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

Episode 459 – Let’s Smile     Today we have Spencer. He’s 44 years old from Minneapolis, MN and took his last drink on September 23rd, 2023.   Registration for RESTORE is no open!  If you want to take a break for a month, or say adios for good, this course is for you. You’re going to learn all about alcohol addiction, what it is, what it isn’t, how to beat cravings, you’ll learn about many different recovery pathways, and the best part is you won’t be doing this alone.   Exact Nature: https://exactnature.com/RE20   [02:04] Highlights from Paul:   Start your day with a smile. It doesn’t matter if the smile is fake or real. The body doesn’t know the difference and the nervous system always responds positively with a smile.   Smiling increases mood-enhancing hormones. Smiling releases endorphins, natural painkillers, and serotonin, while decreasing stress-enhancing hormones, including cortisol, and adrenaline. It also reduces overall blood pressure.   Another reason to smile is that research shows that smiles ar

Episode 458 – A Big Win     Today we have Mike. He is 44 from Huntsville, AL and took his last drink on April 10th, 2023.   Registration for RESTORE opens this Friday!  If you want to take a break for a month, or say adios for good, this course is for you. You’re going to learn all about alcohol addiction, what it is, what it isn’t, how to beat cravings, you’ll learn about many different recovery pathways, and the best part is you won’t be doing this alone.   Exact Nature: https://exactnature.com/RE20   [02:42] Highlights from Paul:   Paul shares how releasing his first album is a huge win for him and that the listeners are a big part of making it happen.   Something commonly heard when people quit drinking is “what is going to fill the void?”. We have to rediscover likes and interests. Part of the journey is trying out new hobbies. Sometimes it takes a while to find out what we like to do though, so be patient with  your healing.   If you want to hear the outro song and the full album under the name of Pablo

Episode 457 – What if I Can’t Quit Drinking?   Today we have Ryan. He’s 33 years old from Orange County, NY and took his last drink on September 24th, 2023.   Happy Thanksgiving to all the listeners in the USA! Be sure to take some time this week and let the universe know what you are thankful for and remember a drink won’t make your holiday any better.   Athletic Greens   [02:42] Highlights from Paul:   It’s the last Q&A episode and today’s question is from Darren in Tampa Bay who asks, “What if I can’t quit drinking?”   Paul shares that he could have asked this same question not that long ago and his message to Darren and others that maybe feeling this way is to keep moving forward, don’t quit quitting, keep using the mind to build, to visualize your alcohol-free life. Accept it all, embrace the journey, and you will come out the other side.   Paul rephrases the question to ask, “what if I can’t quit drinking today?” and shares some thoughts and strategies to implement which include:   -       It isn’t

Episode 456 – How Do You Overcome Resentments?     Today we have Nathan. He’s 42 years old and from Andover, MN and took his last drink on April 19th, 2023.   On January 1st, 2024, we are starting our intensive sobriety course geared towards the newcomer.  Check out the link to learn more about RESTORE.   Exact Nature: https://exactnature.com/RE20   [02:01] Highlights from Paul:   Today’s question is from Darren A. who asks, “Can you discuss resentment and letting go of resentment?"   Life is a school where the people, places, and things are there to help us grow and become deeper human beings. The people we encounter in life are there to help us grow.    The theory is that none of this is happening to you. Remember, that is how a victim speaks. Flip that to believe that everything that has ever happened to you in your life is happening for you, for your own personal growth and development, to make you a more resilient human being.   Resentments are the teachers. Yes, they suck, they emotionally and physicall

Episode 455 – How Do You Feel About Ayahuasca and Other Plant Medicines?     Today we have Chris. He is 40 years old and lives in Austin, TX. He took his last drink on February 16th, 2007.   Check out our events page for our lineup of upcoming retreats and courses. Beginning January 1st, RESTORE, our intense Dry January course is back! In February we have another 5-week Ukelele Course. Then in March, we have two events in Costa Rica, and  we’ll see you in Bozeman, Montana in August for our 6th annual retreat in Big Sky Country.   Exact Nature: https://exactnature.com/RE20   [02:16] Highlights from Paul:   Today is episode 9 out of 10 in the Q&A series.   Today’s question comes from Krista B, in our Café RE group. She says:   “How Paul is feeling about ayahuasca and other plant medicines. Are you still as passionate about its benefits today as a few years ago? Has the treatment worked in a sustained way, in your opinion?”   Paul shared his initial experience with ayahuasca in episode 170. He believes that

Episode 454 – How Can I Do More In My Recovery Community?   Today we have Kristan. She is 60 years old and lives in Delaware. She took her last drink on June 3rd, 2019.   Exact Nature: https://exactnature.com/RE20   [01:34] Highlights from Kris:   Today we are continuing the Q & A series and it’s a two for one. First question, Dale wants to know “How can I do more in my recovery community?”   Some traditional responses to this question might AA, or any other group with the word recovery in it. These are great, but Kris shares that we can expand our view to other groups. Church groups, book club, a running club, or a workout group.   Sharing can be a great way to get involved within a recovery community. Hearing others share and be vulnerable encourages us to share and be vulnerable too. By being open, you are being of service in your recovery. You never know who you may be helping with your share.   Think of the things that you bring to the table, and what you’d like to see your community offe

Episode 453 - How Would You Describe a “Spiritual Experience” in Recovery?     Today we have Andy. He is 46 from Washington, DC and took his last drink on August 12th, 2023.   If you are struggling to quit drinking alone, check out the private community Café RE. Use the promo code OPPORTUNITY to waive the setup fee!   Exact Nature: https://exactnature.com/RE20   [02:17] Highlights from Paul:   Today’s question is from Liz in the Café RE OG group: “How Would You Describe a “Spiritual Experience” in Recovery? Was it a Bill W. “White Light” or a long series of little twinkles? Somewhere in between? Something else altogether?”   We all know there is no right or wrong way to quit drinking, but Paul believes the spirituality component is important, because it connects or reconnects you to the universe or a god of your understanding.   For many, a large twinkle of spirituality took place took place near the date of their last drink. Some call this a window of clarity. I’ve heard it been described as “I ju

Episode 452 - How Do You Stop Comparing Yourself to Others in Recovery?   Today we have Emilee. She is 33 from Double Springs, AL and has been alcohol free since February 26th, 2023.   We are in the process of building some incredible events for the upcoming year, to new locations, and types of retreats we have never done before.   Our flagship annual retreat in Bozeman, Montana in August, then we are working on an AF travel trip in October 2024 with possible destinations being India, Vietnam, or the Camino de Santiago in Spain. But even before those events, we are working on Two retreats in Guanacaste, Costa Rica. Keep an eye out for more info: Recovery Elevator events.   Exact Nature: https://exactnature.com/RE20   [02:55] Highlights from Paul:   Today’s question is from Dale: How do I stop comparing myself to others in Recovery?   This is a BIG PICTURE question. An issue that probably didn’t arise when you quit drinking. I’m guessing this is something you have been doing for quite some time.  

Episode 451 – What to Say to Someone Who is About to Drink   Today we have Grant. He is 54 from Sacramento, CA and took his last drink on August 10th, 2020.   Exact Nature: https://exactnature.com/RE20   [02:16] Highlights from Paul:   We are five weeks into our Q & A series. This week’s question comes from Sarah C. “What can you say to someone, so they don’t drink?” Or how to help someone not drink.   Paul gives us some tried and true methods that work and strategies that the Recovery Elevator team believe in. Here are a few suggestions that Paul shares with us:   Tough love does not work, so a tone or stance of unconditional love needs to be present when confronting a friend who is about to drink.   Quick note about boundaries. Talking with people that are drunk can be triggering, and little can be done. Ask them to call you in the morning or when they are sober.   Being there with your presence, whether it is in person, via the phone or FaceTime, or Zoom, is the best thing you can do to he

Episode 450 – What are Alcohol Withdrawals Like in the First Week?   Today we have Sarah. She is 46 and lives in Buckhannon, WV. Sarah has been alcohol free since December 15, 2022.   Our latest Ditching The Booze course begins tonight at 7:30pm EDT/4:30pm PDT and it is not too late to register. The 5-week course is called Writing a New Narrative and is designed to help you explore your sobriety story through journaling and writing prompts and it is free for Café RE members.   Cafe RE - Use the promo code OPPORTUNITY to waive the set-up fee.   Exact Nature: https://exactnature.com/RE20   [02:23] Highlights from Paul:   We are four weeks into our ten-episode Q & A series and today’s question is “what are alcohol withdrawals like in the first week?” This question as asked by Robyn in Café RE Blue.   The answer to this is going to depend on how much you drink on a daily or nightly basis and it’s not a one size fits all answer.   I highly recommend detoxing under medical supervised care if you consu

Episode 449 - How to Make it Through Your First Sober Concert?   Today we have Santino. He is 35 from Taunton, MA and took his last drink on May 24th, 2022.   Our latest Ditching the Booze course begins Monday October 2nd at 7:30pm EDT/4:30pm PDT and is free to Café RE members. The 5-week course is called Writing a New Narrative and is designed to help you explore your sobriety story through journaling and writing prompts.   Cafe RE - Use the promo code OPPORTUNITY to waive the set-up fee.   We have partnered with Sober Link.  You can find some tips and can sign up for a $50 off promo code.   [03:05] Highlights from Paul:   Today’s question comes from Kelly in our Café RE Up Group. The question is “how do you make it through your first sober concert?”   The first of eight fantastic tips include giving yourself a little alcohol-free time before going to a concert. Once you’ve got some time under your belt, and the cravings are in check, then you can hit the green light on concerts.  Regardless of how man

Episode 448 - How Do I Let Go and Stop Trying to Control   Today we have Jen. She is 48 from Boulder, CO and took her last drink on May 12th, 2021.   Our latest Ditching The Booze course begins Monday October 2nd at 7:30pm EDT/4:30pm PDT and is free to Café RE members. The 5-week course is called Writing a New Narrative and is designed to help you explore your sobriety story through journaling and writing prompts.   Cafe RE - Use the promo code OPPORTUNITY to waive the set-up fee.   We have partnered with Sober Link.  You can find some tips and can sign up for a $50 off promo code.   [02:48] Highlights from Kris:   Today’s question comes from Dale in Virginia. He wants to know “how do I learn to let go of things, and stop trying to control?”   Kris feels that two themes that come up over and over in recovery are surrender and acceptance. He says there are different types of control and while some of it is normal and can be healthy, trying to control things such as other people and how they feel about us

Episode 447 – Can You Be Addicted to Alcohol and Not Be An Alcoholic?   Today we have Stephanie. She is 35 from and took her last drink on December 31st, 2022.   Our latest Ditching The Booze course begins Monday October 2nd at 7:30pm EDT/4:30pm PDT and is free to Café RE members. The 5-week course is called Writing a New Narrative and is designed to help you explore your sobriety story through journaling and writing prompts.   If you are not yet a member and would like to joining click the link Cafe RE - Use the promo code OPPORTUNITY to waive the set-up fee.   We have partnered with Sober Link.  You can find some tips and can sign up for a $50 off promo code.   [02:43] Highlights from Paul:   Paul and Kris are going to be doing a ten-part intro series where we answer questions from listeners.  If you have a question that you’d like us to answer on the air, send them to info@recoveryelevator.com.   Paul shares one of his biggest regrets since starting the podcast and also answers the first question fr

Episode 446 – Go Easy on Yourself   Today we have Jonathan. He is 44 from Grand Forks, ND and took his last drink on May 17th, 2008.   Our six week Ditching the Booze mindfulness course starts Monday, September 18th and meets on Monday nights at 8:30 PM EST. This course is included with Café RE membership and is for Café RE members only.   Cafe RE - Use the promo code OPPORTUNITY to waive the set-up fee.   We have partnered with Sober Link. You can find some tips and can sign up for a $50 off promo code.   [02:24] Highlights from Paul:   Straying from the sometimes-complex intros, Paul urges us to go easy on ourselves.   Despite all of our agricultural, scientific, and technological innovations, this is the hardest time it has ever been to be a human being. Rates of addiction and overdoses are soaring. Dr. Gabor Mate’s book The Myth of Normal shows how our out of balance culture is creating mountains of unrest and disease.   Life is already a challenge and living in the modern world without substanc

Episode 445 – Keep Dancing   Today we have Cindy. She is 54 from Kure Beach, NC and took her last drink on March 2nd, 2023.   We are doing an East Coast Café RE meet-up tour!  NYC on Wednesday August 30th, Philadelphia Saturday September 2nd, and DC on Tuesday September 5th. For questions about the event please email info@recoveryelevator.com   This is a reminder of the suicide prevention hotline 988, which was launched one year ago. This number has fielded 5 million calls, texts, and chats in the past year alone and has saved countless lives.   We have partnered with Sober Link.  You can find some tips and can sign up for a $50 off promo code.   [03:23] Highlights from Paul:   After recently watching a social media video featuring a sober influencer dancing, Paul decided to challenge this individual to a breakdancing battle. Meanwhile another sober influencer viewing this video stated that watching this video made him want to drink.   Let’s zoom out for a second.   The Tik Tok user, with millions of

Episode 444 – Alcohol Consumption by State   Today we have Chad. He is 51 from Southern Indiana and took his last drink on March 25th, 2022.   Follow Recovery Elevator on Instagram! We’re starting to put more video content on the platform so check it out!   Join us Saturday August 26th in Boston, MA for a day of service in collaboration with The Phoenix.  Learn more about the event here.   We have partnered with Sober Link.  You can find some tips and can sign up for a $50 off promo code.   [02:47] Highlights from Paul:   Something heard often while interviewing guests is “you don’t know what it’s like to grow up in Wisconsin, Texas, in Las Vegas, in Trenton, New Jersey, or you don’t know how much we drink in…” fill in the blank. So yes, it is ubiquitous, but there is a front runner.   Check out the full list and see where your state ranks: Alcohol Consumption by State   In 2012 British researcher Dr. David Nutt was tasked by the government to put harm scores on 20 of the world’s most harmful drug.

Episode 443 -  A Different Type of Alcoholic   Today we have Kelly, she is 46 from Minneapolis, MN and took her last drink on June 18th, 2023.   Join us Saturday August 26th in Boston, MA for a day of service in collaboration with The Phoenix.  Learn more about the event here.   Check out our sponsor Go Brewing. Use the code ELEVATOR for 15% off.   [02:57] Highlights from Paul:   When saying the word “alcoholic”, these images, and thoughts commonly come to mind:   Living under a Bridge. Brown paper bag. Homeless. Hopeless. Unemployed.   Some of this is accurate but studies show only 5% of alcoholics fit these descriptions. The other 95% are high functioning, tend to be high earners, more educated, are healthier and have more stable relationships than average.   With the estimated 452 million alcoholics that don’t fit the stereotypical description of an alcoholic, this takes the saying you are not alone to a new level.   We justify or benchmark our drinking according to what an alcoholic looks lik

Episode 442 – Time to Breathe   Today we have Jeff, he is 35 from Salt Lake City, UT and had his last drink on April 6th, 2023.   Shout out to the Café RE chat hosts. Thank you for continuing to hold space for our community and for creating an environment where we can come together and heal.   Go Brewing. Use the code ELEVATOR for 15% off.   [03:46] Highlights from Kris:   Kris finds sober anniversaries a good opportunity to reflect on where he was and where he is today. He asks himself questions such as “What have I gone through? How have I been able to meet the challenges placed in front of me? Am I moving in the direction I want to in my life?”   In active addiction Kris was not able to show love to himself. He knew that the things he was doing were hurting other people and himself. He knew his wife, kids, parents, and friends all loved him, but he couldn’t let the love in. He was stuck in the loop of “I’m not enough, I’ve screwed up too much, I deserve to feel this way.”   If you’re listening, and

Episode 441 – Connection With a Molecule   Today we have Shane, he is 39 from Birmingham, AL and took his last drink on December 25th, 2021.   [00:58] Highlights from Paul:   Many of us share the same response to our first drink. It’s a firework show internally that connects the missing dots. We finally feel connected. Alcohol becomes our best friend.   Now do not beat yourself up if you find yourself in a tightly intertwined relationship with alcohol. Humans are pack animals and need connection to survive. We need partnership. As addiction guru Dr. Gabor Mate would say, congratulations, you found alcohol, you found a way to survive. Yes, there is the disease model, but there’s also the unease model. A deep unrest or lack of connection with others and ourselves.   How do we fix this? Like we learned in last week’s episode, it’s robust social connections that fix this. Some of us have difficulty making deep connections with other human beings but connection with nonhuman souls can help us quit drinking

Episode 440 - How to Undo Trauma   Today we have Kathy. She is 31 from Dillworth, MN and has been clean since June 13th, 2016.   Thank you to all of the Café RE chat hosts. You all do a great job!   We have an exciting new sponsor for the podcast! Go Brewing has an amazing lineup of NA beers. Use the code ELEVATOR for 15% off your order.     [02:06] Highlights from Paul:   Before we get started, how is your summer going? How is sobriety going? How is your AF clock going? How is your life going? Regardless of your answer to all those questions, Paul reminds us that we are not alone. Recovery Elevator is right here with you every step of the way.   A recent study of baboons revealed that establishing robust social connections in adulthood,  is so beneficial to the animals that it can mitigate the consequences of traumatic experiences during their early years. There’s that word again. Connection. In addition, researchers have found that once these connections are made, the baboons report living longer li