RE 152: Asking For Help With Alcohol: Made a Decision to Turn Our Will and Lives Over

Paul summarizes Step 3 from the "Big Book" of Alcoholics Anonymous. "Made a decision to turn our will and our lives over to the care of God as we understood Him." Step three in a nutshell means we are asking for help. A God of our understanding can be anything. We must be convinced that a life run on self will can hardly be a success. Jenna, with over 3 years since her last drink, shares her story SHOW NOTES [8:39] Paul Introduces Jenna. I live in Colorado, I work in IT, and I'm 38 and have a 10-year-old daughter. I love hiking, running, and skiing. I love to cook. [12:38] Paul- When did you start drinking? Jenna- I actually didn't start drinking until I was in college. I didn't drink in High School. The first time I drank I was 12. I discovered a bottle of alcohol, and poured it into a coke. [21:25] Paul- What was it that led you to quit drinking? Jenna- I had several bottoms before September of 2014. I knew alcohol wasn't working for me, but no one knew that alcohol was the cause of my anxiety and depressing and feeling horrible. [28:42] Paul- How liberating was it to be in that environment where your mom with nothing to hide? Jenna- She cooked me lots of healthy food. It took me days to be able to eat. That love and being cared for was huge. She was there for me for whatever I needed. [34:15] Paul- Talk to me about the timeline, and the patience. What do you have to say on that? It does keep getting better. Jenna- That first year was amazing and hard at the same time. I had to learn how to do everything without alcohol in a culture where everything revolves around alcohol. Having accountability with my sponsor and my husband was huge in all of those times. [43:21] Rapid Fire Round What was your worst memory from drinking? That would be when we were in Vegas for my Grandma's 90th birthday party, and I took my daughter to the bathroom, and I got lost. I didn't know how to get back to the restaurant and I was drunk. Did you ever have an "oh-shit" moment? Labor Day weekend of 2014. We were going camping. It was always my job to pack up the camper. I decided to drink before doing that, by the time we got out to the campsite 90% of what we needed was not in the camper. What's your plan moving forward? I plan to keep growing personally and learning. What's your favorite resource in recovery? What works for me is going to meetings, and connecting with other people. What's the best advice you've ever received (on sobriety)? Surrender, and ask my higher power for help. What parting piece of guidance can you give listeners who are in recovery or thinking about quitting drinking? You can find your bottom at any time, just put down the shovel and quit digging (drinking). You might be an alcoholic if... when you are going through airport security your Ziploc bags of liquid shampoo bottles are filled with vodka. Resources mentioned in this episode: Alcoholics Anonymous "Big Book" PDF Step 3 Pages 34-41 Connect with Cafe RE - Use the promo code Opportunity to waive the set up fee. Sobriety Tracker iTunes Sobriety Tracker Android Sober Selfies! - Send your Sober Selfie and your Success Story to info@recoveryelevator.com "We took the elevator down, we gotta take the stairs back up, we can do this!"