RE 108: 5 Reasons Why We Drink Alcohol

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Amanda, with 19 months since her last drink, shares her story

Why we drink:

Alcohol is everywhere. Drinking appears to be the norm. We are bombarded with alcohol advertisements 67 times a day. Our society has a love affair with booze.
We have a genetic make-up to become addicted to alcohol.
Our environment is flooded with alcohol. We think everything we do should be accompanied by alcohol.
Alcohol is a highly addicted drug.
We have shitty coping skills.

Not on the list of why we drink: a moral failing or a weakness of character

SHOW NOTES

[ 7:45 ] Paul Introduces Amanda. How long have you been sober?

Amanda – I have been sober for 19 months. This is the longest I have ever been sober. I feel very proud of myself.

[ 8:51 ] What is your background?

Amanda – I am from Mississippi but now live in Florida with my 15 year old daughter.

[ 10:27 ] Did you ever try to put rules in place to moderate your drinking?

Amanda – I started drinking when I was 16 so there were no rules in the beginning. I was that sloppy drunk girl in the room. I would start watching the clock for 5:00 which meant it was time to drink.

[ 12:34 ] When did you first realize that you had a problem?

Amanda – In 2010, one bad thing after another happened to me. I was put in jail for domestic violence. I was so ashamed of not being able to control myself with alcohol. I felt that I was a strong person since I had raised my daughter alone. I did not want to appear weak and vulnerable.

[ 14:26 ] Amanda and Paul discuss the stigma of addiction.

Amanda – I had twin cousins who died because of alcohol. Their memory and my daughter were the only reasons why I didn’t commit suicide myself. I felt like no one cared about me so why should I care about myself?

[ 16:01 ] How did you get sober?

Amanda – I did not use AA. I went to a rehab that taught the 12 steps but after I was released, there was no support. No one called or checked on me. My parents had basically just dropped me off at rehab. I still drank for 4 years and then turned to meth. I finally decided that I was either going to die or go back to jail. I moved to another state but was still hanging out with the same type of people. I knew I needed to give up booze so I started looking for something else to do. This led me to find a group of people who were into mud runs. I got into fitness.

[ 21:42 ] Amanda and Paul discuss her days in rehab and her personal development.

Amanda – I did not feel like anything had changed after my 60 days in rehab. Afterward I started looking into motivational development. Someone told me that I was born with a purpose. Everyone has the power to help others. I was under the false assumption that life was going to be a piece of cake. I joined a personal development community (Breather University). The people in this group accepted me and my life has completely changed. I am Amanda and I am amazing! I am not a part of sobriety groups because I hate the alcoholic label. What you say about yourself is what you are.

[ 33:36 ] What is your pump up song?

Paul – Limp Bizkit, “Nookie” (Life is an opportunity, not an obligation).

Amanda – Jason Aldean, “Gonna Know We Were Here” (Self-affirmations are super important to me).

[ 34:08 ] What is your relationship like with your daughter?

Amanda – We have had to rebuild our relationship. She lived with my parents for the last 6 months that I was using. She moved in with me when I went to Florida. There has been a lot of growing and we have had to push through the hard times.

[ 36:50 ] What is a typical day like for you?

Amanda – I say positive affirmations to myself every day. I list 3 things that I am grateful for every day. I try to exercise, read or watch personal development videos every day.

[ 39:09 ] Rapid Fire Round

What was your worst memory from drinking? getting knocked out by a big guy I had tried to beat up
Did you ever have an “oh-shit” moment? jail
What’s your plan moving forward? sharing my story to give others hope
What’s the best advice you’ve ever received (on sobriety)? everything that you go through, isn’t always about you
What parting piece of guidance can you give listeners who are in recovery or thinking about quitting drinking? life is beautiful, fill your void with goodness
You might be an alcoholic if….. you duct tape 2 beers to your hands so that you do not lose them