Recovery Elevator | Stop Drinking, Start Recovering. | Alcohol, Addiction & Life In Sobriety

Episode 330– You change and grow and evolve and that’s a good thing.  You get better, wiser, stronger and make better decisions.  You can’t be afraid of that.   Tricia took her last drink on November 14, 2016.  She is from Dallas and is 40 years old.  This is her journey of living alcohol free (AF).   Today’s episode will be a bit different.  Tricia chatted with Paul previously on episodes 100 and 212.  We will focus on life beyond the bottle and what happens after you have some sober time under your belt.   https://www.recoveryelevator.com/re-100-binge-drinking-problem-2/ https://www.recoveryelevator.com/re-212-the-body-tells-us-where-to-go-next/   Today is the final episode of Season 2.  Season 3 of the Recovery Elevator podcast begins June 21st.  We are focused on having fun, staying authentic, spicy chili mango, ice cream and helping others along the way.    Finding Your Better You – Odette’s weekly message.   Odette has encountered many people who feel stuck.  They are struggling with letting go of boo

Episode 329 – I started to notice the expectations putting an expectation on things or a timeline or predict  reactions.  I try to do what I can every day and try not to put expectations on things anymore.    Dane took his last drink on October 11, 2020.  He is from Washington State, and he is 32 years old.  This is his journey of living alcohol free (AF).   Season 3 of the Recovery Elevator podcast begins June 21st.  We are focused on having fun, staying authentic and helping others along the way.    Finding Your Better You – Odette’s weekly message.   Odette spoke about her beloved Peleton and the arsenal of “why’s”. and thought shifts.  The instructor encouraged Odette to dig into her arsenal of why’s and keep going.    Odette reflected on Simon Sinek’s book,  Start with Why.   Odette reflected on her time in rehab.   She focused on why she was recovering from food addiction.  She knew having a family was her why and   Actions can be driven by fear or manipulation or love and inspiration.  Simon says few p

Episode 328 – the quality of my relationships with other people in the world is limited by the quality of my relationship with myself.   Adam took his last drink on December 13, 2019.  He is from Massachusetts, and he is 37 years old.  This is his journey of living alcohol free (AF).   Season 3 of the Recovery Elevator podcast begins June 21st.  We are focused on having fun, staying authentic and helping others along the way.    Finding Your Better You – Odette’s weekly message.   Odette spoke about early sobriety and thought shifts.  Early sobriety can be exhausting because your body is resetting, and your thoughts are playing tug-o-war.  You have permission to be tired in early recovery.  The mental work is exhausting.  Odette referenced Melody Beattie and the Language of Letting Go.  Letting go of fear is at the core of codependency.  Fear can help you protect yourself.  In recovery, waving goodbye to fear allows you to embrace safety, trust, peace, and acceptance.  Pay attention to healthy fears and let g

Episode 327 – trying to stop and think about, is alcohol serving me?  I don’t have to decide right now, I need to get back to basics.   Chloe took her last drink on June 7, 2020.  She is from the UK and is 32 years old.  This is her journey of living alcohol free (AF).   Odette gave a shout out to Brainwashed Coffee that is one of the sponsors of the Bozeman retreat.  They also donate 50% of their proceeds to those in addiction recovery.  https://www.brainwashedcoffeeco.com/  Promo Code:  elevator for a 20% discount.   Finding Your Better You – Odette’s weekly message.   Odette spoke about growing up with her brother, Charlie and playing lots of video games.  Odette talked about trust and video games.  Trust is earned.  The more you do the next right thing and protect your sobriety, you get to the next level, just the way you level up when playing video games.  Facing recovery with fun instead of fear helps you recognize your increasing skills that come with practice.    [6:09]  Odette introduces Chloe   Chlo

Episode 326 – playing forward and playing it present -- if I drink again,  why would I want to go down that path?   Erik took his last drink on March 9, 2019.  He is from upstate New York.   This is his journey of living alcohol free (AF).   This quarter’s Recovery Elevator donation went to “The Phoenix.”  thephoenix.org   Finding Your Better You – Odette’s weekly message.   Odette is training for a marathon.  She reached out to her fitness coach Paul from RecoveryFit1 to get some guidance on training, cross-training, etc.  She has noticed the training for the race is re-training her brain, rewriting her story and building her confidence.  Crossing the finish line of a marathon is scary for Odette.  During her childhood, she participated in the rally portion of the mini-Olympics.  She fell and as a result her team was in last place.  From then on, she told herself she was not a runner.    Odette recognizes we often get stuck in our stories because those stories are all we know.  We need to believe we can do t

Episode 325 – I used to drink at people when I was upset and those were bad nights.  I believed alcohol calmed me down and got me out of the anger.    Gillian took her last drink on November 9, 2019.  She is from Boston and loves playing video games.   This is her journey of living alcohol free (AF).   https://www.getgruvi.com/  discount code:  recoveryelevator   Finding Your Better You – Odette’s weekly message.   Odette has been thinking about death.  She has anxiety about dying.  She read a chapter in the Untethered Soul.  The author, Michael A. Singer said having an active relationship with death is healthy.   “It is truly a great cosmic paradox that one of the best teachers in all of life turns out to be death.  No  person or situation could teach as much as death has to teach you.  While someone could tell you, you are not your body, death shows you.  While someone could remind you of the insignificance of the things that you cling to, death takes them away in a second. Death makes us all the same.”  Ke

Episode 324 – I guess it’s my pride.  It’s ego which is not a good thing.  It’s almost a year and I realized, OMG, it’s the best year of my life.   Bobbie took her last drink on December 16, 2019.  She is from upstate New York.    This is her journey of living alcohol free (AF).   Finding Your Better You – Odette’s weekly message.   Odette was inspired by Brian who hosted one of the Café RE chats.  Evolution of sobriety isn’t always linear or a straight shot.  We assume it will be an upgrade.  However, sobriety can be messy.  You can feel stuck and get into victim mentality.    Odette compared sobriety to a puzzle.  Sometimes it can feel like we are going backwards.  When looking at the puzzle, we grab different pieces.  Sometimes the piece doesn’t fit, but we make a mental note and later in the journey, the puzzle piece fits.  Traveling backwards is common because the tool or lesson may have not made sense at the time, but it does later in the journey.    Everything has a purpose and it’s there for a reason.

Episode 323 – I have to say I feel less isolated in a pandemic than I ever did drinking.  It has been so good to go through a pandemic sober.   Lauren took her last drink on December 19, 2018.  She lives in Canada and is 37 years old.    This is her journey of living alcohol free (AF).   Shout out to Jeni’s ice cream who is one of the sponsors of our Bozeman retreat.   https://jenis.com/   Finding Your Better You – Odette’s weekly message.   Odette reflected on a March NPR article titled, “A sharp, off the charts’ rise in alcoholic liver disease among young women.   https://www.npr.org/sections/health-shots/2021/03/16/973684753/sharp-off-the-charts-rise-in-alcoholic-liver-disease-among-young-women   It’s important this article is placed in a bucked about the global crisis, the COVID-19 pandemic.   The article referenced a 30-year-old woman who was diagnosed with alcoholic hepatitis.  She drank nearly a liter of liquor every evening.  Doctors are seeing patients whose drinking has edged up in the last year. 

Episode 322 – the hardest part is relaxing into this idea that you can have the most incredibly beautiful moment followed by an incredibly dark moment and that’s just the path of life.   Marcella took her last drink on September 6, 2018.  She lives in San Diego.  Marcella lives in the arena and she shares her journey with the world on sobriety, parenting, and authentic Mexican food.  She leads from the front in a transparent way that is very inspiring.  This is her journey of living alcohol free (AF).   Finding Your Better You – Odette’s weekly message.   Odette reflected on her recent comments about judgement.  When we feel judgement creeping up, we need to remind ourselves that person we are judging is a flawed human trying their best … just like me.  When we bring judgment into recovery space because someone is doing it differently than we are we invite shame. If we want to help others recover, we need to detach from our shame.  We need to manage our own path.  Odette referenced an Instagram post from Lara

Episode 321 – Be kind to yourself. It’s ok to give yourself as much love as you are giving to someone in active addiction.  Give yourself love and grace. It’s ok not to be ok. It’s ok not to have all the answers.   Today’s podcast will be a slight departure from our traditional format.  Today we will hear from Aimee, who is the wife of one of our members.  Aimee will share from the perspective of what it’s like to live with someone struggling with alcohol addiction.   Aimee is the wife of Kris, one of the members of Café RE.   Kris shared his message on episodes 175 and 278.   He also does a lot of work for Café RE. Take a listen.  Kris stands out by helping others and being of service.    https://www.recoveryelevator.com/re-175-anxiety-and-alcohol/ https://www.recoveryelevator.com/re-278-day-one-emotions/   Registration for the Bozeman retreat is open for Café RE members today and will be available for non-members tomorrow.  For details, go to: www.recoveryelevator.com/bozeman .   Odette’s Weekly Message – F

Episode 320 -  Keep an open mind and see what happens. Reach out to people, make sober friends, and you are going to find your way.  Just let go.   Cassie took her last drink on August 29, 2019. She is from Colorado and is 30 years old.  This is her story of being Alcohol-Free (AF).   Café RE Merch https://www.recoveryelevator.com/merch/ Discount code:  PANDA   Finding Your Better You – Odette's weekly message   Odette has been speaking with many people who got sober and stayed sober during the pandemic.  She is amazed and impressed with these folks making major life choices to ditch the booze during a global crisis.   Odette wants to remind you …. you can do hard things.   As Covid begins to recede, Odette can't help but wonder what post-Covid sobriety will look like?  As we return to normal or the new normal, how do we prepare for what's next?  Odette likened this to her rehab experience and working with her rehab team to develop a treatment plan when she left rehab.  Many people fear leaving rehab because

Episode 319 - When I was stressed out at work or stressed by a social situation, alcohol would fix it temporarily, until it didn’t.  Now I’m accepting moods, feelings and phases come and go and it’s all okay.   Korie took her last drink on March 21, 2019. She is from Texas and is 32 years old.  This is her story of living alcohol-free (AF).   A request from Recover Elevator   We have a request; we would like to hear more from you!  Please consider making a one-minute video sharing your, “you might need to ditch the booze if… story”.  Hold your camera sideways, make it less than a minute and send it to: [email protected].  Make it authentic to yourself and your journey.  We will post your video on Instagram.  If you share your Instagram handle, we will post that as well. We look forward to seeing more of you on our page.  Instagram:  @recovery elevator.   Finding Your Better You – Odette’s weekly message   Rediscovering your life beyond recovery.  You are all unique.  We are more than a drinking proble

Episode 318 - No matter what comes your way, you are exactly where you are supposed to be.  So, live with it, don’t try to change it and do the next right thing.   Tony took his last drink on October 24, 2020.  He is a 42-year-old Canadian.  This is his story of living alcohol-free (AF)   Finding Your Better You – Odette’s weekly message   Recently Odette has been asking listeners, what is a perk of getting sober? The answers have included, no hangovers, improved sleep, wallet and overall health.   Odette also asked listeners about the ripple effect, the not so obvious outcomes of living AF.  The responses included:   Ability to manage my finances Ability to help others who are struggling Stronger and more meaningful relationships I am present and more productive participant of my life I understand and feel gratitude I am more aligned with the person I work so hard to be I am a better employee Building confidence Better hand-eye coordination Path of emotional discovery Running and being active Understanding

Episode 317  - Lean into the support from people who want to help you.  Dig into yourself.  There is an endless well of spirit, heart, and capacity that we all have. We just need to tap into it—everything you need you have.   Lunita took her last drink on October 10, 2020. She is from San Diego.  This is her story of living alcohol-free (AF)   BetterHelp  Visit betterhelp.com/ELEVATOR and join the over 500,000 people talking charge of their mental health with the help of an experienced professional. Recovery Elevator listeners get 10% off your first month at betterhelp.com/ELEVATOR.    Finding Your Better You – Odette’s weekly message   There is a myth of sobriety, that sobriety is not fun.  Odette finds joy when people debunk this myth.  Some of her favorite badass sober stories include:   Bradley Cooper – sober at 29 years old.   He attributes his career success to his sobriety. Brad Pitt – credits his sobriety to Bradley Cooper.   Florence Welsh – sobriety does not doom you to boredom.  David Lloyd George,

Episode 316 – When I get an urge or a craving, I'll be better next time this creeps up.   Paul took his last drink on February 29, 2020.  He is from Long Island and is 30 years old.  This is his story of living alcohol-free (AF).   Today's sponsor is Firebrew.  They are also sponsoring our Bozeman retreat.    https://www.mindyourmanna.co/  Discount Code:  RE10off   Finding Your Better You – Odette's weekly message   What is the difference between being sober and being in recovery?  The definition of sobriety is the condition of not having any measurable levels or effects from alcohol or other drugs.  Sobriety is also considered to be the natural state of a human being at birth.    Recovery signifies you know you have a problem and are trying to fix it.  It doesn't mean you resolve your issues right away.  You recognize something is wrong, which is a critical part of getting help.    https://7summitpathways.com/blog/what-does-it-mean-in-recovery/#:~:text=What%20Being%20in%20Recovery%20Means,synonymous%20with%

– I can’t even imagine picking up a drink to solve something anymore.  It doesn’t even cross my mind.   Kate took her last drink on August 11, 2018.   She is 42 and lives in New Jersey.  This is her story of living alcohol-free (AF).   Today’s sponsor is Better Help. Visit betterhelp.com/ELEVATOR and join the over 500,000 people talking charge of their mental health with the help of an experienced professional. Recovery Elevator listeners get 10% off your first month at betterhelp.com/ELEVATOR.    Finding Your Better You – Odette’s weekly message   Odette has been thinking about the process of change.  When she is having a down day, she wonders, am I doing recovery right?  Am I making progress?  Is the work worth it?  It’s muddy and contradictory, particularly with our labeling minds.     We think bad days mean we are doing something wrong, and negative emotions are guides in the wrong direction.   On hard days, Odette uses more tools, which probably means she is making more progress.   Holly Whittaker posted

Gregg took his last drink 26 years ago (November 6th, 1994). This is his story of living alcohol free (AF).   Bozeman registration opens March 1st to Café RE members. On March 6th registration opens to all. You can find more details about the event here. Trust us… you don’t want to miss this!   Odette’s weekly installment of: Finding Your Better You   It’s been a little bit of time since the 1st of the year. Those resolutions we all made might now be changing from determination and drive and into a place of the unknown. If you’ve stuck with your resolution, you are far enough in that you can’t see where you started but the end isn’t in focus yet. Not knowing how the outcome will play out can be scary. When we ask “what is going to happen?” it blocks our ability to function today and in the now. Things will work out, if we let them.     [7:52] Odette introduces Gregg.   Gregg lives in Los Angeles. He is married and has two amazing daughters. For a living he is a recovery coach and also owns a few sober living

  Bonus Episode – Odette and Paul answer listeners questions   I still find it difficult that my husband drinks every day. I don't know why it makes me feel angry inside, but I do all the time when he drinks. How can I approach this?   Odette said, stay on your lane. The more you focus on him, the less you will focus on your healing and your journey. In learning about yourself and healing yourself, you can start to implement boundaries and assert your needs vs. obsess over how much he is drinking. Therapy helps. Pull your energies back to yourself.   What do you suggest I do when friends and family seem uncomfortable around me when I say I don't drink? Paul said you can get started on 2.0 version of your life.  So much more is packed into this than just quitting drinking. You are stepping out of the norm, roles, identities, and labels in your family.  Learn to set boundaries, overcome the need to please.  Give it time, and they're watching. This doesn't mean they aren't supportive. They are on their own j

Carolyn took her last drink on February 22, 2019.  This is her story of living alcohol-free (AF).     Finding Your Better You – Odette’s weekly message.   Dehumanizing Others.    After listening to Brene Brown, Odette loved Brene’s challenge of not engaging in dehumanizing others.  We can’t change the world if we continue dehumanizing others.  Odette was also reading Pema Chodron’s new book and concluded that polarization is most problematic when we dehumanize people.  Habitually dehumanizing others about politics or behavior or clothing isn’t good.  Minor differences in habits and preferences keep us fundamentally separate from others.       The division exists everywhere, even in recovery.  Odette has observed others judging other’s approaches to recovery.  We judge people for NA beer or not drinking NA beer,  AA or no AA.  We continue to create division instead of closing the gaps.    Pema Chodron has a practice called “just like me.” Just like me, this person doesn’t want to be uncomfortable.  Just like m

Holly took her last drink on January 4, 2007.  This is her story of living alcohol-free (AF).     Finding Your Better You – Odette’s weekly message.   Odette and Holly met in treatment.  In 2013, they went to Montecatini together to work on their eating disorders.  Odette believed that if she could stop her obsession with food and reach a healthy weight, she would be normal.  However, she didn’t address the emotional reasons behind her eating disorder.  A few years later, she found herself using alcohol as her new coping mechanism.  The behaviors that led to her unhealthy relationship with food mirrored the behaviors of her relationship with alcohol.    Up to 35% of people who abused alcohol also have an eating disorder. This rate is 11 times greater than the general population.    For more information on these statistics, see:  https://www.nationaleatingdisorders.org/     The stigma for eating disorders is greater than the stigma for alcohol use disorder, so many people struggle in silence.    Odette believe