Episode 475 – I See You Ceiba
Today we have Shari. She is 60 and lives in Santa Barbara, CA. She took his last drink on December 31st, 2022.
In two weeks on April 1st, registration opens for our annual retreat in the beautiful Rocky Mountains located outside of Bozeman, MT. This retreat is from Wednesday August 14th through Sunday August 18th, and it is going to be a blast! Click here for the full itinerary and to get pricing info.
Check out our RE merch. We have hats, sweatshirts, tank tops, t-shirts and more.
Better Help: www.betterhelp.com/elevator - 10% off your first month. #sponsored
[02:56] Thoughts from Paul:
Paul shares with us how the idea of Sober Travel first came to him. After a trip of a lifetime that went sideways for him, he knew the only way that he could do alcohol-free travel in the future was with alcohol-free travelers.
On the most recent sober trip to Costa Rica, Paul and other members of the cohort traveled to see a Ceiba tree that is at least 350-400 years old. He shares with us the history of the Ceiba tree and what they mean to the people that live around them.
They also got to witness live sea turtles hatching and were able to release them into the surf. Quitting drinking is like the release of the sea turtle. Your new life awaits, and anything is possible.
Thank you to Sober Link and Athletic Greens for partnering with us on this event.
[09:46] Paul introduces Shari:
Shari is 60 years old and lives in Santa Barbara, CA. She has been married for 34 years and has furry children rather than human children. She works in consumer-packaged goods and operations and for fun enjoys cycling, hiking, and walking.
Shari took her first drink when she was 13 and it resulted in a blackout and being extremely sick. She went through her teen years drinking whenever she had the opportunity, which was always problematic.
Shari had multiple DUI’s by the age of 24 and with her second one was forced to go to AA and take a yearlong course in alcohol education. It was then that she realized she was an alcoholic. She didn’t want to go to AA but she did find some nice people there.
After a few stops and starts she was able to get and stay sober for 8 years and used hosting meetings as accountability to stay sober. Over time she started to slow down her attendance at meetings and started drinking again during a particularly stressful time in her life.
Shari was putting parameters around her drinking after she started again and was able to maintain it to a degree. She would have varying stages of abstinence, and this continued for the next 20 years. Shari says she didn’t work very hard at AA during this time, and limited the connections she was making with other people.
When she moved back to Santa Barbara 10 years ago, her parents health was deteriorating. Watching her father drink problematically reminded her that she didn’t want to go down that path. Shari started looking for other modalities to help her quit drinking. She started reading quit lit and joined The Tempest sobriety course with Holly Whitaker. She started listening to RE where the idea that we can’t do this alone really resonated with her.
Shari loves that there are so many more options in the recovery space now. She recognizes that everything she does these days is for her recovery. Therapy, exercise, eating right, connecting with people and reading – they all feed her soul and keep her grounded. Finding community and attending more meetings with fellow travelers on the journey was initially uncomfortable for Shari. But she knew she needed to get out of the comfort zone and join the conversations.
Shari’s best sober moment: the breathwork she participated in at Bozeman last year.
Shari’s parting piece of guidance: never quit quitting and you shouldn’t do it alone.
Café RE – promo code OPPORTUNITY waives set up fee.
Recovery Elevator YouTube
Sobriety Tracker iTunes
Recovery Elevator
Go big, because eventually we all go home.
I love you guys.
RE 464: Doing Something Different
RE 463: Balance
RE 462: To Have is to Give
RE 461: Wait, You Drink Poison?
RE 460: Text If You Need TP
RE: Holiday Bonus Episode
RE 459: Let’s Smile
RE 458: Passion Will Return
RE 457: What if I Can’t Quit Drinking?
RE 456: How Do You Let Go of Resentments?
RE 455: How Do You Feel About Ayahuasca and Other Plant Medicines?
RE 454: How Do I Do More In My Recovery Community?
RE 453: How Would You Describe a “Spiritual Experience” in Recovery?
RE 452: How Do You Stop Comparing Yourself to Others in Recovery?
RE 451: What to Say to Someone Who is About to Drink
RE 450: What are Alcohol Withdrawals Like in the First Week?
RE 449: How to Make it Through Your First Sober Concert?
RE 448: How Do I Let Go and Stop Trying to Control
RE 447: Can You Be Addicted to Alcohol and Not Be An Alcoholic?
RE 446: Go Easy on Yourself
Create your
podcast in
minutes
It is Free
Good Mood Revolution
Your Sleep Guru Podcast
Anxiety Slayer™ with Shann and Ananga
Men Do Talk Podcast
The Dr. John Delony Show
On Purpose with Jay Shetty