RE 146: We Came to Believe
Recovery Elevator
Paul
4.7 • 1.8K Ratings
🗓️ 4 December 2017
⏱️ 43 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
Paul discusses Step 2 from the Big Book of Alcoholics Anonymous: We came to believe that a power greater than ourselves could restore us to sanity.
Mike, with 86 days his last drink, shares his story
SHOW NOTES
[11:31] Paul Introduces Mike. I live in Vermont; I'm 33 years old. I work as a social worker; I hang out with my wife, my 12-year-old son, and play video games.
[16:50] Paul- Describe the progression, coupled with Father time, hangovers are getting worse and worse, talk about that progression.
Mike- Yeah, I would buy those little boxes of wine, then I would just buy the bottle, and the bottle would be gone. It felt like I was in quicksand, when you are running in sand and can't get any traction.
[20:21] Paul- It's tough to get 86 days of sobriety, how did you do it?
Mike- Listening to the Recover Elevator was huge. I felt like I was in the contemplation stage. I've been thinking about quitting for years. Listening to Recovery Elevator is what really helped motivate me jump right in. I listen to "This Naked Mind" on audio book and really tried to "brainwash" myself, and felt like it worked.
[28:12] Paul- What advice would you give to your younger self? If you could go back to your 16-year-old self, what would you say?
Mike- I would like to go to my 15-year-old self and smack the beer out of my hand. I disagree with the stance that some people can drink normally. Don't be ashamed that it's hard.
[35:29] Rapid Fire Round
- What was your worst memory from drinking? The day after St. Patrick's Day party trying to piece together what happened.
- Did you ever have an "oh-shit" moment? I had a lot of times, the most recent time I drank, I had the house to myself and just laying there by myself.
- What's your favorite resource in recovery? "This Naked Mind" by Annie Grace
- What's the best advice you've ever received (on sobriety)? Alcohol is shit. It resonated with my bodies' reaction to alcohol.
- What parting piece of guidance can you give listeners who are in recovery or thinking about quitting drinking? When we are in the contemplation stage of am I an alcoholic or not. The real problem is alcohol is an addictive poison, and anyone can become addicted to alcohol.
- You might be an alcoholic if... you go to St. Patrick's day party, spill red wine on the rug, you put your arm around another woman, and rub her back while standing with your wife, and you black, the last thing you remember is raising both fists to the sky and yelling "I'm the king of the world"
Resources mentioned in this episode:
RX Bar - Visit www.rxbar.com/elevator for 25% off your first order.
Alcoholics Anonymous "Big Book"
"This Naked Mind" by Annie Grace
Connect with Cafe RE- Use the promo code opportunity to waive the set up fee.
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!"
Transcript
Click on a timestamp to play from that location
| 0:00.0 | This podcast episode is brought to you by Rxbar. |
| 0:02.8 | Visit Rxbar.com forward slash elevator for 25% off your first order. |
| 0:08.0 | Recovery Elevator episode 146. |
| 0:11.0 | Well, you know, I would try to limit myself to three drinks a day, and I wouldn't drink every day, but it was getting harder and harder to stick to that three drink limit. |
| 0:21.0 | If that got older, I guess, I just, |
| 0:24.0 | the hangovers kept getting worse. Welcome to the Recovery Elevator Podcast. My name is Paul Churchill. Thank you so much for joining us. |
| 0:36.0 | According to the Recovery Elevator, a variety tracker on my phone, I've been sober for 1,175 days. |
| 0:42.0 | On today's podcast, we've got Mike. 1,175 days. |
| 0:43.0 | On today's podcast we've got Mike. |
| 0:44.8 | He's 33 years old. |
| 0:45.9 | He's from Vermont, and he's been sober for 86 days. |
| 0:49.3 | And before we get any further, let's hear from my favorite resource in recovery, |
| 0:52.8 | Cafe Ari. The most important thing I've learned while doing the |
| 0:56.1 | Recovery Elevator podcast is we can't do this alone. Believe me, I tried for |
| 1:00.6 | over two years and it was painful. |
| 1:02.8 | So here's the good news. |
| 1:04.0 | With Gaffeyare you get access to a confidential and unsearchable Facebook group 24 hours a day. |
| 1:09.8 | There you can get instant accountability and genuine connection with others who also wish to lead a life without alcohol. |
| 1:15.6 | In Cathayari, you'll find that being sober is a tremendous opportunity and not a sacrifice. |
| 1:21.3 | For $14 a month, you can join the conversation. |
| 1:24.8 | Be paired with an accountability partner. |
| 1:26.9 | Attend educational online webinars. |
... |
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