Episode 472 – Shifting Seasons

Today we have Erin. She is 45 and lives outside of Boston. She took her last drink on December 26th, 2021.

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[01:52] Thoughts from Kris:

The transition out of winter is one of Kris' favorites. He sees it as an awakening. He took the cue from Mother Nature and paused this season. No big decisions or changes. Just time to reflect on things. Now that nature is starting to wake back up, he feels it's time for him to do the same.

Kris reflects on his first spring in recovery and how the nice weather worried him. He started connecting with multiple recovery groups, discovering his triggers, digging into his whys and was able to feel connected to something bigger than himself. Being a part of a recovery community is cool that way... we see the reward in our own growth, but we're contributing to the growth of the whole as well.

Wherever you are this spring, that's right where you're supposed to be. Where you go from here is up to you. What tools do you have that you're using? What tools aren't you using? Is this a season to pick something up, or one to let some things go? Only you can answer these questions for yourself.

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[09:08] Kris introduces Erin:

Erin is 45 and lives about 13 miles outside of Boston. She works as a senior paralegal for a large corporation and works for Rover on the side where she takes care of other people's animals.

Erin says her exposure to alcohol was limited to family drinking on holidays or special occasions, but she never tried drinking until she went away to college. What started as curiosity, ended up as binge drinking and partying multiple days of the week when she joined a sorority.

After getting married, Erin says the drinking was more casual on the weekends or when out and about. After a tough breakup in her early thirties, Erin found herself living alone, working two jobs, and going back to finish college.

During her second marriage, Erin says she and her husband drank a lot socially. Her husband was the life of the party when they were out, but home there was a very different scene that found Erin drinking in isolation to deal with it. She didn't feel she had a way out as she was financially dependent on her husband at the time.

Eventually Erin was able to leave the relationship and started over single in a new town. She surrounded herself with people that drank like her, but deep down she knew she didn't drink like everyone else. Alcohol became her best friend and her drinking got worse during the pandemic as she was isolated and now didn't have the safety of working in the office.

Returning to the office in early 2021 was helpful to her mental health, but she still knew she was drinking too much on the evenings and weekends.

A cousin was sharing how great they felt at 60 days of sobriety which made her become sober curious. Planning to do Dry January with a friend, Erin found herself starting early after getting sick with COVID.

In the early days, Erin continued to go to the bar where her friends were, but she recognized that wasn't good for her. Instead, she started walking more, listening to podcasts, and going to therapy. She was beginning to gain confidence and faith in herself.

Erin's favorite resource in recovery: RE podcast, Wayne Dyer

Erin's plan moving forward: continue therapy and connecting with others.

Kris wants to hear from you, listeners! What are you looking forward to this spring? Do you feel something different this year compared to years past?

Email [email protected] and let him know what this spring has in store for your or what you hope to see from it.

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We might as well go big RE, because eventually we all go home.

I love you guys.