<p><span>Today we have Brian. He is 40 years old from Spring Hill, MA and he took his last drink of alcohol on July 16^th, 2024.</span></p> <p><span> </span></p> <p><span>This episode brought to you by:</span></p> <p><a name="_Hlk195860230"></a><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"><span><strong><span>Better Help</span></strong></span></a> <span><span><strong>–</strong> 10% off of your first month #sponsored</span></span></p> <p><a href="https://exactnature.com/RE20"><span><strong><span>Exact Nature</span></strong></span></a> <span><span>– 20% off your order with code RE20</span></span></p> <p><span><span> </span></span></p> <p><span><span>Shout out to these alcohol-free brands for sponsoring our seventh Bozeman Retreat:</span></span></p> <p><span><span> </span></span></p> <p><a href="https://athleticbrewing.com/"><span><strong><span>Athletic Brewing</span></strong></span></a></p> <p><a href="https://www.soberlink.com/partners-soberlink-users/recovery-elevator"> <span><strong><span>Sober Link</span></strong></span></a> <span><strong><span>-</span></strong></span> <span><span>save 50% on a device</span></span></p> <p><a href="https://riseupcoffee.com/"><span><strong><span>Rise Up Coffee</span></strong></span></a></p> <p><a href="https://www.betterrhodes.com/?srsltid=AfmBOorWeob-TIE5LHNYy7YGh1rjrkGcjnEFv5tRON8q8ytg7ja77B0J"> <span><strong><span>Better Rhodes</span></strong></span></a> <span><strong><span>–</span></strong></span> <span><span>use code <strong>RECOV_EL_15</strong> at checkout for 15% off</span></span></p> <p><a href="https://odysseyelixir.com/?srsltid=AfmBOopXvZrT5Oe8QN_2uhGHsmQwKHyqC8kOX6Eg7lbrQLuZ1PXCZdLV"> <span><strong><span>Odyssey Elixirs</span></strong></span></a></p> <p><span><span> </span></span></p> <p><strong><span>[03:25] Thoughts from Paul:</span></strong></p> <p><span> </span></p> <p><span>Paul shares with us Bill W., the founder of AA once shared letters back and forth with Swiss psychologist Carl Yung looking for feedback on the program he was creating. Perhaps the most important letter from Yung to Bill W. was a letter suggesting a spiritual solution was needed to overcome addiction. He was a firm believer that addiction has nothing to do with weakness but is a misdirected cry for wholeness.</span></p> <p><span> </span></p> <p><span>Another viewpoint that Carl Yung gave us is to not ask why you want to quit drinking but what pain you are trying to silence? Or what role is alcohol playing?</span></p> <p><span> </span></p> <p><span>When we start asking the right questions and stop fighting the addiction, the healing process begins. If you keep doing your own inner work, the massive ship called your addiction will change course. It takes time to redirect the energy called an addiction, but when we start asking the right questions, it’s going to happen. It’s just a matter of time.</span></p> <p><span> </span></p> <p><strong><span>[07:36] Paul introduces Brian:</span></strong></p> <p><strong><span> </span></strong></p> <p><span>Brian is 40 years old and lives in Springfield, MA. He has been married 13 years, and they have two children. For fun he enjoys weight training, cooking, and spending time with his kids.</span></p> <p><span> </span></p> <p><span>Brian is the oldest of four kids and his parents divorced when he was young. He shares that he internalized a lot of stuff growing up and carried a lot of emotion. Brian wasn’t the kid to act out, but he recalls the first time he drank was when his mother was out of town and he ended up getting very sick. He says it taught him a lesson, and he didn’t party much in high school.</span></p> <p><span> </span></p> <p><span>In college, Brian says, alcohol acted like that warm hug that people talk about. It gave him a lot of confidence socially and he became friends with people older than him. Once they started graduating, he lost a lot of the friends he drank with, so he found himself drinking alone occasionally which he didn’t think there was anything wrong with.</span></p> <p><span> </span></p> <p><span>After graduation, the job market was tough which had Brian stressed out and he began using alcohol as a coping mechanism. He was drinking daily and ended up getting pancreatitis after a while, which was a bit of a wake up call for him. The drinking didn’t end but Brian began to try and moderate.</span></p> <p><span> </span></p> <p><span>Over the years Brian was able to quit for periods of time but would return to drinking to cope with traumatic events. He was working on sobriety, watching YouTube videos, trying naltrexone and listening to podcasts. He was making pro