“In every single way, my sobriety has become a blessing for me.” -Sean, Rock Recovery Center

I have a guest today, Sean, who is from Long Island, New York. He came to our recovery center eight years ago for thirty days and decided to become a resident of Florida. We talk about Sean’s stage character, how he dropped his walls, and his process of recovery.

Two days before he came to Rock Recovery Center, Sean remembers “almost drinking myself to death. Everything was dark in my life. I didn’t see a way out, and 99% of my thinking had to involve some sort of alcohol. I was losing my health, my wife and children, borderline diabetes with more than 120 pounds extra weight.” He was Baker Acted after police came to his house because they received a call and thought he was going to hurt himself.

When he returned from the hospital, he talked with his wife. In this conversation, he was yelling at her, then had a moment of clarity. The next day, he told his wife he needed help. Although he realized he needed help, he was adamant about not participating in a 12 Step Program as he didn’t think it would work for him. When Sean landed in Florida for his first day of recovery, he felt he would erase over two decades of drinking in 29 days.

In his first AA meeting, he didn’t let any of the conversations in his head. He was 100% sure that this program wouldn’t work for him. He created a calendar with 29 days to cross off until he went home. At the time he had six “x” marks on his calendar, he understood the fellowship of AA. “The lower your bottom, the higher your hope.” He heard others who had much worse situations with addiction tell their stories of hope. “They were talking about how wonderful and amazing their lives were. If they could do it, I could do it! That little mustard seed of hope, that little bit of open-mindedness cracked open. Once it cracked open, it was off to the races.”

Listen in to find out how Sean realized he had a problem with alcohol, why he owes a debt of gratitude to the friend who told his wife details about his alcoholism, and why he thought he could “think his way through this” because of his education as a health coach. Learn how Sean views his recovery process today, how he came to the realization that he had to let the program process “in,” and why prayer has made a significant difference in his life.

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Show Notes:

• [04:34] Sean’s story of how and why he came to Rock Recovery Center.
• [07:34] What woke Sean up to his reality was a “look” he got from his then wife.
• [09:29] His first day of recovery at Rock Recovery Center.
• [11:33] Ben talks about his witness with Sean’s process. 
• [13:30] Sean says, “I was without a doubt, a polished up garbage can.”
• [18:18] He saw the pain and sadness in his wife’s eyes.
• [20:55] The key people in his life that influenced Sean to go to recovery.
• [22:55] For twenty years he tried to break the cycle of alcoholism on his own.
• [24:32] What factors changed Sean to stop drinking and how he views his recovery process today.
• [25:33] The day he decided to start praying, he has prayed everyday since and hasn’t missed a day.
• [27:06] His experience in outpatient treatment after his inpatient time at the recovery center. 
• [33:23] When Sean realized his new “normal” in his life.  
• [37:27] How the community we build around us will directly affect your level of success.
• [41:10] Sean getting in with the “old timers” who had been sober for many years. 
• [45:08] His old company rehires him and he was able to stay away from alcohol on the job and how his sobriety has made him stronger.
• [48:58] “There’s a lot of respect for my sobriety” with people who drink.
• [51:14] His post recovery relationship with his children and his family.
• [53:42] How he recovered his relationship with his sister.
• [55:43] “You never know what meeting is going to change your life.”

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