by Paul Churchill | Mar 9, 2020 | Podcast
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Aaron took his last drink October 6, 2019. This is his story.
If you have ever wanted to attend a Recovery Elevator event you should get yourself to Denver in June for the Recovery Elevator LIVE: Dancing with the Mind – June 11-14th, 2020. This event will be, essentially, the closeout event for Recovery Elevator. You can find more information about our event here.
On today’s episode Paul talks about it being possible for things to coexist in your life, you can feel calm and accomplished while you still have things to do. It is important to recognize both parts equally. When you are in the middle of a tough emotion you can chose to ride it out on the surface, which would be the mind, or deep down, which would be the belly area of the body. Do you best to get out of the mind and stay in the belly, preferably with belly breaths.
[13:00] Paul introduces Aaron.
Aaron is 54 years old and lives in Pittsburgh, PA. He is a chiropractor and loves health, fitness and exercise. Aaron has a 65-acre farm and plays rugby.
[17:50] Give us a background on your drinking.
Aaron didn’t drink until his dad passed away from heart failure when Aaron was a junior in college. His friend left some wine coolers at his house and he decided to give them a try and he liked the way they made him feel. He continued to drink through college and alcohol made him the life of the party.
Aaron moved to Florida after graduation, he was 21 years old and had a teaching degree. He was only drinking on the weekends at this time and started playing rugby. He says drinking and rugby go hand in hand.
Aaron graduated from chiropractor school and continued to only drink on the weekends. This was his drinking pattern through his 30s and 40s. It was in his late 40s that he realized that he hadn’t gone a week without drinking, even if it was only on the weekends. He thought he might have an issue with alcohol but he didn’t think it was a big deal.
[29:55] Talk to us about how you tried to hide it before you fully got on board on stopping.
Aaron says that this went on for years. He was hiding beers in cereal boxes. He was waking up in the middle of the night with pounding headaches. Aaron said his wife started to notice what he was doing and started to call him out. He started getting sick and having headaches after just 2 beers.
[33:33] Get us up to speed to before your sobriety date.
Aaron says in 2018 he stopped drinking for 6 months, but then at a bar one night said, “I got this.”, and had an IPA. That started another year of drinking for Aaron. In October of 2019 he said he has got to stop (drinking) and that time he meant it.
[39:22] What has been working for you these last few months?
Aaron said he listened to the Recovery Elevator podcast. He told his wife and kids. Aaron has started to tell other people that he just isn’t drinking anymore.
[42:05] What has been the biggest thing you have learned about yourself along the way?
Aaron says he thinks he saw himself as being compulsive and having a problem and then thinking he can break the problem.
[47:40] What got you through your brother’s death without taking a drink?
Aaron said he had no desire to drink at all, he knew that his brother’s death was caused by alcohol. He no longer has a mental or physical desire for alcohol.
[51:30] Rapid Fire Round
- What’s a lightbulb moment you’ve had on this journey?
When I saw my kids drinking and having problems that I had.
- What is a memorable moment that a life without alcohol has provided you?
When we go out to restaurants and I order water with lemon.
- What’s your favorite alcohol-free drink?
Seltzer water.
- What are some of your favorite resources?
I only have one, I listen to Recovery Elevator over and over and over.
- What is on your bucket list in a life without alcohol?
I just want to have family functions without beer.
- What parting piece of guidance can you give to listeners?
Just keep listening.
You might need to ditch the booze if…
When you are having drinks out at the restaurant and you go to the bathroom and your pee is clear and you say to yourself, yes…it’s kicking in, because you know now that the beer is kicking in.
Upcoming Events and Retreats.
Recovery Elevator LIVE: Dancing with the Mind – in Colorado – June 11-14th, 2020
You can find more information about our event here.
The book, Alcohol is Sh!t, is out. Pick up your paperback copy on Amazon here! You can get the Audible version here!
Resources mentioned in this episode:
Connect with Cafe RE– Use the promo code OPPORTUNITY for your first month free
Sobriety Tracker iTunes
Sobriety Tracker Android
Sober Selfies! – Send your Sober Selfie and your Success Story to info@recoveryelevator.com
“Recovery Elevator – It All Starts from the Inside Out. We can do this.”
by Paul Churchill | Mar 2, 2020 | Podcast
Podcast: Play in new window | Download
Subscribe to the Recovery Elevator Podcast Apple Podcasts | | More
Tara took her last drink February 4, 2019. This is her story.
On today’s episode Paul talks about the top 10 reasons for quitting drinking. Number one; your authentic self will begin to emerge. Number two; you don’t have a headache due to lack of aspirin in your system. Number three; you’ll begin to find out who you aren’t. Number four; you’re open to signs from the universe. Number five; you can start to see the insanity of the mind. Number six; your brain will start to produce regular amounts of melatonin. Number seven; welcome back oxytocin. Number eight; you’re part of something much bigger. Number nine; you stop hoping. Number ten; you have a chance to start working on the one big lesson you’ve signed up for in this lifetime.
[19:15] Paul introduces Tara.
Tara is 46 years old and lives in Seattle, WA. She is a preschool teacher, founded her own preschool 25 years ago. She is married to her high school sweetheart and has 2 adult children. For fun Tara loves to dance.
[22:30] Give us a background on your drinking.
Tara says there were 3 scary moments that caused her to pause and think that alcohol could be a problem. The first was when she was 15 years old and she was at a wedding and the bar was opened up to her. This was a formal wedding and Tara jumped into the pool. She was the only one in the pool.
Tara’s second scary moment was also in high school. She was at a party drinking hard alcohol and decided to get into the hot tub. Tara says she got so sick that she threw up blood.
Tara’s third scary moment came when she was in her forties and was on an annual girl’s trip to Palm Springs. She drank like she normally did, with no off switch, and she fell and hit her head. All Tara could think about when that happened is that that was how her dad died.
[38:25] Talk to us about right before you quit drinking.
Tara says she went to a party and started drinking, and instead of calming her anxiety like she felt alcohol usually did, her anxiety amped up. It made her question how much she was going to have to drink to feel that ‘warm blanket’.
[42:50] Your Dad is listening right now, what do you have to say to him?
Tara said she just wants to let her Dad know that she loves him, and she’s proud of him.
[45:20] How did your relationship with your husband change after you quit drinking?
Tara says that her bond with her husband is even stronger and deeper now.
[49:00] What has been your biggest challenge this last year?
Tara says is the ones that kind or catch you out of nowhere.
[50:40] What’s an excuse you used to tell yourself of why you couldn’t quit drinking?
Tara said it was telling herself that she didn’t drink every day or that she didn’t drink by herself.
[51:20] What are your thoughts on relapse?
Tara says that on a personal level she doesn’t see it happening to herself.
[54:40] Rapid Fire Round
- What’s a lightbulb moment you’ve had on this journey?
I’m happier without alcohol.
- What is a memorable moment that a life without alcohol has provided you?
A trip to Costa Rica and no drinking whatsoever.
- What’s your favorite alcohol-free drink?
I like iced tea or Bubly water with a little mint in it.
- What are some of your favorite resources?
I love to listen to your podcast, and many others.
- What is on your bucket list in a life without alcohol?
A lot more travel, and I hope to go to Thailand.
- What parting piece of guidance can you give to listeners?
Just stick with it.
You might need to ditch the booze if…
You put a bikini on at a formal wedding and jump into the pool when nobody else is in the pool.
Upcoming Events and Retreats.
Recovery Elevator LIVE: Dancing with the Mind – in Colorado – June 11-14th, 2020
You can find more information about our event here.
The book, Alcohol is Sh!t, is out. Pick up your paperback copy on Amazon here! You can get the Audible version here!
Resources mentioned in this episode:
Connect with Cafe RE– Use the promo code OPPORTUNITY for your first month free
Sobriety Tracker iTunes
Sobriety Tracker Android
Sober Selfies! – Send your Sober Selfie and your Success Story to info@recoveryelevator.com
“Recovery Elevator – It All Starts from the Inside Out. We can do this.”
by Paul Churchill | Feb 24, 2020 | Podcast
Podcast: Play in new window | Download
Subscribe to the Recovery Elevator Podcast Apple Podcasts | | More
Vinny took his last drink 9 ½ years ago. This is his story.
On today’s episode Paul talks about change. Whether you like it, or not, you are always changing. You’re either building new circuits or adding new blockages to your energy field. With an addiction it’s either gaining momentum or you’re lessening the energetic bonds of the addiction. You must make time to always do the work.
[15:45] Paul introduces Vinny.
Vinny is 61 years old and lives in Bangkok. For fun Vinny like to read, watch a good TV series, going to meetings and helping people.
[19:20] Give us a background on your drinking.
Vinny discovered alcohol in his late teens and continued to use it for 10 years. The next 10 years involved alcohol and smoking marijuana. He added crack to the mix and became a crack addict for the following 5 years. He went to 2 treatment centers and didn’t get clean until 2004. He hit his bottom while living (homeless) in Las Vegas. He managed to get sober after that and it lasted 3 years.
[22:45] What in your message you want to get out?
Vinny says that recovery can be simple. Simple means it’s not complicated.
[27:13] How can thinking get us into more trouble?
Vinny says that most of us do not think, or see, very clearly. He says we act based on the false evidence we see in front of us, so obviously if we are not relating to reality, we are always going to make the wrong choices.
[30:05] What do you see is the biggest challenge that someone on this journey will face?
Vinny says he thinks that people have the illusion that they have to do it all themselves.
[38:05] What do you think addiction is and where do you think it comes from?
Vinny says he doesn’t know where addiction comes from, and that it doesn’t matter.
[44:00] Talk to us a little bit about self-loathing.
Vinny says self-loathing is shame.
[46:35] Talk to us about burning the ships and being honest with others.
Vinny says that sometimes we are not even aware that we aren’t honest with ourselves.
[52:30] Do you think that someone can become recovered?
Vinny says if you want to use the word recovered in the present moment, yes. If recovered means you are cured, then no.
[54:50] Rapid Fire Round
- What is your favorite alcohol-free drink?
Pepsi-Cola
- What is a memorable moment that a life without alcohol has provided you?
The energy here at my job, on a Saturday afternoon, seeing 30 recovering people connect with each other.
- What’s some of the best advice you’ve ever received?
Don’t take yourself too seriously.
- And what parting piece of guidance can you give to listeners?
Take responsibility for yourself.
You might need to ditch the booze if…
You are a healthcare provider and you are taking care of somebody that needs you, and you have ran out of booze at 3 o’clock in the morning, and you abandon him and go and get booze.
Upcoming Events and Retreats.
Recovery Elevator LIVE: Dancing with the Mind – in Colorado – June 11-14th, 2020
Recovery Elevator in Costa Rica: From Jungle to the Beach – October 8 – 18th, 2020
You can find more information about our events here.
The book, Alcohol is Sh!t, is out. Pick up your paperback copy on Amazon here! You can get the Audible version here!
Resources mentioned in this episode:
ZipRecruiter
This episode is brought to you in support by ZipRecruiter. Right now, my listeners can try ZipRecruiter for free. Visit Ziprecruiter.com/elevator
Connect with Cafe RE– Use the promo code OPPORTUNITY for your first month free
Sobriety Tracker iTunes
Sobriety Tracker Android
Sober Selfies! – Send your Sober Selfie and your Success Story to info@recoveryelevator.com
“Recovery Elevator – It All Starts from the Inside Out. We can do this.”
by Paul Churchill | Feb 17, 2020 | Podcast
Podcast: Play in new window | Download
Subscribe to the Recovery Elevator Podcast Apple Podcasts | | More
Sofi took her last drink on April 28, 2014. This is her story.
In today’s episode, Paul talks about tough love. If you are saying you want to quit drinking…but…”you can’t because…fill in the blank ”, or “you can’t because you don’t want to…fill in the blank”, in other words, you want to quit but don’t want to put in the work, well here’s some tough love for you…that doesn’t work.
[11:00] Paul introduces Sofi.
Sofi is 30 years old and it from London. She has 4 older sisters. For fun Sofi enjoys exercise and hanging out in nature while listening to podcasts.
[15:00] Give us a background on your drinking.
Sofi says she has always had an addictive personality. With alcohol Sofi noticed a change around the age of 14. She was at a boarding school so all her drinking took place on the weekends. Sofi says that the wheels came off when she went to university.
Freshman year she was going out every night. By her 2nd year of university, when most of her friends had slowed down, Sofi continued her drinking ways.
Sofi never finished university and at the age of 21 was in her fist rehab. That began a revolving door for the next 4 years…rehab, relapse, rehab, relapse.
[21:00] 13 treatment centers, was there ever a time when you just felt like the next one wasn’t going to work?
Sofi says she liked rehab. She liked that when she was there, she met people that thought like she did.
[25:50] What does ‘you can’t think your way out of this problem’ mean to you?
Sofi said she had learned all the tools in all of her rehab stays, but because she didn’t know how to use them, she kept relapsing and going back. It wasn’t until she had a moment of clarity that it all came together and made sense.
[31:15] Talk to us about what you learned in those first 3 years, and then in the 2 years after that.
Sofi says she was learning to live through the highs and lows during the first 3 years. She also learned, through the AA community, that she wasn’t such a bad person and how to make things right with her family. The biggest thing that Sofi has learned, and is still learning, is that she does not need to punish herself.
[34:05] How do you address self-loathing?
Sofi says she at the place where she accepts herself, most of the time. She tries to treat herself as she would treat someone else.
[36:15] Talk to us a little bit about your experience here at Hope Rehab.
Sofi says it is such a fun environment. Hope Rehab is teaching people how to enjoy life sober. There is a big emphasis on exercise.
[41:15] Rapid Fire Round
- What is a memorable moment, that a life without alcohol, has given you?
Going on holiday with my family again, for the first time sober.
- What is your favorite alcohol-free drink?
Hard to narrow it down, but anything sour.
- What are some of your favorite resources?
It’s easily other people.
- What’s on your bucket list in an alcohol-free life?
I’m living it now, going around the world and seeing as much of it as I can.
- And what parting piece of guidance can you give to listeners?
Stay connected.
You might need to ditch the booze if…
You have started drinking secretly.
Upcoming Events and Retreats.
Recovery Elevator LIVE: Dancing with the Mind – in Colorado – June 11-14th, 2020
Recovery Elevator in Costa Rica: From Jungle to the Beach – October 8 – 18th, 2020
You can find more information about our events here.
The book, Alcohol is Sh!t, is out. Pick up your paperback copy on Amazon here! You can get the Audible version here!
Resources mentioned in this episode:
BetterHelp
hope-rehab-center-thailand.com
Visit betterhelp.com/ELEVATOR 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 betterhelp.com/ELEVATOR.
Connect with Cafe RE– Use the promo code OPPORTUNITY for your first month free
Sobriety Tracker iTunes
Sobriety Tracker Android
Sober Selfies! – Send your Sober Selfie and your Success Story to info@recoveryelevator.com
“Recovery Elevator – It All Starts from the Inside Out. We can do this.”
by Paul Churchill | Jan 20, 2020 | Podcast
Podcast: Play in new window | Download
Subscribe to the Recovery Elevator Podcast Apple Podcasts | | More
Bianca took her last drink on October 3, 2018. This is her story.
Update on the Alcohol is Sh!t book! The book is out! Pick up your paperback copy on Amazon here! You can get the Audible version here!
Registration is now open for the 2020’ Recovery Elevator LIVE event, Dancing with the Mind. The event will take place June 11-13 in Denver, CO. You can find more information about our events here.
On today’s episode Paul talks about the process of rediscovering what you like to do, after ditching the booze, and to let it happen organically. He encourages you to engage in activities where you find yourself in a ‘flow state’, or ‘in the zone’. Instead of focusing on new hobbies and fun activities, try to find things where you almost lose yourself.
[7:30] Paul introduces Bianca.
Bianca is 22 years old and is from Austin, TX. She recently graduated from college and is working for a temp agency while she looks for that full time job. Bianca lives with her girlfriend. For fun Bianca spends her time reading and in nature.
[13:40] Give us a background on your drinking.
Bianca didn’t really drink while in high school, but in college she went wild. She tried to moderate during her freshman year by documenting everything she did that involved alcohol. That didn’t work. The following year, 2016, she started doing drugs along with drinking. Bianca does not remember much from her junior year. By the beginning of her senior year (2018) she had a lot of things on her plate and her drinking was still up there.
Bianca says she had a lot of little rock bottoms that finally accumulated into her big rock bottom, which happened on October 3.
[17:40] What happened on October 3?
Bianca and some friends went out to get something to eat. What started out as just one drink escalated to the point that one of her friends took her wallet away from her. They went to a liquor store after that, and Bianca ended up at home, alone, taking shots. She met up with her friends a little later, still sneaking double shots. Bianca stumbled home and after mixing more drugs with the alcohol she passed out. The following morning she woke up hating herself.
[25:00] What was that first month like?
On October 4th Bianca texted the hotline and did what they told her to do, she got rid of her booze and hid her drugs. She says the first few days and nights were tough. She would come home from class and cry. She was having intense nightmares and the shakes. She now feels like she gets a clarity upgrade every 3 months.
[28:10] What was is like getting sober at 22?
Bianca says she actually got sober at 21 and celebrated her 22nd birthday sober. She says it was hard, that there is a big drinking culture in Austin, TX.
[32:00] What was harder, coming out as gay, or as someone with a drinking problem??
Bianca says both were hard. She came out as gay at a very young age. The hard part about telling someone she had a problem with drinking was the shame she felt.
[33:20] What are you working on right now?
Bianca says she is really working on her self-worth and showing up for herself.
[36:20] Have you ever explored why you drank?
Bianca said she has explored that with her therapist. She says growing up her family fell into the victims, of victims, of victims. She wasn’t taught very good coping skills.
[39:20] Rapid Fire Round
- What’s a lightbulb moment you’ve had on this journey?
That I’m responsible for my recovery and nobody else.
- What is a memorable moment that a life without alcohol has given you?
The ability to really feel my emotions and to be surprised.
- What is your favorite alcohol-free drink?
Water.
- What are some of your favorite resources on this journey?
Definitely my sponsor, for sure. Meetings and AA literature.
- What is on your bucket list in an alcohol-free life?
Travel overseas sober.
- And what parting piece of guidance can you give to listeners?
I would tell you all to slow down, as slow as you can go, and to feel your emotions.
You might need to ditch the booze if…
You buy over $200 worth of alcohol and it is confiscated within 3 days by a good friend.
Upcoming Events and Retreats.
Recovery Elevator LIVE: Dancing with the Mind – in Colorado – June 11-14th, 2020
Recovery Elevator in Costa Rica: From Jungle to the Beach – October 8 – 18th, 2020
You can find more information about our events here.
Resources mentioned in this episode:
BetterHelp
Visit betterhelp.com/ELEVATOR 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 betterhelp.com/ELEVATOR.
SkillShare
Get two months of premium membership for free at www.shillshare.com/elevator
That’s two whole months of unlimited access to thousands of classes for free.
Connect with Cafe RE– Use the promo code OPPORTUNITY for your first month free
Sobriety Tracker iTunes
Sobriety Tracker Android
Sober Selfies! – Send your Sober Selfie and your Success Story to info@recoveryelevator.com
“Recovery Elevator – It All Starts from the Inside Out. We can do this.”
