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

Today we have Jenny. She is 38 years old from Hudson, WI and she took her last drink on February 16, 2020.   Sponsors for this episode include: Better Help – 10% off of your first month   Recovery Elevator has a nonprofit called Café RE which is our alcohol-free community. For all of our happenings and what we offer, click on Recovery Elevator Events.   [02:35] Thoughts from Paul:   It doesn’t really matter what word or label we attach to our relationship with alcohol. It doesn’t matter what we call it; we still need to do something about it. Paul says that his own pursuits of solving the “why” behind his drinking and how his addiction took hold has been a revealing journey of self-discovery even he won’t be able to pin down exactly why he crashed and burned so hard.   When we relentlessly scour the past for reasons why we drink, we take our energies away from the only moment where true healing and peace reside, which is this very moment right now.   Addiction does everything it can to pull us from the prese

Today we have Laura. She is 40 years old from Reno, NV and she had her last drink on August 1st, 2017.   Sponsors for this episode include: Better Help – 10% off of your first month   Tomorrow April 1st, registration opens for our annual alcohol-free retreat in Bozeman. From August 6th through 10th, we will be spending lots of time in nature, doing breathwork, a lakeside hangout, laser tag and more.   [02:58] Thoughts from Paul:   On this life journey, what we think is fun or important to us is constantly changing. You have identified that serenity, happiness and peace have become much more important to you than the excitement of drinking. After all, drinking lifts us up for a short while but always lets us down in the end.   Peace is knowing we are living our healthiest life and knowing that whatever happens, we’re going to be just fine because we’re not making life harder than it needs to be by drinking.   We are aiming to place our bodies and minds in a state where they are properly nourished so then we c

Today we have Niko. He is 43 years old from San Juan, Puerto Rico and took his last drink on September 2nd, 2024.   Sponsors for this episode include: Better Help – 10% off of your first month Café RE   Next week registration opens for our flagship retreat in Bozeman which is always a lot of fun. In addition to our lake hangout, breathwork and recovery workshops, we’re also playing laser tag. We also have a few spots left for our alcohol-free trip this October to Peru which includes travel to Cusco, the Sacred Valley and of course, Machu Picchu.   If you have quit drinking and are looking for new alcohol-free friends, Café RE is the social app for sober people. With 24/7 access to a like-minded community committed to living alcohol-free, you’ll never feel alone on this journey.      [03:25] Thoughts from Paul:   Jackass alumni Stevo-O once said he didn’t experience alcoholism until he quit drinking. In 1958 alcoholism was first classified as a disease. How does one experience this disease after they stop dri

Today we have Alyssa. She is 30 years old from Vancouver, WA and took her last drink on September 5th, 2024.   Sponsors for this episode include: Better Help – 10% off of your first month Sober Link –   Next Monday, our five-week course called Ditching the Booze. This is our alcohol-free 101 crash course and is included with Café RE membership. All sessions are live and you’re tuning in with others who are in the same spot as you. The sessions are also recorded in case you can’t attend.   On Tuesday, April 1st, registration opens for our flagship retreat in Bozeman which is always a lot of fun. In addition to our lake hangout, breathwork and recovery workshops, we’re also playing laser tag.   [03:20] Thoughts from Paul:   Today Paul talks about why alcohol can be so hard to quit, why the process of quitting can take years and can contain many stops and starts.   Addiction guru Gabor Mate says, “addictions are always a human response to pain, suffering and trauma”. We are constantly in search of homeostasis.

Today we have Lisa. She is from Brisbane, Australia and took her last drink on February 24th, 2022.   Sponsors for this episode include: Better Help – 10% off of your first month   If you have quit drinking and are looking for new alcohol-free friends, Café RE is the social app for sober people. With 24/7 access to a like-minded community committed to living alcohol-free, you’ll never feel alone on this journey.    [02:35] Thoughts from Paul:   Healing from alcohol addiction is more about restoring the original circuitry we arrived on the planet with, opposed to learning anything new. You already have everything you need to quit drinking. There is nothing wrong with you, we simply need to remove the layers of muck, grime, false stories and incorrect paradigms that we have accumulated over the years of living in a toxic culture.   As you clean up your inner mess, you’re also laying the foundation for others to begin their healing process. When you heal, others around you heal.   [07:27] Paul introduces Lisa:

Today we have Charlie. She is 32 years old from London, UK. She took her last drink on December 28th, 2024.   Sponsors for this episode include: Better Help – 10% off of your first month   In October of this year, we are going to Peru!  There are still spots available for this 11-day 12-night journey throughout Cusco, Machu Picchu and the Sacred Valley. Registration closes June 2nd which is the deadline for Inca trail tickets.   [02:50] Thoughts from Paul:   According to NCS solutions, who poll people about their drinking, the number of people who want to cut back on their drinking increases every year.   In 2025, 36% more people participated in Dry January than in 2024. A good reason why the numbers are increasing is reflected in a poem Paul shares called Memories of Alcohol by an unknown author.   So much of the work we do is reframing how we view alcohol. Subconsciously it is still deeply ingrained in our culture that drinking enhances our lives, but we have all learned that it doesn’t. Once the voice in

Today we have Robbie. He is 43 and lives in Moses Lake, WA. He took his last drink on August 15th, 2024   Sponsors for this episode include: Better Help – 10% off of your first month   3,649 days ago, or 1 day shy of ten years, the first episode of the Recovery Elevator podcast dropped. Paul remembers the date well because for three months after the first episode released, he kept thinking “oh my God, what have I done?”. Burning the ships in podcast format gave Paul a lot of anxiety, but here we are, 523 weeks later and thank you listeners, for keeping the show alive.   30 Best Sobriety Podcasts   [04:13] Thoughts from Paul:   Paul shares the definition and his thoughts around the term gray area drinking. The definition states that it is the space between end-stage drinking and every now and again drinking. Gray area drinking could also be classified as someone who can stop drinking without medical detox or can stop on their own before someone stages an intervention.   Paul believes it’s all gray area drink

Today we have Jeremy. He is 43 years old and lives in Portland, Maine. He took his last drink on January 23rd, 2019.   Sponsors for this episode include: Better Help – 10% off of your first month   Recovery Elevator is going back to Peru in October 2025. On this 10-night, 11-day trip of a lifetime, we will be hiking the Inca Trail and participating in two service projects. Registration has been open for two weeks and we have about five or six spots left.   [01:40] Thoughts from Paul:   About three weeks ago, we had a gentleman named Nate share his story for one of our dry January sessions. He mentioned that just before he quit drinking, his spouse poured out a bottle of Jameson Irish whiskey onto their lawn. The whiskey killed a circular patch of grass, making it an area where conditions were no longer suitable for growth, and Nate eventually had to replace the entire section of grass.   Today's episode is titled "Would a Drink Help?". This phrase is often depicted in movies, TV, and other media after a long

Today we have Dave. He is 69 years old from Beaver Creek, CO. He took his last drink in September 17th, 2024.   Sponsors for this episode include: Better Help – 10% off of your first month Sober Link - receive $50 off of a device   If you have quit drinking and are looking for new alcohol-free friends, Café RE is the social app for sober people. Come join the party!   Tonight begins our first ever AF Songwriting Course starting at 8pm EST. Connect with other sober musicians and improve your own song writing skills.   [02:40] Thoughts from Paul:   Paul shares an article from the San Francisco Chronicle regarding the tanking sales of red wine in San Francisco restaurants. All alcohol sales were down but mocktail sales were up.   Many people share that it’s tough to quit drinking where they live. Paul discovered a statistic from the CDC that says where he lives in Gallatin County, Montana is listed as the drunkest of all 3,244 counties in America.   In the state of Montana, they place a white cross on the r

Today we have Kathy. She is 57 years old from Phoenix, AZ. She took her last drink on October 21st, 2024.   Sponsors for this episode include: Better Help – 10% off of your first month   Registration for one of our best international sober travel itineraries opens today, as we are going back to Peru October 4th – 15th, 2025. We are starting off in Cusco, then head into the sacred valley, and of course we’re doing the Inca Trail to Machu Picchu.   Next Monday our first ever AF Songwriting Course starts at 8pm EST. Connect with other sober musicians and improve your own song writing skills.   [02:43] Thoughts from Paul:   At the end of last week's episode, I discussed how certain chapters in our lives might be closing, particularly those involving drinking and all the associated antics. As Yung Pueblo poetically expressed, endings are a natural part of life. The universe thrives on cycles, where every beginning anticipates an eventual end. Embrace this closure, grieve it, if necessary, write a farewell letter

Today we have Nick. He is 41 and lives in Richfield, MN. He took his last drink on November 8th, 2023.   In one week, registration for one of our best international sober travel itineraries opens, as we are going back to Peru October 4th – 15th, 2025. We are starting off in Cusco, then head into the sacred valley, and of course we’re doing the Inca Trail to Machu Picchu.   Next Monday our first ever AF Songwriting Course starts at 8pm EST. Connect with other sober musicians and improve your own song writing skills.   Sponsors for this episode include:   Better Help – 10% off of your first month   [03:19] Thoughts from Paul:   Imagine if aliens were cruising the universe and made a stop on planet Earth and they saw human beings drinking a substance that appeared to be damaging their lives.   But first, this is revealing of the power of the unconscious mind, or the paradigms in our society. If you take crack, cocaine, heroin and meth and right off the bat it’s like, yeah, that will fuck your life up. But with

Episode 518 – Your Idea of Good Evolves   Today we have Ashley. She’s 25 years old from Spokane, WA and took her last drink on September 22nd, 2024.   Sponsor for this episode:   Better Help – 10% off your first month   This February, we are doing our first ever alcohol-free singer-songwriter course. In this six-week course you’re going to connect with other sober musicians. You’re going to improve your songwriting skills and hear from professional musicians. We will all write our own songs which we will share in the last week.   Registration is open for Recovery Elevator’s first ever Men’s Retreat will be April 5th through the 12th in Costa Rica.   [03:17] Thoughts from Paul:   Quoting Yung Pueblo, “Maturity is knowing that endings are a part of life. Jobs change, who you hang out with changes. Your idea of what is ‘good’ evolves. An ending is a sign that you’re opening a new chapter.”   There’s a saying in this space that we stop maturing when our drinking becomes problematic. When alcohol begins to take

Episode 517 – Protect Your Sobriety Like it’s Your Kid   Today we have Cindy. She is 36 years old, lives in Los Angeles, CA and took her last drink on December 31st, 2023.   Sponsor for this episode:   Better Help – 10% off your first month   Café RE is THE social app for sober people. If you are struggling to meet people who no longer drink alcohol, then this community app is for you. Yes, it is mostly online, but we’ve got a bunch of in-person meetups on the calendar.   This February, we are doing our first ever alcohol-free singer-songwriter course. In this six-week course you’re going to connect with other sober musicians. You’re going to improve your songwriting skills and hear from professional musicians. We will all write our own songs which we will share in the last week.   [03:11 Thoughts from Paul:   A member of Café RE shared that their therapist told them to protect their own sobriety like it was one of their own children, especially in the delicate stages at the beginning. Everything good that c

Episode 516 – The Source of Pain   Today we have Hattie. She is 34 years old from South London, UK, and she took her last drink on April 25th, 2021.   Sponsors for this episode include:   Better Help – 10% off your first month   Sober Link - get a promo code for $50 off of the device.   Registration is open for Recovery Elevator’s first ever Men’s Retreat will be April 5th through the 12th in Costa Rica. We’ve got space for 12 guys.   Café RE is THE social app for sober people. If you are struggling to meet people who no longer drink alcohol, then this community app is for you. Yes, it is mostly online, but we’ve got a bunch of in-person meetups on the calendar.   [03:57] Thoughts from Paul:   Ask the Magic 8 Ball “is alcohol the primary source of my pain?” and the responses will be “it is certain” “it is decidedly so” “without a doubt” and “yes, definitely”.   Of course, alcohol is causing the pain. It’s the most destructive and addictive substance on the planet and for some strange reason it’s still in ou

Episode 515 – The Joys of Detox   Today we have Patrick. He’s 43 years old from Montreal, Quebec and took his last drink on November 11th, 2024.   Join Recovery Elevator for our Restore Dry January course. This is our most intensive course, and it’s all about accountability. This is the best setup we’ve had yet for this course as participants get access to all of Café RE, including the chats and the community when they sign up for the course.   Recovery Elevator’s first ever Men’s Retreat will be April 5th through the 12th in Costa Rica. We’ve got space for 12 guys. Registration for this event opens December 30th at 8AM EST.   AG1 – offering new subscribers a free $76 gift when you sign up   [3:58] Thoughts from Paul:   **DISCLAIMER** alcohol is the most dangerous substance to detox rom. Listen to your body and seek medical attention if you think you need to.   It doesn’t matter what you’re eliminating from your diet, the body does not like change. Studies have shown that when we take that first step forwar

Episode 514 – A Drinking Problem is Totally Normal   Today we have Erin. She is 50 years old from Denver, CO and took her last drink on August 21st, 2023.   Registration for Dry January is now open. This is our most intensive course, and it’s all about accountability. If you’ve been trying to quit drinking and haven’t found success, it’s most likely you’re not surrounded by the right people or don’t have community. Over 70% of our Restore Dry January participants report making it through January without taking a drink.   Café RE is the social app for sober people. We meet over 30 times a month online with our daily chats covering all different topics or specialty chats. If you’re looking for accountability with others who are ditching the booze or have already done so, we’d love to have you.   [02:48] Thoughts from Paul:   Paul’s opinion is that a drinking problem is a normal response to living in a culture that has completely lost its marbles. Most anthropologists believe that addiction is a modern phenomen

Episode 513 - 10 Things to do Daily   Today we have Forrest. He is 31 years old from Atlanta, GA and took his last drink on March 14th, 2022.   Sponsors for this episode:   Visit Sober Link to learn more and to get a promo code for $50 off of the device.   Registration for Dry January is now open. This course is all about accountability, connection, and having fun. We come together 14 times in the month of January via Zoom, and you’ll also find yourself in smaller breakout rooms where you can connect with others who are ditching the booze.   If you enjoy the Recovery Elevator podcast, please help spread the word by leaving a review wherever you listen from.   [03:38] Thoughts from Paul:   Paul shares a list of recommendations of little things to dry and do daily. The best way to make change in your life is with small, intentional steps towards your goal.   1)    Water – at least once per day, drink as much water as you can. Dehydration causes a lot of our fatigue later in the day.   2)    Meditation – for

Episode 512 – Side Effects of Sobriety   Today we have Tammy. She is 61 years old from San Diego, CA. She took her last drink on September 6th, 2021.   Sponsors for this episode:   Better Help  - code ELEVATOR for 10% off of your first month   Registration for Dry January is now open. When you sign up for Restore, you not only get access to the course, but you also get access to the whole Café RE community. If you sign up in December, you get access to the community for the rest of December and all of January. This is Recovery Elevator most intensive alcohol-free course. We will meet 14 times in January and it’s all about accountability.   Free Relapse Prevention Plan   [04:26] Thoughts from Paul:   Paul recently came across a post from someone who recently quit drinking, and they included a list of things they no longer suffer from. Or this could be said that these are the possible side effects of sobriety.   Paul shares the extensive list ranging from the loss of anxiety and depression to improvements to

Episode 511 - How to Market Alcohol   Today we have Arlina. She is 55 years old from Boise, ID and took her last drink 30 years ago.   Restore – registration opens Monday December 2nd. This is Recovery Elevator’s most intensive AF course for someone looking for extra accountability for Dry January.   Recovery Elevator’s first ever AF Songwriting course will be in February 2025. During the six-week course, participants will write, edit and perfect a song that you’ll perform for the cohort in week six.   Sponsors for this episode:   Better Help  - code ELEVATOR for 10% off of your first month     [03:09] Thoughts from Paul:   When Dr. David Nut, a British researcher was tasked by the government to put a harm score on 20 of the world’s drugs, it wasn’t crack, heroin, meth or cocaine in the number one spot. It was alcohol. Especially when looking at the economic impact.   Paul says that when he becomes president, he would not attempt prohibition, which was an epic fail in the early 20th century. But he would pr

Episode 510 – Alcohol Policy   Today we have Kevin. He is 42 years old, from Fresno, CA and is celebrating 500 days at the time of this recording.   Sponsors for this episode:   Better Help  - code ELEVATOR for 10% off of your first month   AG1 – free gift with your first subscriptions, in addition to their Welcome Kit.   Restore – registration opens Monday December 2nd. This is Recovery Elevator’s most intensive AF course for someone looking for extra accountability for Dry January.   [03:34] Thoughts from Paul:   Happy Thanksgiving Week!  Life is not perfect but there is so much to be thankful about. Paul shares that when a sponsor first challenged him to write down five things he was grateful for each day, he could not do it. Nowadays he recognizes so much to be thankful for.   This entire week is all about gratitude and giving thanks. This is a tradition in our modern culture that tells us to come together as a family and give thanks. Plus, there’s pumpkin pie.     A tip to help you stay sober this Thur