RE 428: Do I have a Drinking Problem?
Recovery Elevator
Paul
4.7 • 1.8K Ratings
🗓️ 1 May 2023
⏱️ 60 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
Today we have Lauren, she is 54 from Rochester NY, and took her last drink on November 19, 2022.
Shout out to Ty with 15 YEARS alcohol free! Thank you for all you do for RE!
Shout out to Bradley from south Denver with 3 days alcohol free! Great job!
Today's Sponsor: Café RE
Use the promo code CONNECT for one free month in the alcohol-free community Café RE.
[03:23] Intro summary:
In the past Paul has talked about the worst place a person can be with a drinking problem is in limbo (episode 417). But how do we find out if we actually have a problem so we can get out of that space?
There is a test listed in the DSM-5 to determine if we have a drinking problem or not. There are 11 questions, and you must meet two of them within the past 12 months to have what is called Alcohol Use Disorder. It's not hard to determine if you have a drinking problem based on that test.
But at the end of the day, it can be as simple as if you question if you have a drinking problem, you just answered your own question.
[12:36] Kris introduces Lauren:
Lauren has been sober almost 4 months at the time of recording. She lives in Rochester New York, she is married, has two adult children, one granddaughter, has pets and owns her own business helping the elderly. She enjoys time outside, crafting (currently diamond painting), reading and learning new things.
Lauren was always fascinated with alcohol, but it wasn't prevalent in her immediate family. When she was 16, she was able to purchase alcohol for her and her friends. She had a lot of fun and thought it was cool. She chose the college based on their drinking culture; she drank heavily but still did well in school. After college she got married, had two kids and a successful job. She drank the same as other parents around her, so she felt that was normal. She was able to abstain when she had her children and feels her drinking was more or less recreational for a long time.
Over the years Lauren hadn't really tried to quit drinking. She would make a halfhearted attempt at Dry January, but it didn't last. She didn't think it had anything to do with being addicted. She feels that everyone else saw signs that her drinking was a problem, but she wasn't aware of it.
After going on a very long-awaited vacation in 2022, Lauren says she had a hard time coming back to regular life and the stressors were magnified. Soon after, she drunkenly alienated a friend on Facebook, and it really impacted her when the friendship ended. She started drinking to escape everything that was bothering her. Lauren had a scare during her third blackout in eight days and decided to go to the doctor where she told them everything. She was sent to an outpatient program to start the next day.
She has found a lot of tools and inspiration through the outpatient program. Lauren says AA didn't resonate with her, but she does do SMART recovery online which she enjoys. Connecting with others has been a great resource for Lauren as well. She views her drinking and recovery as just part of her, she doesn't feel it defines her. Lauren recognizes that she is happier and communicate better with her husband. Her family is relieved and proud of her for going into recovery.
[57:20] Outro:
Spring is here! And with seasonal changes come new challenges. Kris feels that it is a chance for him to make sure he has his accountability in place and has a plan when it comes to spring and more outdoor events. Don't stress about upcoming events, simply be aware of what is out there. Set yourself up to enjoy the weather and reach your alcohol-free goals.
Recovery Elevator
We're the only ones that can do this, but we don't have to do it alone.
I love you guys.
Transcript
Click on a timestamp to play from that location
| 0:00.0 | Recover y'all later episode four hundred and twenty eight. Well, you know, those like those little married around a kid to have a playground where you spend and spend and spend and you try and throw your friends off. That's what I felt like I was on. I felt like and it was going faster and faster and I couldn't hold on. Like I just felt like I was going to just be thrown into the universe like this. Yeah, that should work. |
| 0:28.0 | Hey, yeah, keep going. Yo, yo, mix down. Three, four, yo, yo, wiki, wiki, mix down. There we go. Seven eight, wiki, wiki, mix down. |
| 0:41.0 | Nice in the house. I love it. Wiki, wiki, mix down. There we go. Three, four, wiki, wiki. |
| 0:48.0 | Welcome to the Recover y'all later podcast. My name is Paul Churchill and I'm so pumped to be here with you today. Listeners on today's episode. We have Lauren. She's 54 years old from Rochester, New York and took her last drink on November 19th, 2000 and 22. |
| 1:04.0 | I want to give a huge shout out to tie who edits this podcast. She recently hit 15 years alcohol free. 15 years away from a drink. My goodness, tie. You're my hero. You're a legend. |
| 1:20.0 | And thank you so much for everything you've done for this movement for my own sobriety and I can't wait to see what the future brings. |
| 1:29.0 | I want to give a shout out to Bradley in South Denver for three days alcohol free. That's what's up, my man. Great job. I want to say thank you to all of our Cafe Ari chat hosts. Y'all do an incredible job. And speaking of Cafe Ari, let's hear from my favorite resource on this journey. |
| 1:47.0 | When I decided I wanted to pursue an alcohol free life, I knew I didn't want to do it alone. I joined Cafe Ari almost immediately after I found it and I was so surprised at the amount of grace, support and love that was offered to me right away. |
| 2:02.0 | One of the things I quickly realized was that I had a lot in common with the people in this community. People all over the world with similar feelings and struggles that understood me. |
| 2:13.0 | Community matters in lining up with people that have the same goal in mind really helped me stay the course on my journey, especially when I came across bumps on the road. |
| 2:23.0 | When joining Cafe Ari, you get 24 seven access to a group full of others whose priority it is to live an alcohol free life. |
| 2:31.0 | These groups are kept at under 400 members to ensure quality connection. |
| 2:36.0 | In Cafe Ari, you'll find that quitting drinking can be fun. For $24 a month, you get access to the community, you get paired with an accountability partner if you request to be matched, you can attend educational online webinars, attend in-person meetups, participate in book club, movie club and more. |
| 2:55.0 | You'll also get discounts to retreats and sober travel trips. 10% of monthly fees goes towards our service project where we work with a nonprofit helping those who have been affected by addiction. |
| 3:05.0 | Go to recoveryelevator.com and use a promo code opportunity to wave the set up fee. Again, use a promo code opportunity to wave the set up fee. I can't wait to meet you there. |
| 3:17.0 | Listeners, today is going to be a good day. Today has already been a good day. Okay, let's get started. |
| 3:27.0 | Today is the episode. We're going to find out if you have a drinking problem or not. Chris, get me a drum roll. Are you ready? |
| 3:37.0 | Now, I know my tone doesn't quite match up with the severity of the question posed and I'll explain why. It almost sounds like I'm raffling off a ski trip to Asman, Colorado for two. |
| 3:48.0 | Alright, so when it finally sunk or landed with me that I have a drinking problem, a good one at that, two things happened. At first I was like, oh fuck! |
| 4:00.0 | Then immediately after, as this truth spread into my body, to my bones, to my conscious, to my unconscious, to the heart, to the soul, to the liver, something neat happened. |
| 4:10.0 | And I'm talking like a couple seconds later. An incredible amount of energy was instantly liberated for two reasons. |
| 4:17.0 | Number one, the stigma or label of an alcoholic didn't change who I was. I was still alive. I was still Paul. |
... |
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