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

Today we have Korie. She 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). 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. Today's Sponsor: Café RE Use the promo code CONNECT for one free month in the alcohol-free community Café RE.    Finding Your Better You – Odette's weekly message   Rediscovering your life beyond recovery.  You are all unique.  We are more than a drinking problem; we are more than recovery.  The life we now enjoy would disappear if we returned to drinking.  It is easy to feel  uniqueness –submerged in recovery.  In sobriety we don't know when things will get better, but they do.  Sobriety is a piece of your whole life.  We all have the opportunity to learn and re-learn who we are.    Maintenance is important to secure your sobriety.  If you stay the course

Today we have Tony. He took his last drink on October 24, 2020.  He is a 42-year-old Canadian.  This is his story of living alcohol-free (AF) 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. Today's Sponsor: Café RE Use the promo code CONNECT for one free month in the alcohol-free community Café RE.  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

Today we have Lunita. She took her last drink on October 10, 2020. She is from San Diego.  This is her story of living alcohol-free (AF) 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. Today's Sponsor: Café RE Use the promo code CONNECT for one free month in the alcohol-free community Café RE.      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, British Prime Minister in the early 1900's, backed the licensing bill.  Dax Shepherd says he wouldn't have anything

Today we have Paul. He 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). Episode 316 – When I get an urge or a craving, I'll be better next time this creeps up. Today's Sponsor: Café RE Use the promo code CONNECT for one free month in the alcohol-free community Café RE.    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%20%E2%80%

Today we have Kate. She 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). "I can't even imagine picking up a drink to solve something anymore.  It doesn't even cross my mind." - Kate Today's Sponsor: Café RE Use the promo code CONNECT for one free month in the alcohol-free community Café RE.  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 on her Instagram page a sketch that highlights the Hourglass of Change.  It shows there is a range of emotions from start to goal.  O

Today we have Gregg. He took his last drink 26 years ago (November 6th, 1994). This is his story of living alcohol free (AF). Today's Sponsor: Café RE Use the promo code CONNECT for one free month in the alcohol-free community Café RE.    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 facilities. He is an advisor in many startups as well. Fo

  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

Today we have Carolyn. She took her last drink on February 22, 2019.  This is her story of living alcohol-free (AF). Today's Sponsor: Café RE Use the promo code CONNECT for one free month in the alcohol-free community Café RE.    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

Today we have Holly. She took her last drink on January 4, 2007.  This is her story of living alcohol-free (AF). Today's Sponsor: Café RE Use the promo code CONNECT for one free month in the alcohol-free community Café RE.    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

Today we have Emmy. She took her last drink on December 8, 2019.  This is her story of living alcohol free (AF).   Today's Sponsor: Café RE Use the promo code CONNECT for one free month in the alcohol-free community Café RE.  Finding Your Better You – Odette's weekly message.   Odette spoke about a personal and very sensitive issue: she is an Adult Child of an Alcoholic.  She took charge of her recovery but recently identified some behaviors and coping mechanisms she was hoping to skip over that are rooted in her early years growing up in an alcoholic home.  Odette realized she had been stuck in a pattern of self-sabotage for years in many aspects of her life, some more dangerous than others.   Self-sabotage showed up in her relationships with friends, at school, and with her husband.  While Odette doesn't like the label of being an adult child of an alcoholic, she has come to realize she can't wish the consequences away.  Pain in our families makes our emotional state a bit disheveled.  We live waiting for t

Today we have Sasha. She took her last drink on May 19th, 2019. This is her story of living alcohol free (AF). Today's Sponsor: Café RE Use the promo code CONNECT for one free month in the alcohol-free community Café RE.  Check out the free meditations on the Recovery Elevator page here!   Odette's weekly installment of: Finding Your Better You   When Odette doesn't want to forget something, she sends herself an email. Recently she found one to herself with the subject line: Positive Relationships. The body of the email said simply: "The biggest factor for cultivating resilience" (Season 17, Grey's Anatomy)   We need resilience when embarking on this journey. Not just for this, but for everything life throws at us. Our journey is far from perfect, when we fall we need the courage to get back up and that's why we need community. This is why together is better. Having one person in your corner can make a huge difference for you.   How many positive relationships to you have and are you fostering them?   [7:19]

Today we have Stephen. He took his last drink on January 24th, 2020. This is his story of living alcohol free (AF).     Odette's weekly installment of: Finding Your Better You     "The pleasures of connecting with people are much greater than the pleasures of judging people."- Johann Hari   If we show up genuinely, we can connect with someone. If we are pretending to listen, we will not connect. Only with actual connection can we truly see each other. In a little departure from talking about quitting drinking Odette is asking us to explore being a better listener. What would that mean? What would that look like? Listening to each other has the power to heal, however it's also very hard to do. Can we be more curious and see how this can impact relationships?       [6:01] Odette introduces Stephen.     Stephen is 33 years old and lives in Austin, TX. He enjoys exercise, teaching tennis and using his Peloton. He's planning to return to school in the near future.     [7:30] Can you give listeners some background

Today we have Niel. He took his last drink on January 9th, 2020. This is his story of living alcohol free (AF). Today's Sponsor: Café RE Use the promo code CONNECT for one free month in the alcohol-free community Café RE.    Odette's weekly installment of: Finding Your Better You A few weeks ago, Odette heard a phrase that she hadn't heard before and it struck a chord with her. It was different from the usual catch phrases that people use.   "Awkwardness is an indicator of learning"   Do we talk enough about the uncomfortable moments while on this journey? Are we allowing those moments to happen and normalizing them? When the decision to quit drinking is made, awkward moments arise, because we are feeling everything now. When we feel awkward, we feel vulnerable and feeling vulnerable makes most people want to run and hide. Odette phrases this into if/then questions to find a new path. Choosing yourself and living AF is often awkward and that's ok! Let it feel weird until it doesn't anymore.       [6:59] Odett

Today we have Chris. He took his last drink about 6 years ago. This is his story of living alcohol free (AF). Today's Sponsor: Café RE Use the promo code CONNECT for one free month in the alcohol-free community Café RE.    Odette's weekly installment of: Finding Your Better You   A few weeks ago, Elle published an article titled "The Year of Drinking Dangerously" which explored how alcohol in 2020 was front and center. Alcohol effects everything in our society and it's time we got serious and brought these issues to light. Alcohol is a drug that has been glamorized.  2020 taught Odette that she has grit, that she can speak up about things that matter to her, that she doesn't have to be a people pleaser, to name a few. She is pledging to make 2021 the year where Recovery Elevator changes even more lives through unmasking alcohol. As more and more people are questioning their relationship with alcohol… LETS KEEP GOING.   [7:10] Odette introduces Chris.     Chris is 33 years old, originally from New Jersey and r

Today we have Robyn. She took her last drink on June 30, 2020. With 63 days away from alcohol (at the time of this recording), this is her story of living alcohol free (AF). Today's Sponsor: Café RE Use the promo code CONNECT for one free month in the alcohol-free community Café RE.  Odette's weekly installment of: Finding Your Better You   The last Monday of the year! "What you get by achieving your goals is not as important as what you become by achieving your goals" – Zig Ziglar This journey isn't about arriving, it's about becoming. How much we are willing to put in is what we should celebrate. Your hard work and new habits are what is to be celebrated. No one can take that away from you. What have you noticed about your journey this year? Who did you become this year?     [6:35] Odette introduces Robyn.   Robyn is from Columbia, South Carolina. She lives with her partner and he has two kids they see often. She likes jigsaw puzzles, reading, journaling and meditating. Pre-covid she liked vacations to the

Today we have Sarah. She took her last drink on April 22, 2019. With over a year away from alcohol (at the time of this recording), this is her story of living alcohol free (AF). Today's Sponsor: Café RE Use the promo code CONNECT for one free month in the alcohol-free community Café RE.    Odette's weekly installment of: Finding Your Better You   Odette recently received the book Homebody by Rupi Kaur. As Odette looks at her own sobriety as a return to self, this book is very fitting for where she is in her own journey right now. Here's your permission slip this week: take care of yourself. This time of year can be overwhelming for many. When we are overwhelmed, we may also open the door to fear. Using our tools, we can make life manageable and hold space for everything we are feeling.   list of things to heal your mood: cry it out. walk it. write it. scream it. dance it out of your body. If after all that you are still spiraling out of control ask yourself if sinking into the mud is worth it the answer is

Today we have Kyle. He took his last drink on May 31 2020. With 82 days away from alcohol (at the time of this recording), this is his story of living alcohol free (AF). Today's Sponsor: Café RE Use the promo code CONNECT for one free month in the alcohol-free community Café RE.    Odette's weekly installment of: Finding Your Better You   Sometimes we get stuck. When Odette gets stuck, she repeats this simple phrase to herself. "Please help me see things differently." Being shown the same scenario through a different lens helps to shift the perspective. Different questions help to see things in a new way and get unstuck. If you're feeling stuck are you asking yourself the wrong questions?     [7:44] Odette introduces Kyle.   Kyle is 33 years old and from Michigan. He is married and has three young daughters. He works in the automotive industry as a program manager. For fun he's been planning the future with his wife, he also likes gaming and running.     [10:49] Can you give listeners some background on your

Today we have Dr. Jason Powers. He took his last drink in June of 2003. With many days away from all substances, this is his story of living substance free. Today's Sponsor: Café RE Use the promo code CONNECT for one free month in the alcohol-free community Café RE.    Odette's weekly installment of: Finding Your Better You   What do we do when we are waiting for an outcome or a result? Traditionally: we bolt, we remove ourselves from the moment. In sobriety we have to feel all our feelings. Feeling them is the proof that we are staying true to ourselves. And that in itself is bad ass. Keeping in mind we have to feel the feelings, but also process them, not allow ourselves to get stuck in them. On days like today, when most people feel depleted, we have to find ways to fill up our gas tank.     [7:03] Odette introduces Dr. Jason.   Jason is 50 years old and lives in Houston, Texas. He is a physician that focuses on addiction medicine as well as an author, an interventionist, the founder of Positive Recovery.

Today we have Jamie. She took her last drink April 16, 2019. With 485 days away from alcohol, (at the time of recording) this is her story of living alcohol free (AF). Today's Sponsor: Café RE Use the promo code CONNECT for one free month in the alcohol-free community Café RE. S Odette's weekly installment of: Finding Your Better You   She is currently re-reading The Compound Effect. The general idea is that baby steps add up into large rewards. Change is hard. Gaining momentum on a decision is hard. This applies to our alcohol-free journey: turning down drinks, one at a time. Once we reframe the idea of this being a sacrifice and think of it as an opportunity instead, the trajectory changes. We must think of all the things we can add into our lives without alcohol. Odette makes a list of the things she has room for in her life now. Why don't you make one too?   [7:00] Odette introduces Jamie   Jamie is 35 years old and lives on Long Island, NY. Her immediate family lives close and she lives with her 2 black

Today we have Alex. She took her last drink April 25, 2020. With exactly 109 days away from alcohol, (at the time of recording) this is her story of living alcohol free (AF). Today's Sponsor: Café RE Use the promo code CONNECT for one free month in the alcohol-free community Café RE.  Odette's weekly installment of: Finding Your Better You   The end of the year is the time when Odette sees a lot of "fuck-its". Putting your goals on hold and coasting to the end of the year, to start fresh in the new year. 2020 particularly has been hard as so much was put on hold; we can now choose to make this year mean nothing or everything. Keep going, keep putting your good energy into the year. The rest of this year is a marathon, not a sprint to 2021. Hold onto your sobriety, visualize your path, see the people along the way cheering you on, see the finish line. You can do this.   [7:30] Odette introduces Alex   Alex is 28 years old. She is originally from Indianapolis, IN and just moved to Denver, CO. She loves hiking,