Today we have Savanna. She's 32 years old from Minneapolis, MN and took her last drink on May 4th, 2023.

This episode is brought to you by:

Café RE – THE social app for sober people

Every Sunday on Instagram, we post a roll call graphic and then you guys put your day count on there. It's a space for members to be loud and proud about their recovery as well as being there to support others.

[02:30] Thoughts from Paul:

Last week, Paul talked about how we want to end our relationship with alcohol. This week, he addresses the question "what do I do with all this space where alcohol used to be?".

Boredom can set into the empty space where alcohol used to be. This can trip a lot of folks up in early sobriety when they thought that quitting drinking was supposed to feel like some immediate transformation. Paul reminds us to think of the first gift of sobriety to be not having to negotiate anymore. Additional mental bandwidth is no longer wasted on alcohol where you asked yourself a lot of questions to determine if you should drink today or not. When we make the decision to quit, we have the freedom to do anything else with our time.

Quitting drinking is not self-deprivation or sacrifice. It's you clearing space for a fruitful life. Your mission is to explore.

[07:04] Paul introduces Savanna:

Savanna is 32 years old, lives in Minneapolis, MN and is a marketing manager. For fun, Savanna enjoys going camping, traveling, playing guitar, walking in the woods and spending time with her family and friends.

Savanna started out as the kid that said, "I don't need alcohol to have fun". She reflects that part of that was fear part of it was that she was a good kid. Alcohol became more accessible after she went to college and by her sophomore year she was working at a bar and drinking is what she and her friends would do at the end of the night.

The theme didn't change much as Savanna was in her 20's. She was in a relationship where she says the only bond they really had was the booze and it kept them together longer than it should have. The relationship ended shortly before the pandemic and that's when Savanna found herself living along and her days consisted of Zoom meetings and gin. The drinking gradually started earlier and earlier in the day.

For the next few years, Savanna was making more excuses for her drinking. She couldn't go on vacation or visit family without planning ahead to ensure she had access to alcohol to avoid withdrawals. Eventually drinking began to affect her performance at work and she was fired for the first time. This sent Savanna into a spiral of isolation and drinking every day.

Savanna accepted an invitation to a Cinco de Mayo party that her friends were having. Upon arrival, her long-time friend Maddie said "the light has left your eyes. You are not ok. What's going on?" and that was enough to crack Savanna open and she accepted Maddie's help.

Savanna's family got involved and helped her detox while waiting for a bed at Hazelden. Savanna says that she had a great experience there and getting sober with others was beneficial for her. She knew if she kept drinking, she was going to die and that knowledge has made it easy for her to stay away from alcohol.

Savanna reflects that the physical healing happened quickly. Mentally she was concerned about what life was going to look like after rehab. Once she was able to get back to work, she was motivated to do well and within two years was leading a department at her new job.

When Savanna is asked what it is like on the other side of the addiction, the word she goes back to is "limitless". She feels like she can do anything because she is no longer chained to the alcohol. The brain space she has now leaves room for the Savanna that is motivated and has ambitions. She is excited to create the next chapter of her life.

Recovery Elevator

You took the elevator down

You got to take the stairs back up

I love you guys.

Sobriety Tracker iTunes

RE YouTube