Nov 12, 2019
Over a year ago, a woman came up
to me at an event and hugged my neck and shared that she'd been
sober for x amount of time. She was glowing. Her face was
beaming. I assumed, that's what happens when someone beats
addiction, but that wasn't it. It was just her. She was beautiful.
The reason I'm talking about this is because, sometimes, we
associate alcoholism with Otis Campbell from The Andy Griffith
Show.
Then we moved onto the Norm from
Cheers stereotype, with a sloppy disheveled character. Then along
came Homer Simpson. Do you see a pattern here? We never
associated alcoholism with well put together women. There are
wonderful teachers who go home and drink until they pass out. There
are also stay at home moms who are so sick or bored that they drink
all day. I didn't know that there were pastor's wives, ER nurses,
and yoga instructors that were alcoholics. But now I know, because
I've met you.
Every example I'm thinking of
has been gorgeous, well-dressed, and smart as a whip. Not one of
them looked like Homer Simpson. They could in fact be you or me. My
guest today is that very woman who first came up and hugged my
neck. She has since become a very precious friend of mine. I am so
lucky to have ever met her at an event. I'm not sharing her name
today.
She’s an active participant in
Alcoholics Anonymous. She’s requested that I don't share her name.
It's hard for me, because I want you to see her and meet her. But
in this episode you get to learn and grow from her story. To listen
to her is to love her. Trust me. The goal for today's show is that
one person will hear her story and will take the first step to
finding the help they need.
Show Notes:
- [04:53] This is my guest’s
first podcast.
- [05:35] She's a recovering
addict, who's very involved in AA and believes in the anonymous
part.
- [06:01] She has a supportive
husband who she's been with for 38 years. He was her high school
sweetheart. She has two adult daughters and a four-year-old
grandson.
- [06:46] She's a recovering
alcoholic who has had seven years of continuous
sobriety.
- [06:59] For her, drinking was a
social thing. She could drink and enjoy drinking and was able to
stop. When she went back to work, she felt like she deserved a
drink after work.
- [07:37] Eventually, the
drinking became a physiological habit. Her body became addicted to
alcohol.
- [07:53] She feels fortunate to
say she's a recovering alcoholic and gets to live her life again.
At one point, she got to the point where she was just
existing.
- [08:48] Our families also have
their recovery.
- [09:39] Being sober, allowed
her the opportunity to become a better listener.
- [10:41] When her mom was
diagnosed with cancer, she had an aha moment and realized she had a
big problem.
- [12:52] Her family were not
alcoholics, but they were codependent.
- [13:47] She also felt very
alone.
- [15:09] She now thinks of
alcohol as a cleaning product that is a poison to her body. She
hated herself for drinking wine and taking sleeping
pills.
- [16:23] When she drinks
alcohol, she has a physiological craving for more.
- [19:53] Listen and silence have
the same letters, they're just rearranged. When she decided to get
sober, she went to AA.
- [20:20] Being Sober is the
first step. Being in recovery is the second step. Learning to live
again is the third step.
- [21:08] Day treatment didn't
quite work, so she went to residential treatment. After several
cries, she felt lighter like an empty vessel.
- [22:29] She was then given the
tools to be successful.
- [25:09] She does the right
thing each day. She now has an opportunity to
live.
- [26:02] She is now an AA
sponsor. The meetings are for her, but she does take other people
and help others.
- [27:46] You have a spiritual
sponsor and a service sponsor.
- [29:21] Children of addicts
also need to seek treatment. The alcoholic can change the entire
dynamic of the whole family like a chime in a wind
chime.
- [31:35] If you think you can do
this on your own, why haven't you done it already?
- [35:32] Go to meal is chicken
cordon bleu with mashed potatoes and asparagus.
- [36:13] Friendship means the
world. Our anonymous guest may or may not look like a young Debbie
Reynolds.
Thanks for joining us on
Ordinary People Ordinary Things. Be sure to
subscribe to our podcast on
iTunes and leave a nice
review. Just like your mother taught you.
Links and Resources: