RE 591: Open Up To Life

Today we have Meg. She is 36 years old, lives in Houston, TX and she took her last drink on October 11th, 2020.   This episode is brought to you by:   Sign up and get 10% off: Better Help   Soberlink – claim your $100 enrollment bonus   Bozeman 2026 – August 12th-16th, 2026   If you're wondering what you can expect in your first seven days alcohol free, check out our new FREE 7-day guide.   [02:26] Thoughts from Paul:   You've heard the opposite of addiction is connection. Alcohol wants you turning away from people into a more isolated life. Paul encourages us to find small moments in the day when you can open up towards life and shares some examples of how we can engage with other people and nature throughout our lives.   [07:21] Paul introduces Meg:   Meg is 36 years old and lives in Houston, TX with her two cats Fred and George. She works as an HR coordinator for Meow Wolf and for fun, Meg enjoys walking, puzzling and writing.   Meg didn't have her first drink until she was 18 years old but instantly knew it was a special elixir that was going to allow her to be more social and comfortable. Throughout college, Meg says she always drank, often to excess with the purpose of getting drunk. She didn't recognize it as a problem at that point and just continued to spend time with friends who drank like her.   Meg got two DUIs when she was in her early 20s. She developed relationships where drinking was part of how they would relate to one another. It wasn't until she was in a relationship with a normal drinker that her drinking became very noticeable. She found herself trying to moderate around him, but says it backfired often.   Meg's says that she had some cognitive dissonance growing because she knew that the alcohol was pulling her away from her authenticity but found herself drinking more to try and shut that voice down. The drinking escalated during COVID when Meg was working at home, drinking all day, and hiding bottles from her boyfriend. She soon lost her job and the next day her boyfriend broke up with her.   Meg moved from California, back into her mom's home in Las Vegas. Meg and her mother hadn't lived together for the last 10 years, so her mother wasn't aware how much Meg drank. After a day of drinking and blacking out, Meg and her mother got into a big fight that led to her trashing her room. Meg woke up the next day feeling really low and scared of the person she was becoming when she drank.   The day after the blowout, Meg and her mother had a long discussion where Meg revealed more to her about how drunk she was and that she had a problem with drinking. Her mother told her, "I love you and I don't like you right now". Meg says that was very painful, but it opened her up to working on recovery.   Meg knew she couldn't say "never" so instead focused on taking things day by day. She was in a great environment for healing and had plenty of time to take walks and she came up with an idea to treat it like an experiment. She set goals of not drinking through several upcoming events and leaned on friends and family to help hold her accountable.   After around 90 days, Meg recognized that she was doing ok by herself but knew she needed community and connection. She joined the Café RE community and started attending retreats, which have been life-changing for her.   Meg quickly saw some positive results when she quit drinking. Her career has kicked off, and she has been promoted every year since she started at Meow Wolf. Meg says she went from being a reactive person to a proactive person. Sobriety has given Meg tools to navigate the full range of emotions. Journalling and writing are important to Meg. She is currently documenting her journey through treatment for Non-Hodgkins Lymphoma on her blog Sincerely, Nutmeg.   Meg's parting piece of guidance: make sober a priority, because you are worth it.   We love you, Meg. Looking forward to seeing you dance at Bozeman 2027! 😊   Recovery Elevator You took the elevator down. You've got to take the stairs back up. We can do this.