Oct-sober Recovery Podcast AJ Butler

Admittedly, pain was a huge motivator for Courtney and it keeps her motivated to keep moving forward. She understands her parents did the best they could with what they had, and that they love her. There was abuse and trauma when Courtney was a kid. She had her first drink at 11 years old (going on 25) and it was kinda just a way of life given her surroundings. She liked the effect that alcohol produced and the instant relief that made  all the bad stuff go away. Courtney says that’s what makes her an alcoholic. The chase was on from the age of 12...marijuana, pills, alcohol. Before Courtney’s 16th birthday she experienced Mental disorder diagnoses , self mutilating, cutting , a CHINS (child in need of services) agreement , at home drug testing, suicide notes, suicide attempts, a coma,  paddle defibrillation and a locked psych ward.....BEFORE SHE WAS 16!!!!
Then came 15 years of AA to shut people up. Alcohol continued to work and the “I’m gonna kill myself ‘card’” was being used on top of the mental illness diagnoses. Finally Courtney found a meeting where she developed a relationship with  a woman she connected with. This woman told her how to do things differently....Courtney wanted to do this but didn’t know how. This woman showed her how to do it through the 12 Steps of Recovery. 
On the topic of Relapse Courtney says “you learn more about what to do versus what not to do and what you could have done differently instead if you don’t die in the process.”
5/4/13 Courtney started to take ALL of her sponsors suggestions and after 3 months, started to have small moments where she started to feel ok in her own skin...she couldn’t believe it. She felt something starting to shift 
Courtney continues her service and says that the work does not stop because there is no cure. 
“My brain generates so much suffering” she says. Courtney tells me she’s doing well. She stays in the middle,  she sponsors people, she does a lot of service and does the things where god has assigned her, to play the role that she’s been assigned to play. 
Courtney says it’s not about what she thinks anymore...and the more she learns about how to practice this work the more she gets to understand what Gods will is versus, what Gods will isn’t. 

“I’m two different people in one lifetime” - Courtney

SHAWN talks about alcoholism and addiction and says that it’s the 12 Steps of AA and Honesty that keeps him sober. He says that he has to put Recovery before ANY-THING.
We discuss the spouses and family of addicts/alcoholics and the thin veil between going to meetings to stay sober and participating in family life....
and EGO.
Shawn says he’s at the point where he does not care what anybody thinks about him. He shares his experience of being in and out of state and county prisons his whole life
We talk a little bit about the fact that the business of recovery is a bit disturbing.
Shaw is willing to do whatever it takes for him to stay sober. I’ve seen it first hand. I hope you enjoy this and hopefully it helps someone. It helped me.
 
 

My friend Zack recently received his 1 year medallion and says he never thought that being sober was an attainable thing for him. He’s one of my younger friends in Recovery. The work he does in the program is directly linked to the quality of his sobriety.
He tells his story about growing up and then hits on one of the most relevant topics with young people today, Adderall abuse. This drug scares the hell out of me and I appreciate the opportunity to talk about this subject with Zack.
We have a conversation about gambling and gambling addiction which I find very interesting to discuss.
Zack talks about essential parts of his early recovery which included getting multiple 24 Hour Chips at different meetings, being open to suggestions and attending 24 hour Alkathons during the holidays.
Listen close...you can hear his JOY. I have fun talking to Zack...I hope you enjoy this

 

Karen tried to quit drinking on her own before she came into AA...she knew there was a problem but she couldn’t stop.  Karen and I have a commonality...Alcohol energized us, it amped us up like caffeine does, or a red bull would would do.  She says she didn’t really drink in high school or college and didn’t really like it because she didn’t like to be out of control. But when she eventually started, she says she finally found “IT”...the way she wanted to feel.
It was wonderful to sit and chat with Karen...I hope you enjoy it as much as I did.

Kenny has been sober 31+ years KEN says he grew up in a pool hall and has no regrets about that. He and friends got a hold of some liquor when he was 14/15 years old. He says “from that point, the koo-koo was out of the clock.”He says he had the mental obsession part of the disease right from the start. He couldn’t wait to do it again!Kenny says he drank past embarrassment. When he finally “got it”,  Kenny says “I got back to AA and someone would talk to me and take my mind off of ME !“Kenny says “take this disease out of the shadows”  I just love that!Some of Kenny’s notable lines include but are certainly not limited to:  -“Nobody comes into recovery on the wings of victory”-“The correlation between the number of meetings you go to and how you feel is not by accident”-“I’ve rarely seen anyone walk through the doors saying ‘I’ve got a pretty good life but I think I’ll get sober!”’Kenny is a luminary around the halls of AA. I love the guy. I hope you benefit from the content he provided us by showing up and recording.

Andrea is a friend whom I always enjoy listening to when she shares. This is the first time I’ve heard her story. 
She started using alcohol and drugs in her late teens but up until that point she says she had a lot of unhealthy ways of dealing with life and a lot of depression and fear. She was screaming out for help and was suicidal long before she even drank. Andrea says she always had an obsession of some sort going on. Her parents and her doctors were trying every way they could to help her. By all accounts , Andrea’s parents are angels. 
She says that today, for her, there is no chemical solution for what she has. I absolutely loved when she said that showing up to meetings is THE HEARTBEAT OF HER RECOVERY. 
She picked up not because things were bad, at one point she picked up because things were good....baffling!
 
Andrea is such a strong woman...I’m so impressed with this young lady.  She is going to help a lot of people. You’re gonna be better off for listening to this.  

Andrea spoke about the halfway house in Salisbury where she spent some time getting sober. Here is the link to The Maris Center 👇🏻👇🏻👇🏻
 
https://linkhouseinc.org/