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

Episode 499 - Get Your Roll On   Today we have Kerri. She is 55 years old, lives in Redding, CA and took her last drink on March 2nd, 2022.   Sponsors mentioned in this episode:   Better Help  - code ELEVATOR Soberlink – receive $50 off of a device Better Rhodes – code RECOVERYELEVATOR15 RiseUp Coffee Athletic Brewing Sarilla   [02:47] Thoughts from Paul:   Prior to AA, alcoholism was considered a fatal disease. In less than 100 years, so much progress has been made in how alcoholism is viewed and treated. Now there is 100% a way out.   We now know the most potent antidote to addiction is connection. And this looks like community, preferably one that contains a lot of laughter, which we have all heard is the best medicine.   Paul shares with us that when he was crafting the recent Bozeman Retreat’s itinerary, he spent a lot of time thinking about one of the activities he was considering: a Skee-Ball tournament. The retreat is already full of the standard heavy hitters of share groups, breathwork, etc.

Episode 498 – Be the Light   Today we have Ava. She is 17 years old and lives in Central North Dakota. She has been sober since October 13th, 2006.   Sponsors for this episode:   Visit Better Help today to get 10% off your first month   [03:16] Meat and Potatoes Time:   A few months ago, after a lot of prayer and consideration, Kris had a tough call with Paul. While he enjoys his job as podcast host immensely, his life has been changing. His kids are getting older and busier, and he has opportunities to step up his investment in his local community.   Kris shares what this podcast has meant to him both as an interviewer and as a long-time listener. All of our stories have values, and he reminds us of the importance of being a light. No one lights a lamp and then covers it with a wash tub or shoves it under a bed. You set it up on the lampstand so that those who enter the room can see their way.   We each have a light in us that is meant to shine.    [10:18] Kris introduces Ava:   Today Kris is speaking with

Episode 497 – I Can’t – You Can – Take It   Today we have Shelby. She is 38 years old and from Windsor Ontario. She took her last drink on December 23rd, 2023.   Sponsors for this episode:   Visit Better Help today to get 10% off your first month   Visit Exact Nature use code RE20 to save 20% off of your order   [04:10] Thoughts from Paul:   Paul seeks to soften the entry point to AA and simplify the first three steps.  For many the steps are intimidating. They are nebulous, part dogmatic and for some there are simply too many God or higher power references. But the do make it clear many times that this God (higher power) is of your understanding. You can even use a red stapler as your higher power – they will fully support you.   The first three steps of AA: 1)    We admitted we are powerless over alcohol 2)    We came to believe that a power greater than ourselves could restore us to sanity 3)    We decided to turn our will and our lives over to the care of God as we understood him.   Which can be brok

Episode 496 – One Way Street   Today we have James. He is 40 years old and lives in Melbourne, Australia. He took his last drink on November 20th, 2023.   Sponsors for this episode:   Visit Better Help today to get 10% off your first month   Visit Exact Nature use code RE20 to save 20% off of your order   [04:16] Thoughts from Paul:   The Paris Olympic Committee opted to not sell alcohol. They were confident that they could have successfully applied to sell alcohol but still decided not to. In an article from NBC News, it mentioned the following: “While many people enjoy a casual drink, that’s not always the case. According to estimates by the French Public Health Society, 49,000 people are killed a year by alcohol consumption, which also causes 120 billion euros in damages.” Them choosing not to sell alcohol proves that things are changing around the globe regarding alcohol consumption.   Expanding on the topic of staying the course from last week’s episode, Paul shares that sobriety is a one-way street.

Episode 495 – Stay the Course   Today we have Robbie. He is 28 years old from Palm Springs, CA and took his last drink on January 4th, 2024.   Sponsors for this episode:   Visit Better Help today to get 10% off your first month   Visit Sober Link to sign up and receive $50 off a device.   [4:28] Thoughts from Paul:   You are listening to this podcast because you’ve correctly identified that alcohol is what is holding you back. You see that alcohol isn’t delivering what was promised.   Your inner guidance to quit drinking, to explore what that would look like is correct. Stay the course. You’re inner voice is spot on. You are on the right path.   Paul shares his struggles with finding homeostasis after welcoming his child into the world. He feels his nervous system is stuck in a level of fight or flight. While he is feeling a lot of emotions around this, he reminds himself to stay the course. So, for all of those parents who are seeking sobriety – we will stay the course with you.   What does staying the c

Episode 494 - Discomfort = Good   Today we have Erin. She is 47 years old from Colorado and took her last drink on May 21st, 2022.   Sponsors for this episode:   Visit Better Help today to get 10% off your first month   Café RE – promo code OPPORTUNITY waives set up fee.   [02:53] Thoughts from Paul:   Paul shares with us “pain is followed by pleasure and pleasure is followed by pain”. Drinking to change the way you feel in order to feel better in the short term, will lead to a greater dip on the other side. Not only does drinking often come with a physical hangover, but the dopamine dip can be even worse.   The Comfort Crisis by Michael Easter is a great book on discomfort. The main point of the comfort crisis is to show that society’s relentless quest for pleasure is actually doing us a tremendous amount of harm.   The discomfort that comes with ditching the booze is like a different type of gym that is making you so much stronger. Studies show that it was not uncommon for our ancestors to run and walk m

Episode 493 – The War is Over, and I Lost   Today we have Allie. She is 31 and lives in Central, MA. She took her last drink on March 20th, 2024.   There are still a few spots open on our next Alcohol-Free travel trip to Vietnam. This upcoming January 9th-20th, 2025, we’re heading to this incredible Southeast Asia paradise for 10 days and 11 nights with 25 travelers who are done nursing hangovers.   Sponsors for this episode:   Visit Better Help today to get 10% off your first month   Exact Nature use promo code RE20 to receive 20% of your order   [03:25] Thoughts from Paul:   Paul shares that he lost the war with alcohol. It was not for lack of effort… for over ten years, he would get back up and keep fighting, he would implement new strategies to control his drinking, but it didn’t matter. He still lost.   He eventually raised the white flag and through the process of deconstruction, Paul says humility entered on its own without invitation. Every day he has to remember just how bad he got his ass kicked.

Episode 492 – Alcohol Isn’t the Problem   Today we have Kristi. She is 50 years old and lives in Rome, GA. She took her last drink on December 11th, 2023.   We just opened a few more spots for our upcoming retreat this August 14th through 18th in beautiful Bozeman, MT.    Sponsors for this episode:   Visit Better Help today to get 10% off your first month   Exact Nature use promo code RE20 to receive 20% of your order   [02:19] Thoughts from Paul:   We think this is all about alcohol, but it’s not. There are different support groups for many various addictions, and the one thing that they have in common is whatever comes before the word “Anonymous” is not the problem.    Page 64 in the Alcoholics Anonymous Big Book states that the liquor was but a symptom. The booze isn’t the problem. There are deeper causes and conditions that are manifesting themselves in a drinking problem, gambling problem, shopping problem, etc.   For many of us, alcohol isn’t the problem. It is but a symptom of what went down in our i

Episode 491 – Sobriety is Not….   Today we have Santino. He is 36 years old, lives in Taunton, MA, and took his last drink on May 24th, 2022.   Sponsors for this episode:   Visit Better Help today to get 10% off your first month   Café RE – promo code OPPORTUNITY waives set up fee.   [02:55] Thoughts from Paul:   A question we all eventually ask ourselves during our lifetime is – who am I? Eckhart Tolle (the author of The Power of Now and A New Earth) says that through the process of finding out who we are not, we also find out who we are.   One of our Café RE hosts, Tonya, shared a great list of what sobriety is not which Paul shares and elaborates on:   1)    Sobriety is not the same for everyone. 2)    Sobriety is not going back to how things were. 3)    Sobriety does not rid you of your past. 4)    Sobriety is not the end of your life if you enter recovery or treatment. 5)    Sobriety is not the end of socializing. 6)    Sobriety is not something you can do halfheartedly. 7)    Sobriety is not ju

Episode 490 - Expectations are Premeditated Resentments   Today we have Stephanie. She is 48 years old and lives in San Diego, CA. She took her last drink on January 11th, 2020.   Sponsors for this episode:   Visit Better Help today to get 10% off your first month   Café RE – promo code OPPORTUNITY waives set up fee.   [2:21] Thoughts from Kris:   Kris shares that he and his family have always enjoyed camping. Recently, he was looking forward to a week that the family could get together, probably for the only time this summer due to work and social schedules. Things did not go as planned due to obligations, weather and some mishaps along the way.   Kris found his mind making the determination that if their week didn’t look exactly like it was planned, then it was no longer good. This is one of Kris’s work-in-progress areas in his recovery. He shares that it’s somewhat normal to have expectations from the people in our lives and society in general, but what do we do when people, places and things fall short

Episode 489 – The Best Parts of an Alcohol-Free Life   Today we have Chris. He is 56 years old and lives in Beacon, NY and took his last drink on April 18th, 2024.   Registration for our next Alcohol-Free travel trip to Vietnam opens TODAY! This upcoming January 9th-20th, 2025, we’re heading to this incredible Southeast Asia paradise for 10 days and 11 nights with 25 travelers who are done nursing hangovers.   Welcome to our new listeners! We are glad to have you with us. You are in the right place. There is a whole new authentic life awaiting you, which isn’t far away.   Congratulations to Paul and his wife on the birth of their new baby boy!   Better Help:  www.betterhelp.com/elevator - 10% off your first month. #sponsored   [04:10] Thoughts from Paul:   A few weeks ago, Paul asked our Instagram followers what is the best part of being sober or living an alcohol free life. He shares with us some of the responses he received.   The four biggest commonalities he saw were: 1)    More authenticity 2)    Less

Episode 488 – Hello Truth   Today we have Christine. She is 58 and lives in Ontario. She took her last drink on December 29th, 2022.   Recovery Elevator is going to Vietnam January 9th-20th, 2025. Registration for our newest alcohol-free travel trip opens July 1st. We have room for 25 passengers on this journey. We have AF workshops, a home stay and a service project planned, plus you’ll be traveling with others who have already ditched the booze.   Better Help:  www.betterhelp.com/elevator - 10% off your first month. #sponsored   [02:56] Thoughts from Paul:   Paul shares with us some articles reminding us of what we already know: alcohol is shit. Society is waking up to the fact that no amount of alcohol is good for you.   In 2023, GQ had an article titled The Year We realize Any Alcohol Is Bad For You.   The World Health Organization, who once supported the stance that one to two drinks per day is beneficial, is now doing an about face.  Their headline was No Level of Alcohol Consumption is Safe For Your H

Episode 487 – How Would You Walk?   Today we have Sarah. She is 45 and lives in Indiana. She took her last drink on December 31st, 2022.   Let’s talk AF International travel with Recovery Elevator. We’ve got some incredible trips in the works. We’re going to Vietnam for 12 days in January 2025. Then Back to Costa Rica for our 4th trip to the Blue Zone in April 2025, and then, we’re going back to Peru in October 2025 where we’re going to the Inca Trail and work with Non-profit Peruvian Hearts again.   Athletic Greens   [02:42] Thoughts from Paul:   The World Heart Federation published a policy brief in 2022 staying there is “no level of alcohol consumption that is safe for health.” There was and still is a collective belief that alcohol is good for you. This is especially prominent in the wine culture.   The paradigm is slowly cracking which is a huge step in the right direction. When Paul started Recovery Elevator in 2015, you couldn’t find that line anywhere. It was almost customary to see a line that says s

Episode 486 - The Most Dangerous Thing on the Planet   Today we have Adam. He is 46 from Flowermound, TX and took his last drink on December 31st, 2022.   Recovery Elevator is going to Vietnam January 9th-20th, 2025. Registration for our newest alcohol-free travel trip opens July 1st. We have room for 25 passengers to this southeast Asia destination. We have AF workshops, a home stay and a service project planned, plus you’ll be traveling with others who have already ditched the booze.   Better Help:  www.betterhelp.com/elevator - 10% off your first month. #sponsored   [03:00] Thoughts from Paul:   Paul shares many things that are dangerous but concludes that the most dangerous thing on the planet is the Ego. The reason why it is so dangerous is because it is never fully satisfied, it’s always hungry, lives in constant state of lack and is always seeking more, more, more.   Alcohol is but a symptom of the most dangerous thing on the planet. Addiction gets a bad rap, but it does serve a purpose. It forces you

Episode 485 – The Social Cost of Alcohol   Today we have Jennifer. She is 41 from Hamilton, OT Canada and took her last drink on January 18th, 2024.   Recovery Elevator is going to Vietnam January 9th-20th, 2025. Registration for our newest alcohol-free travel trip opens July 1st.   Better Help:  www.betterhelp.com/elevator - 10% off your first month. #sponsored   [02:09] Thoughts from Paul:   Paul shares some information from an article he saw on the Instagram page recoveryroadmap.me. It discusses how in Canada, despite bringing in $13 billion in tax revenue, the net social costs in 2020 was $19 billion. And it is even worse in the US.   The bright side of all of this is that we are becoming aware of this major deficit, and change is taking place. The demand for alcohol is lowering as people are becoming more aware that alcohol is not good for you. Two years ago, The Huberman Lab did a podcast called What Alcohol Does to Your Body and he debunked the myth that alcohol is good for you.   Paul also shares tha

Episode 484 – Recovery is a Sandwich   Today we have Brian. He is 59 from Eastern Iowa. He took his last drink on May 23rd, 2023.   Recovery Elevator is going to Vietnam January 9th-20th, 2025. Registration for our newest alcohol-free travel trip opens July 1st and we’ve got room for 25 passengers. Who’s up for seeing the world with a group of travelers who have ditched the booze?   Better Help:  www.betterhelp.com/elevator - 10% off your first month. #sponsored   [02:24] Thoughts from Kris:   Kris’ topic today is one of the foundational themes in recovery which is telling our story or burning the ships as we refer to it at Recovery Elevator.   Burning the Ships refers to when Hernan Cortez sailed across the ocean and ordered his men to burn their ships when they landed. There was no turning back, no retreat. When we share our story, we can no longer hide from it and are faced to move forward with others having knowledge of our journey.   This isn’t a black and white situation so it will be different for ever

Episode 483 – NA Beers   Today we have Tyler. He is 37 and lives in Phoenix, AZ. He took his last drink on November 28th, 2023.   Recovery Elevator welcomes Danielle Marr to the team! She now writes the bi-monthly newsletter for RE which always has journalling prompts at the end. She taught our DTB writing course this last fall and does Instagram posts a couple days a week. She was also interviewed on episode 464.   To subscribe to the Recovery Elevator newsletter, click here and wait for the box to pop up.   Better Help:  www.betterhelp.com/elevator - 10% off your first month. #sponsored   [03:35] Thoughts from Paul   Paul shares with us the history of NA beers and how they were created to pacify the Mothers Against Drunk Drivers campaign back in the 90’s. The companies had zero intention of scaling this segment of their business and it has been said that the purposefully made the beer tasteless and bland.   Those days are gone. Non-alcoholic beer sales have been growing every year by 30-40% since 2019. Man

Episode 482 - Anna   Today we have Anna. She is 49 from North Georgia and took her last drink on December 22nd, 2017.   Better Help:  www.betterhelp.com/elevator - 10% off your first month. #sponsored   [02:09] Thoughts from Paul:   A few weeks ago, Paul made a post on the Recovery Elevator Instagram pages asking people what advice they would give to somebody who was about to quit drinking.   Thank you to everyone that commented on the video, there were well over 100 comments.   In this episode, he shares some of the comments and be sure to follow Recovery Elevator on Instagram if you don’t already.   The most common advice was don’t do this alone, reach out for help, and join a community.   We have partnered with Sober Link.  You can find some tips and can sign up for a $50 off promo code.   [11:16] Kris introduces Anna:   Anna lives in North Georgia and is a custodian at a middle school. For fun she enjoys hiking, camping and all things outdoors.   Anna first started drinking when she was 18 in college. Pri

Episode 481 - Collective Truths   Today we have Susie. She is 52 and lives in Lubbock, TX and took her last drink on February 10th, 2024.   Our alcohol-free retreat in Bozeman, MT on August 14th – 18th is currently sold out. But if you are interested in being put on the wait list, please email kmac@recoveryelevator.com   Better Help:  www.betterhelp.com/elevator - 10% off your first month. #sponsored   [02:18] Thoughts from Paul:   Paul’s goal with the introductions each week is to find a topic that we can collectively resonate with. His goal is for as many of us as possible to say “yep” or to nod our heads while listening.   There are many different types of listeners to the podcast. Some had already ditched the booze, some long ago and some more recently. Another group is still in the process of quitting drinking. We also have another group of listeners who are here to support a loved one who is struggling with alcohol. We are so glad you are here with us.   Paul lists the many reasons why people listen and

Episode 480 – AF Legends   Today we have Emily. She is 31 and lives in Raleigh, NC. She has been sober since March 17th, 2019.   Better Help:  www.betterhelp.com/elevator - 10% off your first month. #sponsored   [02:26] Thoughts from Paul:   Paul shares with us a list of his favorite AF (Alcohol Free) legends.   Included in the list is a man named Barry he met on the Gold Coast of Australia who taught him it’s the little things in life that create the most beautiful textures in life.   Another AF legend is Bill Wilson who together with Dr. Bob would become founders of Alcoholics Anonymous.   Paul also includes the 480 rock stars wo have shared their story on this podcast. Our interviewees have realized that for them to be successful, they have to help others. Thank you to all of the interviewees on the podcast.   Included in the list is Paul’s dog Ben. He taught him unconditional love.   And above all else, Paul feels the number one AF legend is the universe. It has provided everything he has needed for whole