<p class="MsoNormal"><span>Today we have Kaylee. She’s 33 years old from Camp Hill, PA and took her last drink on December 24^th, 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><strong>–</strong> 10% off of your first month</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><a href="https://www.soberlink.com/partners-soberlink-users/recovery-elevator"> <strong><span>Sober Link</span></strong></a> <strong><span>–</span></strong> <span>learn more and save 50% off of a device</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span> </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span>Registration for our annual alcohol-free retreat in</span> <a href="https://www.recoveryelevator.com/bozeman/"><strong><span>Bozeman</span></strong></a> <span>is now open<strong>.</strong> From August 6^th through 10^th, we will be spending lots of time in nature, doing breathwork, a lakeside hangout, laser tag and more.</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span> </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><strong><span>[03:38] Thoughts from Paul:</span></strong></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span> </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span>Paul shares a comment that he heard recently in a</span> <a href="https://www.cafe-re.org/"><strong><span>Café RE</span></strong></a> <span>chat.</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span>Stephanie said she eventually called the fight with alcohol. It is another way to frame the moment where we surrender to what is when it comes to our drinking. We know moderation isn’t working, anxiety is getting worse and the shame and torture from alcohol is reaching unprecedented levels. It becomes time to throw in the towel.</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span> </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span>He also shares a line from an upcoming interviewee who stated, “sobriety has given me the keys to the car of my dreams, I just hate the color”. So, the universe will always align with our hopes, our dreams, and desires, but we may want the package to look different.</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><strong><span> </span></strong></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span>It is all about accepting the journey that life places in front of you.</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><strong><span> </span></strong></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><strong><span>[07:08] Paul introduces Kaylee:</span></strong></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><strong><span> </span></strong></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span>Kaylee is 33 and lives in Camp Hill, PA. She has two daughters aged 15 and six. She is still trying to figure out what she likes to do for fun, but enjoys movies, concerts and spending time with her daughters.</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span> </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span>Kaylee says she was a sensitive kid. She struggled with depression and self-harm when she was very young and was always searching for a remedy her feelings. Kaylee drank experimentally by sporadically sneaking alcohol out of her mom’s cabinet.</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span> </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span>When she was 15, she was assaulted and learned early on that using alcohol could help numb her pain. Kaylee says that any time her emotions were strong, she knew she could use alcohol to not think about the negative emotions and things that happened to her. Her usage became a regular thing on the weekends with friends while she was a teenager.</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span> </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span>Kaylee had her first daughter when she was 17 and thought maybe she was done with the party life. She didn’t drink while pregnant but not long after her daughter was born, she was right back to drinking. Moving to her first apartment at age 21 also contributed to an increase in her drinking and now she felt free to drink however she wanted to, including by herself.</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span> </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span>When Kaylee went right back to drinking after her second daughter, she knew she needed to try to cut back and moderate. She was taking online quizzes asking, “am I an alcoholic?” and considered AA meetings only to determine she was fine and could cut back on her own.</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span> </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span>After a few years trying moderation, Kaylee found herself in a dark place with suicidal thoughts. She decided to seek therapy and was open with someone about her drinking for the first time. She was able to get sober for about