What if quitting drinking wasn't just about putting down the bottle? In this eye-opening episode of Recovery Elevator, host Paul Churchill sits down with Carrie, who took her last drink on April 7, 2020. With only seven days of sobriety at the time of recording, Carrie shares her fresh perspective on living an alcohol-free life. Paul and Carrie explore the intriguing idea that you don't have to quit drinking to quit drinking.

It's all about giving yourself permission to be happy right now. When you stop delaying happiness, the need for alcohol starts to fade away. Carrie, a single mom of two boys and a car salesperson from Centralia, MO, opens up about her journey. She talks about how routine and vitality play crucial roles in her sobriety. Community support has been a lifeline for her, helping her navigate the ups and downs of motherhood without alcohol.

The episode also touches on some unconventional aids in sobriety, like plant medicine and hypnosis. Carrie discusses how these have been beneficial in her journey. Paul and Carrie delve into the potential loneliness and feelings of fraudulence that can come with addiction. They emphasize the importance of gratitude and living one day at a time in maintaining sobriety. If you're curious about how happiness can replace the need for alcohol, this episode is a must-listen.

Tune in to hear Carrie's inspiring story and discover new ways to embrace an alcohol-free life.

Paul Churchill and Carrie discuss finding happiness without alcohol and her journey to sobriety on Recovery Elevator.

Carrie's Path to Sobriety: Embracing Happiness Without Alcohol

Carrie took her last drink April 7, 2020. With 7 days of sobriety (at the time of recording) this is her story of living alcohol-free (AF).   On today’s episode Paul discusses the idea that you don’t have to quit drinking in order to quit drinking and what that means to different people and himself. When you give yourself permission to be happy in the now, the need to drink goes away. By not delaying happiness in life, an alcohol-free life emerges. If you have more questions about this, please email Paul directly <a href= "mailto:info@recoveryelevator.com%20?subject=You%20don't%20have%20to%20quit%20drinking%20to%20quit%20drinking"> here</a>.   Are you looking to explore deeper your decision to live alcohol free and are already a Café RE member? If so, sign up for the six week course starting May 19th entitled: Ditching the Booze - The What, the Why and the How. Not a Café Re member? Sign up <a href="https://www.recoveryelevator.com/cafere/">here</a> and use the code OPPORTUNITY for waive the set-up fee.   Paul shares the details about his free guided meditation. To find those meditations, go <a href= "https://www.recoveryelevator.com/meditations/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">here</a>.       [12:30] Paul introduces Carrie.   She is 42 years old, lives in Centralia, MO. She is a single mom of 2 boys. She sells cars for a living. Carries likes to read, spend time at baseballs games, spend time with her kids, to bike and be outdoors. She is looking forward to rediscovering new way to spend her time.   [16:29] Give us a background on your drinking     Carrie took her first drink at the age of 13 and was in treatment for alcohol twice before she was 18 years old. From the age of 18 to 27, she gathered 9 years of sobriety. After that time, she wanted to reach out and connect with other young people and thought she could pick up and drink without consequence. In 2015 after her son was born, was when she noticed her drinking was becoming unmanageable. She said her drinking got “way worse”, to the point of drinking in the mornings.   [23:43] Talk to us about the last two years of your drinking.   Carrie said she has always tried to moderate her drinking, but it was never possible. In March of 2020 her boss called her into his office and asked if she had a problem with alcohol, which she replied “no.” However a week later she walked back into his office and said she does have a problem and she wants help. While she did lose her job, she freed herself of the secret.    [27:38] Is something different this time around?   Carrie stated that yes, this time feels different. After getting through the withdrawals and praying that she wouldn’t die, she realized that this time around was the worst withdrawal she had experienced. She decided this was the last time she would ever go through this. Using those physical symptoms to propel herself forward.    [32:54] What are you struggling with most right now?   Carries says that seclusion is the hardest. She only interacts with her children and isn’t able to spend time with friends and family. She misses her church and the ability to worship with other people in the same room. She finds video meet ups helpful, but just not the same thing.   [35:25] What are some concepts/mantras you are putting in place to help you continue past these 7 days?   Carrie says that she keeps telling herself she is stronger than alcohol and she wants to be free from alcohol. Repeating that to herself over and over.   [41:07] What’s on your bucket list for this AF life?   She is looking forward to interacting with her children again. She is also looking forward to traveling again.   [43:17] Do you think you’ll be sober in 30 days?   Carrie: “Yes I do.”   [46:28] What advice would you give to your younger self?   Carrie doesn’t think that her younger self would have listened to any advice. Carrie of today would simply say “It’s going to be a rough road, but it will be ok in the end.”     [48:01] Rapid Fire Round    <ol> <li>What’s a lightbulb moment you’ve had on this journey?</li> </ol> When she lost her job due to alcohol, that she needs to quit drinking.   <ol start="2"> <li>What is a memorable moment that a life without alcohol has given you?</li> </ol> Easter with her kids. She was able to hide eggs and baskets again.   <ol start="3"> <li>What’s your favorite alcohol-free drink?</li> </ol> Water.   <ol start="4"> <li>What’s your favorite resource in recovery?</li> </ol> Recovery Elevator podcast, AA meetings, reading about addiction.   <ol start="5"> <li>What parting piece of guidance can you give to listeners?</li> </ol> You are stronger than alcohol and if you surrender to the addiction to alcohol, you can get past this.   You might need to ditch the booze if...    Your 18 year old comes into the closet you are hiding in and takes the bottle of vodka and dumps is down the drain.   Paul shares a poem written by a listener:   “12 Steps to Addiction”    A long time ago, I met a friend.    Oh, it was a god send.    Together,  Streams of blood turn into a rushing river,  Shaking loose an ancient rigidity.   Like a hot fired fever.  Cracking a cast of insecurity.    Oh paint my vision in saturated tones,  Warm my blood, loosen my bones.  Tell me stories that aren’t true,  The biggest lie you told,  Is that the only truth is you.    I’m tightly steered   by your white knuckled grip.  “I will make it better” it whispers in sips.  I buy another round of your intention.   To cure a mental infection,  Septic fears of imperfection,   Impermanence,  Loneliness,   And rejection.    Im being taught to say goodbye,  To friends I used to see.  These people surrounding you, you say,  “They are not like you, and not like me.  They are empty vessels floating by.”  I agree,  Because I no longer float,   My mind runs until it can fly.    I keep running running running,   But now I can’t catch up, and I can’t escape.  I’m talking, I’m laughing,   Sounds from my mind unheard,   Like a cold air’s breath, they dissipate.    I am alone.    You implanted these thoughts,  Rewired my synaptic circuits,  Into a million tiny knots.  I need you to keep making this true.  And when I wake up at four,  I need more.    I ignore the conscious mind,  breathing notes of despair,  In my ear and around my neck.  I’m unaware of the gun to my head,   And all the ways I’ve been mislead.    While I drink your poison,   It is me that you usurp.  I joyfully bask in your calm, dimming light,  Until I’m met with a darkness.  Thoughts reduced to a dizzying fog,  Words falling into meaningless,  Forgetful monologue.    Oh, I want more of this story you sold.  But you no longer talk.   Your skeleton sits with me in silence,  As I desperately chew on your bones.   Your eyes are barren stones.   I will use them to build a memorial,  To every drop of poison I tasted.  All the valuable time I wasted.    A long time ago, I met a friend.  It was a godsend.   I was introduced to my vulnerability,  Reduced to an insanity,  Succumbed to this power,   Quietly, stealing my vitality.    A godsend,  Who will make me climb a mountain,  To find my own cure.  A challenge I didn’t expect to endure,  To ensure that I don’t lose breath,  Running towards my destruction,    Towards a construct, an embodiment,  Of everyone else’s description,  Of who I should have been.    Ultimately I’ve become lonely.  Constructed a fraudulent personality,  Succumbed to a common abnormality,  I carry this world uninspired.  This void you left,  Is making me so,   Goddamn,  Tired.    -Mia     Upcoming Events and Retreats: You can find more information about all our events <a href= "https://www.recoveryelevator.com/events/">here.</a>   The book, Alcohol is SH!T, is out. Pick up your paperback copy on Amazon <a href= "https://www.amazon.com/Alcohol-SH-Re-ignite-Recover-Person/dp/1086176545/ref=tmm_pap_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=&sr=" target="_blank" rel="noopener">here</a>! You can get the Audible version <a href= "https://www.audible.com/pd/Alcohol-is-Sht-Audiobook/B07XGDMXQF?qid=1569247192&sr=1-2&pf_rd_p=e81b7c27-6880-467a-b5a7-13cef5d729fe&pf_rd_r=TY51EJJZJ0XQDPRMN0MA&ref=a_search_c3_lProduct_1_2" target="_blank" rel="noopener">here</a>!     Resources mentioned in this episode:  For 15% off your Tiger Tail order go to <a href= "https://www.amazon.com/tigertaildog">https://www.amazon.com/tigertaildog</a> and use the promo code ELEVATOR15 at checkout.   In today’s episode Paul introduces listeners to a new company called <a href="https://www.joinmonument.com/">Monument</a>, an online treatment platform for those looking to change their relationship with alcohol. <a href= "https://www.recoveryelevator.com/cafere/">Connect with Cafe RE</a>- Use the promo code OPPORTUNITY to waive the set-up fee.  <a href="https://appsto.re/us/z8w_5.i">Sobriety Tracker iTunes </a> <a href= "https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.recovery.sam.sobrietycalculatorPro"> Sobriety Tracker Android </a> Sober Selfies!- Send your Sober Selfie and your Success Story to  -<a href= "mailto:info@recoveryelevator.com%20?subject=You%20don't%20have%20to%20quit%20drinking%20to%20quit%20drinking">info@recoveryelevator.com</a>   “Recovery Elevator – Go Big, Because Eventually, We All Go Home.”

RE 273: You Don't Have to Quit Drinking to Quit Drinking

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It isn't a NO to alcohol, but a YES to a better life!  Best selling author Paul Churchill, along with Kristopher Oyen interview people who have stepped away from alcohol in their own lives. Each week this podcast does a deep dive into an exploration of what a booze free life might look like from various perspectives and opinions. 

If you are sick and tired of alcohol making you sick and tired, we invite you to listen to Recovery Elevator. Check out what an alcohol free life can look like as others share their own stories of sobriety. If you are sober curious, newly sober, supporting a loved one or living your best life already in recovery, then you are in the right place.

This podcast addresses what to do if you’re addicted to alcohol, or if you think you’re an alcoholic. Other topics include, does moderate drinking work, does addiction serve a purpose, what happens to the brain when we quit drinking, should you track sobriety time, is A.A. right for you, spirituality, and more. 

Similar to other recovery podcasts like This Naked Mind, the Shair Podcast, and the Recovered Podcast, Paul and Kris discuss a topic and then interview someone who has ditched the booze.

Recovery Elevator

What if quitting drinking wasn't just about putting down the bottle? In this eye-opening episode of Recovery Elevator, host Paul Churchill sits down with Carrie, who took her last drink on April 7, 2020. With only seven days of sobriety at the time of recording, Carrie shares her fresh perspective on living an alcohol-free life. Paul and Carrie explore the intriguing idea that you don't have to quit drinking to quit drinking.It's all about giving yourself permission to be happy right now. When you stop delaying happiness, the need for alcohol starts to fade away. Carrie, a single mom of two boys and a car salesperson from Centralia, MO, opens up about her journey. She talks about how routine and vitality play crucial roles in her sobriety. Community support has been a lifeline for her, helping her navigate the ups and downs of motherhood without alcohol.The episode also touches on some unconventional aids in sobriety, like plant medicine and hypnosis. Carrie discusses how these have been beneficial in her journey. Paul and Carrie delve into the potential loneliness and feelings of fraudulence that can come with addiction. They emphasize the importance of gratitude and living one day at a time in maintaining sobriety. If you're curious about how happiness can replace the need for alcohol, this episode is a must-listen.Tune in to hear Carrie's inspiring story and discover new ways to embrace an alcohol-free life.

Paul Churchill

Paul Churchill

RE 273: You Don't Have to Quit Drinking to Quit Drinking

RE 273: You Don't Have to Quit Drinking to Quit Drinking

RE 273: You Don't Have to Quit Drinking to Quit Drinking

Monday 11th May 2020

About this podcast

Recovery Elevator

Carrie's Path to Sobriety: Embracing Happiness Without Alcohol