RE 212: The Body Tells us Where to go Next in Recovery

Tricia, with a sobriety date of November 14, 2016, shares her story.

Sometimes we reach a moment in our journey where we say, “what’s next?”.  Paul discusses what he would recommend when you reach this moment.   Do not go ‘seeking’, that reinforces a mind state that we are lacking something.   Instead, listen to the body.  The body is going to tell you where to go next. 

 

 

SHOW NOTES

 

[7:30] Paul Introduces Tricia.

 

Tricia with a sobriety date of November 14, 2016, is 37 years old and lives in Dallas, TX.  Tricia is a chef by trade, a business owner, and has a few side hustles.  She is divorced and does not have kids, but has a ‘manfriend’.  For fun Tricia likes to do crafts and puzzles, and enjoys live music. 

 

[8:40] Give us a little background about your drinking. 

 

Tricia grew up around alcoholism and addiction.  She had her first drink at 16 years old, getting drunk at a party to get back at a boy who had hurt her.  She says she always drank to get drunk.  Blackouts started in her early twenties and she started to try to moderate by her mid-twenties.   Tricia was always a high achiever and she soon became a high achieving, high functioning, alcoholic.   The hard part was coming to terms with the fact that she had a problem when she was sure everything looked fine from the outside. 

 

 

[15:10] Did you have a rock bottom moment, or was it an accumulation of many moments?    

 

Her drinking took a turn for the worse when she got divorced at the age of 34.  She was blacking out every time she drank, waking up with injuries and didn’t know where they came from.  Tricia says at a certain point you can no longer negotiate with alcohol.  After a 3-day physical detox she decided to keep the dry spell going. 

 

[20:22] Why do you think it’s so hard to quit drinking?    

 

We love to get in our own way.  Alcohol is highly addictive.  Our egos get in the way. 

 

[26:16] What got you from the beginning of your sobriety to where you are now?   

 

First and foremost, she had an open mind.  Tricia stopped doing what she wanted to do and started doing what other people told her she should do…and she tried everything.  She started attending AA regularly.  She was open and honest, and she started doing the things that were uncomfortable.  

 

[30:20] Is RECOVERED a thing?     

 

She says it depends.  In Tricia’s opinion, alcoholism isn’t about the alcohol it is about the stuff you are drinking over.  She says you (she) can be recovered from the alcoholism while at the same time not be recovered from the stuff you (she) drank over. 

 

[34:00] With 2 years and 3 months, what are you working on in your recovery now? 

 

She says she’s in some transition right now.  Being patient with the things that are out of her control is something she is working on, on a personal level.  She is also trying to bring more sober events to the forefront, such as the Sober by Southwest event she is bringing to Austin, TX on March 16th. 

 

[40:00] Paul and Tricia talk about the RE events and her podcast, Recovery Happy Hour. 

 

[46:00] What are some themes you are seeing in your podcasts?

 

Grey area drinking is a big one.  People are over the label ‘alcoholic’.  Sober dating is another one. 

 

[53:00] Paul and Tricia talk about how things have changed since the beginning of their sobriety to now. 

 

 

[56:20] Rapid Fire Round

 

 

What parting piece of guidance would you give to listeners?

 

You do not need to be an alcoholic to decide to change your relationship with alcohol. 

 

You might be an alcoholic if...

 

You wake up and you plan your entire day around accommodating your drinking or your hangover. 

 

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