When you feel bad or feel down and you think nothing is working- that doesn’t mean it’s not working- it’s totally working!

I want you to think about your sobriety and imagine it as an actual bank account- and, at the beginning, because you haven’t made any deposits, it’s totally empty.

Now, your number one job is to make deposits in this account. And look at this like an investment account- it’s not instant gratification, but it’s for your future. And you may be less motivated some days because it doesn’t feel like you are getting great rewards from the work you are putting in- you really do get instant gratification in the way that you are staying sober, but sober, especially in the beginning, doesn’t always feel good. You may be tired a lot, have problems sleeping, your anxiety may be super high- and all these things make it even more challenging to make sure you are making deposits in your sober bank.

We talk a lot about being of service- doing service work which is voluntee...

We all understand when we quit drinking the goal is to not have another drink. But what do you do after that? What do you do to occupy your time or deal with your crazy anxiety? That’s the hard part of quitting drinking.

In the episode, we talk about Post Acute Withdrawal, what it is, what to be aware of, and strategies to make early sobriety a little easier. You need relief, and you deserve to have it.

No need to feel like you are crazy or losing your mind, most of us go through the same things and, with a little guidance, you can get through it, too. Get tools and strategies here- AND there’s a special offer toward the end that you will love!

Tons of resources and tools:  myrecoverytoolbox.com

Use the special offer code (in the episode!) here:  Recovery Starter Kit

Join the Facebook Group

Follow me on Instagram!!

First things first- I want to give a shoutout and say thank you for all the great reviews!

You probably don’t think too much about reviews, but in podcast world they are super important and for me, personally, it’s so good to get feedback and it really keeps me going to hear from you, so thank you for taking a few minutes to write something, I love that.

And when you hear an episode you enjoy, make sure you share it with someone!

That’s a huge part of the beauty of doing a podcast is it has the ability to reach and help so many people- and as people in recovery, we have to constantly be of service and share resources with one another to help us all get through this journey- so share this episode with a  few people you think would enjoy it, or pick out another favorite you listened to in the past and share it with some people- let’s spread the word and stay sober!

For those of you who don't know, September is national recovery month. So I decided to do a whole month of solo episod...

Do you sometimes feel like you are sabotaging your own sobriety and life? You get some sober time under your belt and start feeling pretty good, then all of a sudden you find yourself drunk again, hating life, wondering how the heck this happened. Self-sabotage is a phrase we hear often, especially as addicts.

In this episode, we’ll talk about the 3 stages of belief with clear examples of what they look like, how to recognize them, and show you how to transition from not believing you can ever live successfully sober and happy, to believing anything is possible for you.

This may not sound like it’s part of the getting sober process, but your beliefs shape your reality. If you don’t truly believe you are capable of living a life without alcohol, then how far will you really make it? If you quit drinking, but are overwhelmed with doubt about staying sober, how long will you stay sober?

These 3 stages of belief are important to recognize in everything we do. Getting honest about wher...

 Drinkers Guilt

First things first- I want to give a shoutout and say thank you for all the great reviews! You probably don’t think too much about reviews, but in podcast world they are super important and for me, personally, it’s so good to get feedback and it really keeps me going to hear from you so thank you for taking a few minutes to write something, I love that. And when you hear an episode you enjoy, make sure you share it with someone! That’s a huge part of the beauty of doing a podcast is it has the ability to reach and help so many people- and as people in recovery, we have to constantly be of service and share resources with one another to help us all get through this journey- so share this episode with a  few people you think would enjoy it, or pick out another favorite you listened to in the past and share it with some people- let’s spread the word and stay sober!

National Recovery Month

For those of you who don't know, September is National Recovery Month. So I deci...

These stumbling blocks can pop up at any time in our lives and at any stage of sobriety so it’s good to be aware and know how to work around them.

This is my observation over the course of the last decade+ working with addiction, being an addict, AND being a Life Coach studying behavior and personal development.

Most of the tools I talk about are centered around the art of change and breaking habits and understanding how all of that works. It just so happens that getting sober or quitting drinking is a HUGE change- and it requires action, intention, and being purposeful about the moves you make so you can get the results you want.

It’s like GPS for your life. You wouldn’t get in your car for a cross-country road trip and not use a map or GPS, right? Because who knows what would happen or where you would end up. So it doesn’t make sense to try to navigate a ginourmous shift in your life without guidance and an understanding of your destination.

Know what your big picture goals are...

There are so many things I want to say to newcomers when they enter recovery.  

Most of the time I want to gush about how beautiful and amazing my life is now.  I want to tell you every detail about how I have changed and how I have grown and how much I owe it all to the principles of AA.  I know I say it all the time, but I really have become a person that I never thought I could be.  

I want to tell you how all of my relationships have changed for the better, how I learned to stop mistreating myself and to stop letting others mistreat me.  I learned how to make choices in my life that are good for me and that alone improves my quality of life tenfold.  I want you to know that through the process of my sponsor loving me and accepting me, teaching me and counseling me; I learned how to love and appreciate myself.  I accept me for exactly who I am.  I accept my flaws, I accept my crazy, and I love me.  

And it took a lot of practice to get there.  

I want  newcomers to understand th...

I like to talk a lot about changing habits.  I feel like this is a little piece of recovery that gets overlooked.  

There are so many things we do in our everyday lives that are just a matter of habit.  I spent years perfecting those habits, doing certain things a certain way, and when I got sober all of those things did not go away.  Those habits and behaviors I was accustomed to did not change over night.  

I always joke that it took me to four years sober to stop dating drunk people.  It sounds funny, and you would think it was common sense to not date drunk people in sobriety, but it was a habit.  For fifteen years of dating I dated a certain type of guy.  It was a personality, a lifestyle, and it was drunk.  Just because I got sober didn’t change all those years of habit.  It took me a long time and a lot of trial and error to finally realize that I needed to do something different.  

For me, it was about rebuilding myself and rebuilding my self-esteem.  First, I had to recogni...

There is always that one moment that changes everything. Some call it a light bulb moment, some a moment of truth, or a moment of clarity. Whatever you want to call it, it is fierce and usually unexpected. It comes down to a realization about yourself, your choices, maybe even your future, and it is hard to deny and impossible to ignore.

I learned a frightening truth one day in an act of sheer desperation and fear. I was at work tending bar and my hands were shaking uncontrollably. My head was pounding and I was sweating like crazy. I drank all night and my hangover was a force to be reckoned with. I drank every day, so my ‘hangover’ was actually acute withdrawal after not having a drink for some hours and I felt like I wouldn’t survive another moment.

At the end of my bar was a huge cooler that kept the kegs cold and housed the liquors that were best consumed chilled. As I crept toward the door, I already felt guilty for what I had to do. As I opened the door I felt the cool air rus...

Because I am in the public eye a lot, people are often surprised to hear that I have terrible anxiety. There are situations that overwhelm me, and I have definitely been known to fake a headache and leave early to the safety of isolation.

In addiction, anxiety is very common. Primarily because anytime we feel uncomfortable, we run to the safety of our substance and the substance makes it all go away. At least temporarily.

For me, if I were nervous or bored or angry, a Corona Light and a double shot of tequila would solve all of that. Unfortunately, that also means I never learned any coping skills. And that means when I got sober I had zero tolerance for discomfort and zero ability to get through it. Hence, anxiety.

I knew I needed to get out of my comfort zone when I got sober. My comfort zone and methods of dealing with things, and my problem solving skills landed me in the hospital and jail multiple times. I knew I didn’t do it right.

Here’s How it Made Sense to Me

It made s...