RE 521: The Drunkest Place in America
RE 521: The Drunkest Place in America
Recovery Elevator
55 minutes
Hosted by Paul Churchill
Sponsored by Better Help, Sober Link

Episode Description

<p class="MsoNormal"><span>Today we have Dave. He is 69 years old from Beaver Creek, CO. He took his last drink in September 17<sup>th</sup>, 2024.</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span> </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><strong><u><span>Sponsors for this episode include:</span></u></strong></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><a href="https://www.betterhelp.com/get-started/?go=true&slug=elevator&utm_source=podcast&utm_campaign=2687&utm_term=elevator&promo_code=elevator&landing_page_img=https%3A%2F%2Fi.imgur.com%2FqYHezjI.jpg&aff_channel=podcast&discount_rate=10&discount_period=P1M&date_interval=P1M&percentage_off=10&amount=1&amount_spelled_out=one&unit=month&gor=start"> <strong><span>Better Help</span></strong></a> <span>– 10% off of your first month</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><a href="https://www.soberlink.com/partners/recovery-elevator"><strong><span> Sober Link</span></strong></a> <span>- receive <span class="MsoHyperlink"><span>$50 off of a device</span></span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span> </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><a name="_Hlk189985919"></a><span>If you have quit drinking and are looking for new alcohol-free friends,</span> <a href="https://www.cafe-re.org/"><span><strong><span>Café RE</span></strong></span></a> <span><span>is the social app for sober people. Come join the party!</span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span> </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span>Tonight begins our first ever</span> <a href="https://www.recoveryelevator.com/afsongwriting/"><strong><span> AF Songwriting Course</span></strong></a> <span>starting at 8pm EST. Connect with other sober musicians and improve your own song writing skills.</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span> </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><strong><span>[02:40] Thoughts from Paul:</span></strong></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><strong><span> </span></strong></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span>Paul shares an article from the</span> <a href="https://www.sfchronicle.com/food/wine/article/red-wine-restaurants-19930284.php"> <strong><span>San Francisco Chronicle</span></strong></a> <span>regarding the tanking sales of red wine in San Francisco restaurants. All alcohol sales were down but mocktail sales were up.</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span> </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span>Many people share that it’s tough to quit drinking where they live. Paul discovered a statistic from the CDC that says where he lives in</span> <a href="https://cowboystatedaily.com/2024/12/28/gallatin-county-montana-is-drunkest-in-america/"> <strong><span>Gallatin County, Montana</span></strong></a> <span>is listed as the drunkest of all 3,244 counties in America.</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span> </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span>In the state of Montana, they place a white cross on the road where traffic fatalities occur in hopes of reminding drivers to take caution and slow down. 66% of these white crosses are alcohol related.</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span> </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span>There is no judgement towards those that are still binge drinking. At Recovery Elevator, we are not better than anyone, we have just chosen a different path. If you feel called to walk this pathway with us, we’d love to have you.</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span> </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><strong><span>[10:01] Paul introduces Dave:</span></strong></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><strong><span> </span></strong></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span>Dave lives in Beaver Creek, CO with his dog Tango. He is very active in the AA community in his area and cherishes the connections he has made there. He enjoys skiing, biking, and traveling. He has three kids and recently became a grandfather. Dave is currently seeking his master’s degree in clinical counseling.</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span> </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span>Alcohol was present in Dave’s life growing up as his parents drank socially. He drank socially as well throughout high school and college. He drinking didn’t become problematic until later. Dave shares that his alcohol use disorder stemmed from his chronic childhood emotional trauma. Alcohol later became the solution to dealing with unwanted emotions.</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span> </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span>In 2016 after raising his kids independently and a relationship had ended, Dave started to use drinking to deal with some voids in his life. He had a successful commercial real estate business but didn’t have many local friends at the time.</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span> </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span>Dave went to rehab in 2017 after having two DUIs in December of 2016. He was able to stay sober until 2021 and says again it was emotional overwhelm that sparked more field research. He found help in a psychologist who was a clinical director of a rehab facility. He was able to get sober again in July of 2021.</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><s

Special Guests

  • Dave