by Kris Oyen | Jan 24, 2022 | Podcast
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Today we have Noelle. She is 31 years old and from Colorado. Her last drink was on June 24, 2019.
Highlights from Odette
Odette is working on Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) with her therapist. ACT encourages people to embrace their thoughts and feelings rather than fighting or feeling guilty for them.
Odette is learning not to shove her feelings away but to accept them and learn not to fuse them. Embracing negative thoughts can propel you into the right thoughts and behaviors.
If I let this thought guide what I can do, will it help me create the life I want? Use the thought if it helps; diffuse it if it’s not helpful.
betterhelp.com/elevator
[8:54] Kris introduces Noelle
Noelle has been sober for 2.5 years – over 900 days! She is an engineer and works with her brother. She has a Doberman and loves hiking, skiing, and getting outside to enjoy Colorado.
Noelle had a fake ID at 17 and always thought about how to get alcohol easier. She got into college because of her basketball skills. She got a DUI at 18, but there were no consequences. She and others justified her drinking because she excelled academically, professionally, and in basketball. She drank to get drunk. She crashed her truck for her 2nd DUI, and the consequences didn’t faze her yet. She continued to excel professionally. Workaholism and alcoholism went hand in hand for Noelle.
Noelle’s got her third DUI at age 27. She went to jail and had five months of work release and in-home detention. She accepted a TOP 30 under 30 business award, but she wore an ankle monitor during the awards ceremony and slept in a cot in jail that night. Six months later, she stopped drinking. She was a dry drunk; she just removed the alcohol. She had a one-day relapse. The following day she went to an AA meeting. Noelle has now learned that sobriety is about quality vs. quantity. She has a sponsor, is working the steps, and spiritual elegance is part of her journey.
At her sponsor’s urging, she wrote a drunkalogue which helped her see the wreckage of her past and the risky behavior. Noelle has learned that you are exactly where you are supposed to be. She is now learning to live in peace with unsolved problems.
Noelle met Odette in April when she was hiking at Zion National Park. Meeting Odette was a higher power “God shot” moment in front of hundreds of people. Recovery Elevator podcasts were critical to her early recovery and AA meetings.
You may have to say adios to booze if…
You get a Denver Business Award journal for the Top 30 Under 30 and sleep in a cot in jail that night.
Kris’s final thoughts:
Kris spoke about the impact that his drinking had on his loved ones. A door opened after a challenging conversation with his wife. Acknowledging her comments, he was scared and hopeless and beginning to face the consequences of his actions. Faith carried Kris through, and he reminds us to do the next right thing. We heal with each step we take.
Upcoming events, retreats, and courses:
- You can find more information about our events
Sponsor: BetterHelp www.betterhelp.com/elevator
Affiliate Link for Amazon: Shop via Amazon using this link.
The book, Alcohol is SH!T, is out. Pick up your paperback copy on Amazon here! You can get the Audible version here!
Resources:
Connect with Cafe RE – Use the promo code OPPORTUNITY to waive the set-up fee.
Recovery Elevator YouTube – Subscribe here!
Sobriety Tracker iTunes
“Recovery Elevator –the door has been opened; let’s walk through this together- I love you guys.”
by Kris Oyen | Jan 17, 2022 | Podcast
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Today we have Eric. He is 58 years old and from New Jersey. His last drink was on February 10, 2019.
The RE Alcohol Free Ukulele course registration is open! Sign up here.
For more information about our Denver event, please go here.
From Paul: Why is working with the nervous system so important?
The cycle: The more the nervous system is in check the more you want to do things that bring you joy. The more you do things that bring you joy, the more your nervous system calms down.
Listen to the nature sounds playlist. We forget that we come from nature, we evolved with the crickets and blue jays. All you have to do is listen to nature sounds and allow it to calm the nervous system.
[10:03] Odette introduces Eric.
Eric is 58 years old and from New Jersey. He is a teacher. He also enjoys performing in theater as well as teaching theater. For fun he likes hiking and going to the gym. Being in nature is important to him.
He grew up around alcohol and for him it was very normalized. As a kid in high school, he would take beer from his father and drink them on camping trips. In college is where he said his drinking ramped up. He was able to get drunk very fast and he began to black out from time to time.
After two DUIs in the Midwest he took a job in New Jersey and continued drinking. He then received a 3rd DUI and a 4th DUI. But because it was in a different state he skated under the radar and was able to deal with lower ramifications.
February 10, 2018 his mother passed. He thought to him as he was on the plane home “Now the healing can begin”. He’s been learning what that means ever since.
You may have to say adios to booze if…
you are now dealing with your 5th DUI and you still think it’s just a glitch and it’s not a problem.
Odette’s final thoughts:
Don’t put so much pressure on yourself. Get off the rat race and be kind to yourself. Take a moment today and focus on something good. Accept where you are.
Upcoming events, retreats and courses:
- You can find more information about our events
Sponsors:
Exact Nature www.exactnature.com Code: RE20
BetterHelp: www.betterhelp.com/elevator
Affiliate Link for Amazon: Shop via Amazon using this link.
The book, Alcohol is SH!T, is out. Pick up your paperback copy on Amazon here! You can get the Audible version here!
Resources:
Connect with Cafe RE – Use the promo code OPPORTUNITY to waive the set-up fee.
Recovery Elevator YouTube – Subscribe here!
Sobriety Tracker iTunes
“Recovery Elevator –stay awkward and weird, you won’t regret it- I love you guys.”
by Kris Oyen | Jan 10, 2022 | Podcast
Podcast: Play in new window | Download
Subscribe to the Recovery Elevator Podcast Apple Podcasts | | More
Today we have Lane. She is from San Francisco. Her last drink was on December 30, 1996.
The RE Alcohol Free Ukulele course registration opens January 7th 2022. Sign up here.
For more information about our Denver event, please go here.
Paul reminds you that you’re declining one drink at a time. When we think about quitting drinking, a scenario arises in our mind with 100’s of people, simultaneously offering us drinks, all at once. That will never happen, and just like one day at a time, you’re saying no to one drink at a time.
As Paul mentioned at the end of last year he wants to cover the Nervous System, which is what he’ll be covering today, and in future episodes. Today he covers why it’s important to have a balanced nervous system and he explains, in layman’s terms, what the nervous system is.
[11:38] Odette introduces Lane.
Lane is in her 50s, and lives in San Francisco, CA. She took her last drink on December 30, 1996. Lane is a wife and mother and a mindfulness and meditation teacher. Lane loves to hike, listen to really good music and dance.
Lane had her first drink at the age of 12 and blacked out. This pattern continued with her into her 20s. She loved the effect that alcohol had on her. She was very involved in sports during school and nobody knew she was drinking like she was.
Everything on the outside looked normal, but on the inside she depended on that drink. She didn’t think she had a problem because her friends drank like she did. To be hungover was normal, was life.
It wasn’t until she sent her best friend to the hospital with a concussion, while in a blackout, that she started to think that something was wrong with her drinking.
On New Years Eve (1996) she went to a “meeting” with some friends, unknowingly this meeting turned out to be an AA meeting. She heard the message of recovery that night and had hope.
When Lane was 5 years sober she fell into Buddhism and found a way out, through prayer and meditation and that has been the golden thread throughout the last 20 years of her recovery.
Lane says becoming a mother 12 years ago has been the most challenging thing in her recovery.
You may have to say adios to booze if…
you just drank and you get into a car and you drive.
Odette’s final thoughts:
Take care of yourself, believe in yourself and believe in possibility.
Upcoming events, retreats and courses:
- You can find more information about our events
Sponsors:
SOBERLINK:Did you know there are 15 million people in the U.S. with an Alcohol Use Disorder? And yet, there is still a stigma that surrounds addiction and recovery. We need to stop being ashamed and start sharing in our sobriety.
That’s why we’re so excited to have a sponsor like Soberlink who shares in our beliefs.
If you haven’t heard of the Soberlink alcohol monitoring system, it’s the perfect accountability tool for those in recovery. It can help you rebuild trust and get back on track despite slips or relapses.
We’ve teamed up with Soberlink to provide you with “Tips for Handling a Relapse” which is a guide that can be downloaded at www.soberlink.com/recovery-elevator.
On that page, you’ll also find a form to sign up for a $50-off promo code for you or a loved one who is ready to take the next step in their recovery journey.
Exact Nature exactnature.com Code: RE20
Affiliate Link for Amazon: Shop via Amazon using this link.
The book, Alcohol is SH!T, is out. Pick up your paperback copy on Amazon here! You can get the Audible version here!
Resources:
Connect with Cafe RE – Use the promo code OPPORTUNITY to waive the set-up fee.
Recovery Elevator YouTube – Subscribe here!
Sobriety Tracker iTunes
“Recovery Elevator –together is always better- I love you guys.”
by Kris Oyen | Jan 3, 2022 | Podcast
Podcast: Play in new window | Download
Subscribe to the Recovery Elevator Podcast Apple Podcasts | | More
Today we have Shea. She is 42 years old and from Michigan. Her last drink was on August 9, 2021.
The RE Dry January course: REstore began January 1. There’s still time to join us! Sign up here.
The RE Alcohol Free Ukulele course registration opens January 7th 2022. Sign up here.
For more information about our Denver event, please go here.
From Paul: “I cannot tell you how to quit drinking”
For Paul the most important thing that helped him along his journey to being alcohol free is: accountability. Paul tells his story of one of his attempts to stop drinking in 2014. He told his family he needed help.
Paul’s 2022 goal is simply: To be sober.
As he continues to build time away from alcohol, he wants to remind listeners that even he doesn’t have it all together. And the thing he’s most proud of is the ability to recognize the insanity of his own thinking mind.
* Silencio Bruno *
[09:03] Odette introduces Shea.
Shea is 42 years old and from Michigan. She took her last drink on August 9, 2021. She has two boys, a full time physicians assistant for cardiac surgery and is also in Law School. For fun she loves to move her body, recovery related activities and build community.
In Shea’s senior year of high school she began to develop coping mechanisms for trauma through her life. At first the focus was on an eating disorder and then she turned to alcohol. Immediately she took to alcohol and drugs and she lost all fear. While she knew this path was wrong, she wanted freedom and thought it was here. By 18 she had developed an addiction to heroin, but focused on school with daily drinking. During this time she also attended her first AA meeting. Through some admitted luck she was able to avoid jail time and was put into a court appointed drug and alcohol program.
After 13 years (2015) of alcohol and drug recovery she decided she wasn’t an addict anymore and began to drink again and would be able to moderate. Before the first glass of wine was done she was planning the second.
The community and steps of AA work for her, knowing that there are a million different avenues she can take to recovery has made her experience this time around different and meaningful. Finding and accepting her own self honesty has given her freedom.
You may have to say adios to booze if…
you are finding bottles in your basement in old boxes and you don’t remember putting them there.
Odette’s final thoughts:
This is a great time to set some goals and intentions. Write down what you want to happen this year.
Upcoming events, retreats and courses:
- You can find more information about our events
Sponsor: Exact Nature exactnature.com Code: RE20
Affiliate Link for Amazon: Shop via Amazon using this link.
The book, Alcohol is SH!T, is out. Pick up your paperback copy on Amazon here! You can get the Audible version here!
Resources:
Connect with Cafe RE – Use the promo code OPPORTUNITY to waive the set-up fee.
Recovery Elevator YouTube – Subscribe here!
Sobriety Tracker iTunes
“Recovery Elevator –together is always better- I love you guys.”
by Kris Oyen | Dec 27, 2021 | Podcast
Podcast: Play in new window | Download
Subscribe to the Recovery Elevator Podcast Apple Podcasts | | More
Episode 358 – Don’t Forget to Sing Your Song
Today we have Randy. He is 43, from Indianapolis, and took his last drink on December 30, 2016.
Registration is now open for Restore which begins January 1,2022. https://www.recoveryelevator.com/restore/
Highlights from Paul
This week’s tips from Paul include: 1) not everyone drinks, 2) sing, 3) give yourself a hug and say I love you.
There is a lot of uncertainty in the world and change is hard. Find your song, that melody in your soul that is uniquely you that you sing over and over. You are the master creator of your life. https://www.recoveryelevator.com/meditations/
Exact Nature exactnature.com Code: RE20
[9:27] Randy has been sober for nearly 5 years. He is married with 4 kids and loves animals and running.
Randy was on episode 129. Randy was in the restaurant business, and he was always surrounded by people who drank. Toward the end, the hangovers and anxiety began to take a toll on him.
Drinking was a reward for Randy. Today, Randy doesn’t have to think about drinking. He isn’t spending money on alcohol. Now he can afford season tickets to the Colt’s game. He doesn’t have to think about getting there or getting back, because he is sober.
Randy is now methodical vs living on instant gratification. He is more approachable and he loves giving service to others.
Initially watching football was really hard for Randy, because the sport was so engrained with alcohol. Now he enjoys games more than ever.
Kris’s Summary
Kris speaks to the term chosen family. Kris’ recovery family wants him to be successful and free. They take him at his best and his worst. They laugh together, cry together, dance and walk the path together. We need to open up, be vulnerable and let others love us until we learn to love ourselves. You can do this.
Sponsor: Exact Nature exactnature.com Code: RE20
Holiday 2021 AF Survival Guide
- Stock up on your favorite AF beverages or another type of treat.
- Begin a new healthy practice that you enjoy.
- Develop a detailed craving game plan.
- FOMO to JOMO – Pick an upcoming event and sit it out.
- Select a Holiday Theme Song.
- Pick your Thanksgiving beverage of choice and enjoy
- One minute of intense mindfulness
- Sticky Note – Write a reminder, affirmation, or goal on a sticky note and place it somewhere where you’ll see it each day
- Have a fun escape plan
- Offer to do the dishes
- Study your why’s
- Rest
- Uno reverse card
- Remind yourself you are safe
- Play the tape forward
- Treat yourself to a gift
- Take 3 deep breaths
Upcoming events, retreats, and courses:
- You can find more information about our events
Resources
Connect with Cafe RE – Use the promo code OPPORTUNITY to waive the set-up fee.
Recovery Elevator YouTube – Subscribe here!
Sobriety Tracker iTunes
