Recovery Elevator | Stop Drinking, Start Recovering. | Alcohol, Addiction & Life In Sobriety

Kirby took her last drink March 25, 2018. This is her story.   On today’s episode Paul shares more stories from listeners, and Café RE members, sharing their experiences during the Covid-19 pandemic. We’d love to hear how you are doing through this as well. Email your story to info@recoveryelevator.com. Paul shares the details about his free guided meditation. To find those meditations, go here.       [16:41] Paul introduces Kirby.      Kirby is 30 years old and lives in Charleston, SC. She is single and lives with 2 other family members and her 3 cats. For fun Kirby likes to try new things, even things she thinks she won’t be interested in. Spending time outside brings her joy. Her favorite alcohol free concert was Ryan Caraveo.   [19:40] Give us a background on your drinking.    Kirby thinks her first drink was around the age, of 13. She doesn’t exactly remember, but has been able to piece it together through asking friends. Her first black out happened at the age of 16, which she considers the starting poi

Tom took his last drink February 16, 2019.  This is his story. On today’s episode Paul shares stories from listeners, and Café RE members, sharing their experiences during this Covid-19 pandemic.   We’d love to hear how you are doing through this as well.  Email your story to info@recoveryelevator.com.  Paul also reminds us to cut ourselves a break, practice self-love and compassion.  He asks that you love yourself, regardless of where you are on this journey.  For some free guided meditations, go here.     [18:55] Paul introduces Tom.    Tom is 64 years old and lives along the shore of Lake Erie, near Cleveland, OH.  He is married and has 2 adult children, a son and a daughter.  For work Tom is a graphic artist, and for fun Tom loves to cook, which led him to vegetable gardening, which is also a loved pastime of his.  Tom is also a big history buff.          [26:55] Give us a background on your drinking.   Tom started drinking in high school and found it helped him overcome his shyness.  He continued to drin

Derek took his last drink August 22, 2019.  This is his story. On today’s episode Paul talks about what a Nolo drink is, non-alcoholic beers, and kombucha…and whether, or not, we should stay away from them if they have trace amounts of alcohol.  He also talks about the roll, if any, that cannabis and plant medicine play in recovery.  Paul also explains about some of the changes taking place with Café RE.  Sone of the changes is, starting on May 1st, 15% of the membership fees will dedicated towards a partnership with a non-profit organization that is geared towards helping those affected by addiction.    The link to the article where Paul gets his information from can be found here.    [15:35] Paul introduces Derek.    Derek is 35-year-old and is from New York City, currently living in Philadelphia, and is a real estate agent.  Derek loves riding his bike and playing ping pong.        [18:42] Give us a background on your drinking.   Derek started drinking when he was 13 years old, drinking on the streets of

Raj took his last drink May 11, 2014.  This is his story. On today’s episode Paul zooms out and talks about the journey.   If you are listening to this podcast you are an active participant in the center of the ring.  Your conscious decision to ditch the booze places you in the center of the ring.  Who is the critic when you’re in the ring grappling with alcohol?  You are, but you can rewire those thoughts and become your greatest cheerleader.  Watch the video of the little girl not giving up here.    [16:05] Paul introduces Raj.    Raj is 54 years old and is from Las Angeles.  He is divorced and has a 13-year-old son.  Raj is an avid cyclist and says it keeps him sober.    [22:20] Give us a background on your drinking.   Raj says he didn’t really drink until college and even then, it was a very slow progression.  In 1991 Raj started having adverse consequences to his drinking, such a getting a DUI and not getting hired for a job.  In 2010, and the following 3 years, his drinking totally spiraled out of contr

Lucas took his last drink November 13, 2018.  This is his story. On today’s episode Paul talks about crisis.  In some languages the word ‘crisis’ is coupled with the word ‘opportunity’.  Everyone experiences crisis’ in life, but we are the fortunate ones that are forced to reach out for help.  We are then in this together…think the movie, The Breakfast Club.    [11:15] Paul introduces Lucas.    Lucas is 32 years old, was born and raised in the DC metro area.  He is married, no kids yet.  Lucas is a UPS driver.  He has a dog that they rescued from a shelter.  For fun Lucas likes to work out, go to sporting events, and concerts.    [17:00] Give us a background on your drinking.   Lucas started drinking when he was 13 years old.  By the time he was 15/16 he says he would routinely blackout from drinking.  It was at that time he started to realize that it was something he perhaps should look at.  Even though he was aware that he may have a problem at this young age his drinking continued to progress through his 2

Renee took her last drink January 2, 2020.  This is her 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 Rule 22.  What it is.  Why it is important to make this rule a part of your life ASAP.  Rule 22 = Lighten up.  Don’t take yourself too seriously.  Laughter really is the best medicine.  Life is never as serious as the mind wants us to believe.    [12:00] Paul introduces Renee.    Renee is 40 years old and live in Greendale, WI.  She is a hair stylist and is currently working at a children’s hair salon.  She is married and they have 2 kids, a 10-year-old and a 7-year-old.  Renee also has a 20-year-old son from a previous relationship.  For fun Renee likes to hike, camp, go on vacations, paddleboard and jigsaw pu

Janine took her last drink on October 6, 2019.  This is her 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 your comfort zone, why it’s important to have one, why it is so important to get outside of it, and how it is possible to get too far out of it.  The true authentic you doesn’t exist in your comfort zone.  Stepping outside your comfort zone even once, makes it easier that you’ll do it again.  As for ditching the booze, here are some strategies in regards to the comfort zone.  Instead of quitting forever, aim for one day, or 50% of the days in a month.  Burning the ships?  Go at your own pace.  90 meetings in 90 days too much, aim for 1 a week, then 2 a week.      [20:00] Paul introduces Janine.    Janine i

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

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] Gi

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.     [

Sofi took her last drink on April 28, 2014.  This is her story. On 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 drink

Lisa took her last drink on December 16, 2017.  This is her story. On today’s episode Paul talks about moderate drinking, and whether or not it works.  For almost everyone, when we first decide to quit drinking, we try to moderate.  The question isn’t, can I still have alcohol in my life, but…do I want to be a moderate version of my authentic self? Are there success stories of moderate drinking?  Sure.  But they don’t work out in the long run.    [18:30] Paul introduces Lisa.    Lisa is from Minneapolis, Minnesota.  She is 40 years old and has 2 kids, a 21-year-old and 18-year-old.  Lisa has been a single mom for 13 years.   She is a RN and does patient care part time and education full time.  For fun Lisa loves going to the gym, and when the weather is nice, she likes to hike.         [22:00] Give us a background on your drinking.   Lisa started drinking at the age of 14.  She wasn’t a huge drinker, but whenever she could drink, she did, and she always wanted to get wasted.  At 27 she was newly divorced with

Andrew took his last drink on February 16, 2019.  This is his 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! On today’s episode Paul talks about 2 things.  Number one is about how it is the simple things in life that matter the most.  Number two is, watch out for addiction whack-a-mole, or transfer addiction, with an emphasis on technology and smart phones.    [16:15] Paul introduces Andrew.    Andrew is 47 years old and lives in Sidney, AUS.  He is divorced and enjoys spending time by the water.         [20:20] Give us a background on your drinking.   Andrew was about 15 years old the first time he drank and he realized that, when he drank, he didn’t quite behave the same way as everybody else.  He says that he felt that alcohol calmed him down.    [23:00] When did you first recognize that alcohol was causing more damage than good?   By age 19 Andrew had 4 drunk driving charges.  Andrew thought that spending 5

Scott took his last drink on December 2, 2018.  This is his 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 control.  He also talks about an article, by Anna Ronan Shaw, that he read.  The article is titled Addiction Isn’t a Sin, It’s an Adaption, and you can find it here.  Paul shares his take, that addictions represent part of our personalities that are in the most need of healing.    [11:25] Paul introduces Scott.    Scott is 48 years old and lives in Denver, CO.  He is a bicycle mechanic.  For fun Scott likes to ride bikes, exercise, and hang out with his dogs, Willie and Waylon.       [22:00] Give us a background on your drinking.   Scott started drinking in Jr. High/High Sch

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 tim

Greg took his last drink on October 2, 2012.  This is his 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 what happens to the dome when you stop drinking alcohol.  There is a long list of benefits of quitting alcohol, and the mental health aspects are just as important as the physical ones.  In the first year away from alcohol, and beyond, neurons in the brain that no longer fire together, no longer wire together.  This means the neural connections that spark when we want to drink, or take a drink, begin to fade.  In time new neural connections are created that don’t involve alcohol.      [9:40] Paul introduces Greg.    Greg is 35 years old and from Orange County, CA.  Greg is an a

Kerri took her last drink on November 6, 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! Happy New Year!  On January 1st the 4th Café RE group, UP, opened.     2020’ Recovery Elevator LIVE event, Dancing with the Mind, will take place June 11-13 in Denver, CO.  Registration opens on January 8th, you can find more information about our events here. On today’s episode Paul talks about meeting the man he would stay with while in Mexico, hearing his story, and discovering they had a connection through the TEDx Talk that Paul gave.  You can find the TEDx Talk, I’ve been duped by alcohol, here.  Paul also discusses a video he recently watched, an interview by Dr. Gabor Mate, (author of In the Realm of Hungry Ghosts).  Dr. Mate says if you want to look at what causes the addiction you have to look at the benefit of addiction.  That the greatest myth on addiction is that its genetic, the other myth ar

Justin took his last drink on November 5, 2018.  This is his 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! On January 1st, 2020 the 4th Café RE group will open.  2020’ Recovery Elevator LIVE event, Dancing with the Mind, will take place June 11-14 in Denver, CO.  You can find more information about our events here. On today’s episode Paul talks about manifestation, how you basically create your future with your thoughts.  We all do it, most often unconsciously.   What is, and isn’t, possible isn’t your business, it’s nature’s business.  Your business is to thrive towards what you want; sobriety, the why.  To create what you want it must be clear in your mind, stay the course, make a commitment to this clear and coherent goal of quitting drinking.  If you don’t know what you truly want, seek love and connection in the mind with thoughts.  Those two alone will blast through addiction.    [14:25] Paul introduces

Val took her last drink on June 26, 2019.  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! On January 1st, 2020 the 4th Café RE group will open.  2020’ Recovery Elevator LIVE event, Dancing with the Mind, will take place June 11-14 in Denver, CO.  You can find more information about our events here. On today’s episode Paul talks about some recent events that he has gone through and why he ended up in Oaxaca, Mexico.  While meditating this past June, Oaxaca; the name, the city, just showed up.  Shortly after that, Oaxaca started showing up in film, tv, Netflix episodes, the Internet, and a gift he received from his mom was from Oaxaca.  Paul says he then knew he had to travel to Oaxaca.  Sobriety is your superpower, and an offshoot of that superpower is putting the body and mind in a state of calm.    [12:00] Paul introduces Val.    Val is 30 years old and is from Fort Collins, CO.  She works from hom

Wendy took her last drink on June 4, 2017.  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! On January 1st, 2020 the 4th Café RE group will open.  There will be 2 in-person meetups in Australia this December.  If you would like more info or would like to RSVP please email info@recoveryelevator.com.  On today’s episode Paul talks about incessantly thinking in the future, why we do that, what that leads to, and how to put that thinking beast back into the cage.  When we are living in the future, we start to feel stress.  Once we recognize, and become aware of how often we are future tripping, we can no longer ignore it and the deprograming has already begun.  We deprogram first, then we reprogram.    [13:45] Paul introduces Wendy.    Wendy is 57 years old, married and lives in Sun City Center, Florida.  She has two sons and one grandson.  She works as a critical care nurse which she loves.  For fun Wen