Today we have Kevin. He is 48 years old and lives in Napa Valley, CA. He took his last drink on September 22nd, 2025.

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71% of Europeans are drinking less alcohol and the future generations are opting out in general, according to a new report for Circana.

[02:59] Thoughts from Paul:

On the last Sober Travel Trip to Peru this past October, Paul was reminded of one of life's greatest teachings: it's the journey that matters, and not the destination.

He tells us about how he and 16 other fellow travelers hiked the Inca Trail to go to Machu Picchu. After over 20 grueling miles, they found out at the gates that their tickets to explore this natural wonder weren't valid for that day.

Everyone was understandably disappointed. Since everyone on the trip is in recovery, they already have been working on concepts such as surrender, embrace life on life's terms and of course, to place more mental energy on the journey than the destination.

Paul says he will never forget how the group responded to receiving the bad news and it was one of the greatest gifts he has received while doing sober travel.

[08:34] Paul introduces Kevin:

Kevin lives in northern Napa Valley, CA but grew up in the Midwest. He and his wife have been together for over 30 years, and they have two teenage children, one dog and two cats. Kevin says he is between careers right now, but previously he worked in wine sales and in the tech industry. For fun, he enjoys playing music and is big into fitness.

Kevin grew up the youngest of three boys in a great community. Alcohol was always present, but he doesn't recall any immediate family having issues with it. His first drinking experience was when he was in seventh grade when he and some friends raided his parents' liquor cabinet. His brother confronted him about the drinking and warned him he shouldn't be doing it.

Throughout high school, Kevin was so involved in sports and academics that he didn't drink more than two times that he can recall. Kevin went to a small college where he met his wife and while he loved it there, he had to change schools for budget reasons. It was at the bigger school where his drinking took off, Kevin says.

Kevin's parents moved to California and soon after Kevin also moved there. He says his drinking wasn't a major issue through this time period until his dad passed away suddenly while in town for a visit. This was a turning point for not only Kevin's drinking, but his brothers' as well (who are now also in recovery).

Kevin was working for a tech company but was interested in getting into the wine industry after his wife started working in Napa Valley. This is where the conflict began for Kevin. He was drinking frequently after work and was around alcohol all the time. After leaving work he would practice with his band which would involve more drinking. He knew deep down that the way he was living wasn't right.

Kevin began to see a therapist and started doing more research about drinking. He discovered Recovery 2.0 and a podcast episode he listened to was saying exactly what Kevin needed to hear, he says.

Kevin feels he had a spiritual awakening and couldn't work in the wine industry anymore. He wants to dig into things that he is passionate about now – health and wellness, psychotherapies, and yoga teaching.

The last 30 days has Kevin feeling great. He is part of the Café RE community, and he says both the community and the podcast have been a great help to his success so far. He says he is working with a sponsor in AA, living sober out loud and says that his spirituality was the missing link in his life. He is passionate about it.

Kevin's parting piece of guidance: if you are struggling, just keep digging inward.

Recovery Elevator

It's all about the journey and not so much the destination.

I love you guys,

Café RE

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