transcript
show notes
Today we have Jennifer. She is 49 years old, lives in Orange County, CA and she took her last drink on July 13th, 2026.
This episode is brought to you by:
Café RE – use code CONNECT for your first month free
Sign up and get 10% off your first month: Better Help
You may have noticed there is a new podcast intro and outro song on this episode by our very own Pablo Church. The song is now available on Spotify and Apple Music.
[02:55] Thoughts from Paul:
Paul shares with us an article posted by CNN which was sent to him by a listener. The article argues that recovery doesn't have to mean full abstinence, that science has evolved, that alcohol use disorder exists on a spectrum, and that some people can return to moderate drinking. When Paul read that the NIAAA was involved, the entire article lost credibility. After a big study in the mid-2010's claimed that alcohol was good for us, it was uncovered that the study was sponsored by Big Alcohol.
This article uses Brad Pitt's return to drinking in a more restrained manner after seven years of sobriety as concrete data. Big Alcohol has lost almost a trillion dollars of sales in the last five years. Alcohol consumption is down and the sober curious movement is gaining momentum. So, it seems convenient that this article drops saying "hey, maybe you don't have to quit after all".
We don't know if this article was funded by Big Alcohol, but it doesn't line up with all that we see and hear in the trenches.
[10:06] Paul introduces Jennifer:
Jennifer is a registered nurse and dog mom to three French bulldogs, now exploring who she is in sobriety.
Jennifer says she has always chased a change in how she felt. In high school, drugs were easier to access than alcohol, but once she turned 21, drinking became her focus. She and her friends drank heavily, and she assumed it was simply what people did in their twenties.
Around age 30, Jennifer got a DUI. As a nurse, she had to report it to the Nursing Board and enter a diversion program. She attended AA, rehab, and support groups, worked with a sponsor, and completed the steps to protect her nursing license. Privately, she questioned whether she truly believed she was an alcoholic. She eventually returned to nursing in a non-patient-facing role and remained sober for more than nine years.
Her relapse began unexpectedly when she went out after work and ordered a whiskey without planning to drink. She was unhappy in her marriage, had stopped attending meetings, and had drifted away from her sober community. After separating from her husband, she dated someone who introduced her to the Los Angeles nightlife she had long romanticized. Drinking escalated quickly, and for the next eight or nine years she repeatedly tried to moderate.
Eventually, alcohol stopped being about fun. Jennifer drank to stop the shakes and palpitations, avoid feeling sick, and get through basic tasks. On July 12th, she admitted to her fiancé that she had already been drinking at 10 a.m. The next day became her last drink, though she initially told herself she only needed to dry out and feel better.
The first month was difficult, but she found RE and began hearing pieces of her own story in others' experiences. She felt relief in letting go of the exhausting cycle of planning how to moderate. This time, she chose to do recovery differently: she started therapy, joined Café RE, and began reaching out to the community despite feeling uncomfortable putting herself out there.
At 73 days sober, Jennifer says her sleep and well-being have improved. Most of all, she wakes without fear of what she might have said or done the night before—and without immediately planning when she can drink again. She is learning that connection can help her stay sober and that she doesn't have to figure it all out alone.
Jennifer's parting piece of guidance: Don't overcomplicate it.
Recovery Elevator
We took the elevator down.
We got to take the stairs back up.
We can do this.
