Have you ever thought that living without alcohol might be a bit dull? Lunita from San Diego is here to prove you wrong. In this episode of Recovery Elevator, she opens up about her life since she took her last drink on October 10, 2020. With hosts Paul Churchill and Kristopher Oyen, Lunita dives into how her alcohol-free journey has been anything but boring.

She shares how she tapped into her inner strength and found a well of spirit and heart she didn't know existed. Her story is a testament to the vibrant and fulfilling life that sobriety can offer. Odette also chimes in with her weekly message, tackling the myth that sobriety equals boredom. She highlights some famous faces like Bradley Cooper and Brad Pitt, who credit their success to living sober.

Their stories, along with Lunita's, show that giving up alcohol doesn't mean giving up fun or excitement. This episode is perfect for anyone curious about sobriety or looking for inspiration on their own journey. Whether you're newly sober, supporting a loved one, or just wondering what life without alcohol might look like, Lunita's story offers a fresh perspective. Tune in for an engaging conversation about mental health, community support, and the endless possibilities that come with living alcohol-free.

Join Lunita on Recovery Elevator as she debunks the myth that sobriety is boring. Discover how vibrant life can be without alcohol.

Lunita's Journey: Busting the Myth That Sobriety is Dull

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.   Lunita took her last drink on October 10, 2020. She is from San Diego.  This is her story of living alcohol-free (AF)   BetterHelp  Visit <a href="https://betterhelp.com/ELEVATOR" target= "_blank" rel="noopener">betterhelp.com/ELEVATOR</a> and join the over 500,000 people talking charge of their mental health with the help of an experienced professional. Recovery Elevator listeners get 10% off your first month at <a href="https://betterhelp.com/ELEVATOR" target="_blank" rel= "noopener">betterhelp.com/ELEVATOR</a>.    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 he has without his sobriety.  His guests and podcast sponsors are a lot of fun. Anthony Hopkins recently hit 45 years, sober saying, “Hang in there.  Today is the tomorrow you were so worried about yesterday.  Young- people, don’t give up.  Just keep in there” Cristiano Ronaldo, a Portuguese soccer player, is sober.  His father passed from alcohol abuse, and Cristiano has changed his life trajectory and is a role model of sobriety for his family.   Al Pacino, Jamie Lee Curtis, Robert Downey, Jr., Eminem, Chrissy Teigen, Keith Urban, Kelly Osbourne, Ben Affleck, Gillian Jacobs, James Franco, John Travolta, Shakira, J.Lo, Stephen King, Eva Mendes, Tom Cruise,  Natalie Portman, Elton John, Zac Efron, Tyra Banks, Daniel Radcliffe, Demi Lovato, Chris Martin (Coldplay) among many others are on the sober team.   We are not alone, we are not boring, quite the contrary.  Sobriety is the gateway to authenticity.  How do you feel about joining the alcohol-free club and staying in it with us?   [8:57] Odette Introduces Lunita   Lunita is Latina like Odette.  She hit reset on  October 10, 2020.  She is an American-born bi-cultural person from San Diego and a single mom.  Her father is from Panama, and her mother is from Mexico.  Her daughters are 9 and 11.  She is a yoga teacher and healing arts practitioner.  She loves nature, plant medicine, yoga, and she is a poet, writer, painter and loves anything to do with arts and the body.    [11:42]  Tell us about your history with drinking?   Lunita took her first drink at 14 in Mexico, where the lines are a little more blurred.  As she looks back at that time, drinking gave her a sense of calm and inner knowing that she had never felt before.  Her nervous system was soothed by alcohol.  She was a highly sensitive child, and her parents didn’t know how to manage her gifts.    She drank through her teenage years into her twenties.  Occasionally she would blackout.  She liked drinking.  She said alcohol took her from a highly sensitive introvert to a comfortable, fun drunk.  It awakened her artistic side.  She didn’t want to stop because it was fun.    Fast forward, Lunita got pregnant, got married, had two children, and drinking became her coping mechanism for managing parenting as a young adult.    She was a part of the mommy wine culture.  She realized she was drinking every night.  After she and her husband separated, her drinking became dark.  She drank every night while trying to hold it together for work and her daughters.  She hated her life and felt terrible and disconnected from herself every day.  Her husband and best friend made comments about her drinking, but she didn’t want to stop. Drinking became a medication, a chemical dependency.  Alcohol was sinking Lunita.   In her thirties, she was cornered by a cousin, then her best friend who caught her sneaking drinks or blacking out.    [17:19]  How did you respond to the comments from other people?   Lunita said she was telling herself it was ok.  She would get defensive or appease others with slogans like “mommy happy hour”  “5 o’clock somewhere”.  She was presentable, so she didn’t think there was a problem.    She found herself being very inconsistent.  She was eating clean, practicing yoga,  running, drinking green smoothies, but drinking every night.  She was aware of the dissonance, but she still didn’t want to stop drinking.   [20:52}  Tell me about the shift within you.   Lunita said she started drinking hard liquor instead of beer or wine because she could get drunk faster, with fewer calories.  Her body reacted right away.  The hangovers became worse, she lost her appetite, and the fun of drinking turned into darkness.  She began to experience rock bottom moments in relationships or at work.  She was no longer in denial but wasn’t sure what to do.   Four years ago, her friend said, “you’ve got to do something.” She was sober for two years.  Since then, she’s had some resets.  She knew it was die or get sober.   [24:06] Have you identified the reasons why you would drink again, and what tools have you added along the way?   Lunita said community, healing, yoga, meditation, and plants allowed her to release alcohol from her life for two years.  She felt alive, vital, and fresh.  Then she said she thought she could pursue healthy drinking with wine or beer, no hard liquor.  She wasn’t blacking out, but she noticed a gradual backslide with her relationships and her work.  The old habit wasn’t serving her anymore.  She had a brief period of drinking again but was sober for six months.  In October, she reset her self-talk and said, I am not doing anything that doesn’t serve me.  That became a massive shift for her, from her highest self.   She doesn’t choose anything that doesn’t suit her anymore.   She now focuses on activism about alcohol.  She believes it is a privilege to have a functional relationship with alcohol.  Now that she is sober, the work she is offering the world makes a difference.   [31:16]  Tell me more about this time being different?  How do you deal with cravings or discomfort?   Lunita said she deals with discomfort by leveraging therapy.  As a human, she wants to do her own work while continuing to help others.  Her therapist has been crucial.  Accountability through community has been instrumental for her.   She said that having a sober partner has made an enormous difference for her, and she appreciates his support.  Community is huge for Lunita, and her yoga practice, breathwork, herbs, and running are pivotal.  They help healthily regulate her nervous system.   Lunita drinks embarrassing amounts of Pellegrino, teas, tonics, and elixirs to overcome cravings.   [35:21]  You described yourself as a sensitive person, an empath.  How has the acceptance of your true essence shifted your ability to be authentic to yourself?   Lunita said it had been a journey and a stubborn need to overcome the distortions, toxic family structure, the lies she told herself, and accept she is not like anyone else and isn’t meant to be.  Her reclamation of herself came from sobriety and being sober.  She avoided talking about recovery during her first two years of sobriety because of the shame.  Now she knows some of the most radical, authentic beings have issues with addiction.  She is learning to make space for herself, rebel for herself, and heal herself so she can be an example for her daughters.   [41:46] Tell me about your relationships and how they have shifted over the years?   Lunita said the law of quantum physics means our vibe attracts people who are with us.    She was attracting certain people who were looking for a healing, medicine, or heart.  Those relationships were not serving her because they were one-way relationships.  Now she has an amazing partner because she is serving her highest self.  She attracts people who participate equally in relationships with her.  She was dating the same version of who she was.  When she started honoring her true self, all of her relationships changed.  She now attracts beautiful heart-centered people.   [46:39}  Rapid Fire Round   <ol> <li>What are you excited about right now?</li> </ol> I am completely myself – for better or worse.  In every relationship, in every moment, I am myself.  It is such a relief.   <ol start="2"> <li>What would you say to your younger self?</li> </ol> Your weirdness is magic.  You don’t have to try to be cool, Do YOU.   <ol start="3"> <li>What is your favorite ice cream flavor?</li> </ol> Chocolate chip cookie dough   <ol start="4"> <li>What piece of guidance would you give to listeners who are thinking about ditching the booze?</li> </ol> You are so much braver and more capable than you think.  If I can do it, you can do it.  Seek support from people who want to help you.  Dig into yourself.   There is an endless well of spirit and heart.  We just have to tap into that – it’s there.  I promise everything you need you have.   You may have to say adios to booze if ….   If you are hiding bottles.   Odette’s Weekly Challenge Search for sober people in your interest bubbles (sober Mom’s, sober artists, sober photographers, sober writers).  We are all out here; you just have to look closer.  Denzel Washington said, “I made a commitment to completely cut out drinking and anything that might hamper me from getting my mind and body together.  The floodgates of goodness have opened upon me:  spiritually, emotionally, and financially.    You are not alone, together is always better.  Welcome to the sober club.  I promise it's going to be fun.        Upcoming events, retreats, and courses: <ul> <li><a href="https://www.recoveryelevator.com/bozeman/">Bozeman 2021</a> (August 18-22, 2021) This is our flagship annual retreat held in the pristine forests of Big Sky Country, 10 miles south of Bozeman, Montana. During this 5-day event, you’ll discover how to expand the boundaries of your comfort zone.</li> <li>You can find more information about our events </li> </ul>   Affiliate Link for Endourage: For 10% off your first CBD order with Endourage visit this <a href= "https://endourage.com/affiliate-partner/recoveryelevator" target= "_blank" rel="noopener">link</a> and use the promo code elevator at checkout.    Affiliate Link for Amazon: Shop via Amazon using this <a href= "https://www.recoveryelevator.com/amazon">link</a>.   The book, Alcohol is SH!T, is out. Pick up your paperback copy on Amazon <a href= "https://www.amazon.com/Alcohol-is-Sht-Paul-Churchill-audiobook/dp/B07XFGVMQ9/ref=sr_1_1?dchild=1&keywords=alcohol+is+shit&qid=1590430998&sr=8-1" 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:  <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://www.youtube.com/channel/UCuWac9dxkn3J93xJOka3L2g">Recovery Elevator YouTube</a> - Subscribe here! <a href="https://appsto.re/us/z8w_5.i">Sobriety Tracker iTunes </a>     “Recovery Elevator – Without the darkness you would never know the light - I love you guys”

RE 317: Debunking: Sober is Boring

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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

Have you ever thought that living without alcohol might be a bit dull? Lunita from San Diego is here to prove you wrong. In this episode of Recovery Elevator, she opens up about her life since she took her last drink on October 10, 2020. With hosts Paul Churchill and Kristopher Oyen, Lunita dives into how her alcohol-free journey has been anything but boring.She shares how she tapped into her inner strength and found a well of spirit and heart she didn't know existed. Her story is a testament to the vibrant and fulfilling life that sobriety can offer. Odette also chimes in with her weekly message, tackling the myth that sobriety equals boredom. She highlights some famous faces like Bradley Cooper and Brad Pitt, who credit their success to living sober.Their stories, along with Lunita's, show that giving up alcohol doesn't mean giving up fun or excitement. This episode is perfect for anyone curious about sobriety or looking for inspiration on their own journey. Whether you're newly sober, supporting a loved one, or just wondering what life without alcohol might look like, Lunita's story offers a fresh perspective. Tune in for an engaging conversation about mental health, community support, and the endless possibilities that come with living alcohol-free.

Paul Churchill

Paul Churchill

RE 317: Debunking: Sober is Boring

RE 317: Debunking: Sober is Boring

RE 317: Debunking: Sober is Boring

Monday 15th March 2021

About this podcast

Recovery Elevator

Lunita's Journey: Busting the Myth That Sobriety is Dull