our online zoom conference this October 23-24th. This event is FREE for Café RE Members only. Not a member yet?! Sign up here and use the promo code OPPORTUNITY to waive the set-up fee.
  • Ditching the Booze - The What, the Why and the How. The new course will start 11/10/20. It’s FREE for Café RE members. Not a Café Re member? Sign up here and use the code OPPORTUNITY for waive the set-up fee.
  • You can find more information about our events here.  

 

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

 

Resources: 

Connect with Cafe RE - Use the promo code OPPORTUNITY to waive the set-up fee.

Recovery Elevator YouTube - Subscribe here!

Sobriety Tracker iTunes 

Sobriety Tracker Android 

Sober Selfies! - Send your Sober Selfie and your Success Story to  -info@recoveryelevator.com

 

“Recovery Elevator – “Believing we are all doing the best we can, can make the world a better place – I love you guys”

Oct 5, 2020

Erin took her last drink May 31, 2019. With 488 days away from alcohol, (at the time of recording) this is her story of living alcohol free (AF).

 

Odette’s weekly installment of: Finding the Better You…..

 

Most long-term decisions have to be rooted in a place of love and not of fear. This applies to recovery and leads to the question, “What has recovery made possible for you?” This question helps to build the bridge from fear to love. Hearing stories of hope from others send out waves of survival. As you share your story, you don’t know who’s listening and how that might change the trajectory of their life. Odette chooses to live in the solution and show others, specifically her family, what’s possible.

 

[6:23] Odette introduces Erin.

 

Erin and her family split time between New Hampshire and Sedona, AZ. She is married with 2 children, ages 1 & 3, she is a stay at home mom. For fun she does yoga, plays with her children, exercises and is getting to know her body.

 

[9:35] Can you give listeners some background on your drinking?

 

Erin said she first took a drink when she was 14. While that drink wasn’t a problem, she began to experiment. The family setting was one where there was drinking and so it was part of what she knew growing up. Her parents separated when she was 17 and she rebelled from there. At 18, she went to the University of New Hampshire, which is a large party school. Drinking was part of the culture and it was just what everyone was doing. Erin can look back now and see how toxic it was, especially for her.

 

 

[12:03] Can you expand on your college years?

 

Her sophomore year, she tried sobriety. She took some time off college and did a “major health cleanse”. However, when she returned, the habits also returned. She convinced herself she could moderate.

 

[13:14] Did you transition after college into a lifestyle that allowed you to maintain a frequency of binge drinking?

 

Erin said she has lived all over the place and those geographic moves are part of her story with alcohol. With periods of binge drinking and sadness coupled with periods of living with a healthy focus. Looking back, she can see she was running from her feelings and not being able to be with herself.

 

[15:33] What was your style of drinking and did anyone ever approach you about it while you were drinking?

 

Erin said she did surround herself with heavy drinkers so she could ignore the reality, there were also consequences to her drinking. She married her first husband in 2010 and they were divorced in 2012. He would speak to her about her drinking. When they separated, she took herself to her first AA meeting. However, a relapse of Lyme disease and the toll the separation was taking on her, she continued to drink daily.

Erin moved with her mother to Sedona, AZ and jumped into the AA community. She would wake up, go to a meeting, go to work at a health center and then come home and get drunk. This was when she saw that alcohol was turning her into 2 completely separate people.

 

[21:00] Tell me about your pregnancy and the last few years.

 

Erin said she got pregnant in 2016 and was able to stay sober through her pregnancy. She felt the highs and lows of pregnancy very severely and not having alcohol to help her numb was part of that. When her daughter was around 3 or 4 months, she convinced herself again she could moderate. She got pregnant with her son and again stayed sober throughout, but the pattern started again in the 4th trimester. In May 2019, she woke up violently ill and that was it.

 

[27:08] Tell me what you do now when you have one of these tough emotions.

 

Erin said she is getting to know herself again as a highly sensitive person (HSP). She taps into a lot of the digital community and is exploring the psychologic makeup of being an empath. She’s learning to lean in and explore the power of breath.

 

[29:40] Did you go back to AA?

 

Erin said she hasn’t gone back to AA yet (busy raising the future!) but has found there are so many options out there for her online.

 

[32:02] How has the response been from people?

 

Erin said overall the response has been supportive. Those closest to her knew she had a problem. Her husband has also stopped drinking in support of her.

 

[37:21] Has your creativity started to spark?

 

Erin said absolutely. She’s now made the choice to “join the human race” and to love herself. She makes talking about recovery part of her everyday life and puts herself out there without shame.

 

 

[40:28] Rapid Fire Round 

 

  1. If you could talk to younger Erin what would you say?

 

You’re enough and take care of yourself.

 

  1. What is a lightbulb moment you’ve had on this journey?

 

I’m ok in this moment and there is a purpose for why I am here.

 

  1. What’s your favorite ice cream flavor?

 

Chocolate ice cream

 

  1. What are some of your favorite resources in recovery?

 

Podcasts, yoga and meditation, the miracle morning idea and enjoying not being hung over. Getting outside with her kids.

 

  1. What parting piece of guidance can you give listeners who are thinking about ditching the booze?

 

Just do it. Just try it. Give yourself enough time to give it a shot.

 

You may have to say adios to booze... 

 

If you don’t recognize yourself anymore.

 

Odette’s challenge this week:

 

Give yourself a few minutes to look back on your journey. Ask yourself “What was recovery made possible?” Write it down, read it often. You are worthy of everything.

 

National Suicide Prevention Lifeline

Hours: Available 24 hours. Languages: English, Spanish. 

1-800-273-8255

 

Affiliate Link for Endourage:

For 10% off your first CBD order with Endourage visit this link and use the promo code elevator at checkout. 

 

Affiliate Link for Amazon:

Shop via Amazon using this link.

 

Upcoming events, retreats and courses:

  • Recovery Elevator’s first ever REgionals! Join us for our online zoom conference this October 23-24th. This event is FREE for Café RE Members only. Not a member yet?! Sign up here and use the promo code OPPORTUNITY to waive the set-up fee.
  • Ditching the Booze - The What, the Why and the How. The new course will start 11/10/20. It’s FREE for Café RE members. Not a Café Re member? Sign up here and use the code OPPORTUNITY for waive the set-up fee.
  • You can find more information about our events here.  

 

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

 

Resources: 

Connect with Cafe RE - Use the promo code OPPORTUNITY to waive the set-up fee.

Recovery Elevator YouTube - Subscribe here!

Sobriety Tracker iTunes 

Sobriety Tracker Android 

Sober Selfies! - Send your Sober Selfie and your Success Story to  -info@recoveryelevator.com

 

“Recovery Elevator – “This journey isn’t always easy, but it’s worth it and I promise you it’s possible, I’m here for you all – I love you guys”

1