What happens when inner turmoil meets the quest for sobriety? In this episode of 'Recovery Elevator,' Mark, a 45-year-old from Connecticut, opens up about his path to sobriety after taking his last drink on January 15, 2023. Host Paul Churchill dives into the heart of Mark's story, highlighting the inevitable conflicts we all face and how they can become a catalyst for change.

Mark's candid account reveals the struggles and triumphs of dealing with inner conflict while seeking balance and peace. His journey is a testament to the power of self-acceptance and the supportive sober community. Through Mark's experiences, listeners gain insight into the challenges of reconciling different parts of oneself and the broader societal imbalances that affect us all.

This episode offers a blend of personal narrative and practical advice, making it a must-listen for anyone grappling with addiction or supporting someone who is. Tune in to hear how Mark navigated his inner battles and found strength in sobriety, offering hope and inspiration for your own journey.

Join Mark as he shares his journey to sobriety, embracing inner conflict and finding balance in Recovery Elevator's episode 'Inner Conflict.'

Mark's Sobriety Journey: Embracing Inner Conflict and Finding Balance

Episode 437 – Inner Conflict   Today we have Mark who is 45 from Connecticut and took his last drank on January 15, 2023.   Thank you to all of the Café RE chat hosts. You all do a great job!   We have partnered with <a href= "https://www.soberlink.com/partners/recovery-elevator">Sober Link</a>.  You can find some tips and can sign up for a $50 off promo code.     [01:55] Highlights from Paul:   It is impossible to avoid conflict in a human life. All attempts to avoid it,  will only result in more conflict. It built into the human experience. After all, we are reconciling the Yin to our Yang on a daily basis. Somedays the dark side says take a seat, and the next day, we welcome the light.   Addictions take hold when is there is intense inner conflict. When parts of our personalities are out of balance. Or when parts of us are screaming for attention because we are in pain. In addition, this inner imbalance is a representation that the whole of society is out of balance causing many of us to question “what the hell is going on?”. Your individual unrest is not separate from the whole.   And how do we solve the “what the hell is going on” question? We do the inner work. We face this inner conflict. We learn from it. We recognize what the addiction is trying to force us to do.   Better Help:  <a href="http://www.betterhelp.com/elevator"> www.betterhelp.com/elevator</a> - 10% off your first month. #sponsored   [10:39] Kris introduces Mark:   Mark is 45, lives in Connecticut has five months alcohol free at the time of this recording. He is married and has two dogs and a cat. He works in marketing and customer experience. For fun Mark loves to hike, ski and garden.   Alcohol has been part of Mark’s life for as long as he can remember. At a very young age his dad gave him a sip of his beer and Mark liked it. Mark didn’t drink much until his senior year of high school when he came out as gay. He and his brother would go to the local bar on the weekends in an effort to connect with others like them.   Mark’s drinking progressed throughout college, but he had the “work hard, play hard” mentality and tried to limit his drinking to the weekends while being productive during the week. This continued through the beginning of his career. At many of his work events, it was seen as abnormal to drink more than two drinks. Mark found himself always wanting to leave these events in order to go find more alcohol. Later at another job the culture was different where everyone drank like Mark wanted to. Alcohol was always present in his day-to-day life, so he didn’t need to hide it.   The consequences of Mark’s drinking started to impact his life. He was drinking daily and even more on the weekends and vacations. He became fearful as he had more experiences of blacking out. Mark feels that the fear came from not being comfortable with himself. After being able to stack some sober days, he realized the fear came from self-loathing. As he started evaluating how he ended up drinking so much he realized he had become a people pleaser but drinking made it harder and harder to live up to expectations. He started feeling shame around his drinking.   Mark started his journey by trying Dry January, listening to podcasts and reading books. Mark found himself in a cycle of gaining some sobriety time and then getting derailed. He reached the point where he didn’t enjoy drinking anymore. Mark sought out a therapist who helped him recognize that he was doing it alone and pushed Mark to attend AA and find community. He struggled to connect with AA and decided to try Café RE. Once Mark realized that this couldn’t be done alone, he was able to push his fear aside and explore recovery with a community.   Mark’s plan in sobriety moving forward: to continue making connections, making sobriety a priority every day.   Mark’s parting piece of guidance: don’t give up and be willing to try everything. It will be scary but it’s worth it.   <a href= "https://www.recoveryelevator.com/cafere/">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> <a href= "https://appsto.re/us/z8w_5.i">Sobriety Tracker iTunes </a>     We took the elevator down, but we’ve got to take the stairs back up I love you guys.

RE 437: Inner Conflict

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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 happens when inner turmoil meets the quest for sobriety? In this episode of 'Recovery Elevator,' Mark, a 45-year-old from Connecticut, opens up about his path to sobriety after taking his last drink on January 15, 2023. Host Paul Churchill dives into the heart of Mark's story, highlighting the inevitable conflicts we all face and how they can become a catalyst for change.Mark's candid account reveals the struggles and triumphs of dealing with inner conflict while seeking balance and peace. His journey is a testament to the power of self-acceptance and the supportive sober community. Through Mark's experiences, listeners gain insight into the challenges of reconciling different parts of oneself and the broader societal imbalances that affect us all.This episode offers a blend of personal narrative and practical advice, making it a must-listen for anyone grappling with addiction or supporting someone who is. Tune in to hear how Mark navigated his inner battles and found strength in sobriety, offering hope and inspiration for your own journey.

Paul Churchill

Paul Churchill

RE 437: Inner Conflict

RE 437: Inner Conflict

RE 437: Inner Conflict

Monday 3rd July 2023

About this podcast

Recovery Elevator

Mark's Sobriety Journey: Embracing Inner Conflict and Finding Balance

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