RE 80: Celebrity Alcoholics: Some Made it, Some Didn't

Lo, with 7.5 months of sobriety, shares her story...

FYI! Alcoholism does not segregate. It is straight-up an equal, all around ass-kicker… Alcoholism does not care about your gender, race, social status, height, weight, athletic prowess, economic status or celeb status. Yep, that’s right, this mean celebrities can be alcoholics too! It’s just that you don’t ever hear about the list of celebs that fade away because their drinking habits become too much… They just literally fade away. Adios…

But, what you maybe didn’t know is the list of recovering alcoholics that run the Hollywood gamut. So here it goes, a short list of the Famous & Sober: Stephen King, Ben Affleck (rehab in 2001), Michael J. Fox, Jamie Lee Curtis, Diana Ross, Mel Gibson, Johnny Depp, Mickey Mantle, Eminem, Anthony Hopkins, and Harry Potter (became sober is 2010). 

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SHOW NOTES

[ 08:40 ] Paul Introduces Lo

Lo has been sober for 7.5 months. She is originally from Northern Minnesota with a bad (but proud) habit of moving back to Bozeman, Montana time and time again. “It has been a good place to keep coming back to.” Lo is a massage therapist. She enjoys running, hiking, coffee, theatre, and is rediscovering her passion for art. “There are so many more hours in the day now that I’m practicing sobriety,” comments Lo on making time for creativity and art.

[ 10:52 ] What brought you to the decision to stop drinking?

“I surrendered enough.” It took Lo close to a year to truly decide to get an AA sponsor and stick with the plan. “The previous day I had wanted to drink so bad. The next day it returned, so I drank. It was enough, the shame, the guilt, the wanting to commit suicide the next day. It was enough. My emotional hangovers were just so heavy.”

[ 14:29 ] Did you have any ‘plans’?

“Sometimes I would wake up and feel shitty enough that I didn’t want to drink. My therapist told me to try to have only x amount of drinks per week… I usually hit the mark by Monday or Tuesday. I would tally up the drinks at the end of the week, and I just never could make it…”

[ 17:23 ] How did you do it 7.5 months ago?

“I finally got serious with the program (referring to AA). It took me several months to come to the understanding that I was an alcoholic. It was time to take the program seriously.”

[ 19:45 ] Paul refers to the idea of “breaking up with the word alcoholic.”

Check out RE #75 for more on this!

[ 21:07 ] Lo speaks about her struggles, discovering who she is and what having a higher power means to her.

“I have to learn to trust it. To let go.” Lo finds relief in this technique, knowing that she has relief from her mind and anxiety.

[ 25:39 ] What does your recovery portfolio look like today? Walk me through a day in recovery with Lo.

Lo gets out for a morning run a couple times a week, drinks coffee, meditates, and tries to stay conscious of being connected to her higher power. Lo also stays in contact with people from the program (AA), texting, calling and just connecting.

[ 31:48 ] Lo talks about the ‘Pink Cloud’ that has not shown up yet.

 

[ 29:00 ] Rapid Fire Round What was your worst memory from drinking?  “Last summer when I drank TOO much. I wasn’t planning on drinking that evening and then had a suicide attempt.” What is your favorite Flow Riders song? “That’s a great band!” Paul is also a comedian... Did you ever have an “oh-shit” moment? “The same night that I had the suicide attempt. My actions were just going down a road that I wasn’t even thinking about.” What is your plan moving forward? “Keeping up with my friendships, connecting, going to meetings and listening to RE.” What’s your favorite resource in recovery? “AA Program and the Podcast (RE).” What’s the best advice you’ve ever received (on sobriety)? “The goal is not to feel better about life, but to stay sober.” What parting piece of guidance can you give to our listeners who are in recovery or thinking about quitting drinking? “It’s worth all the hard work and it will pay off. Don’t quit before the miracle happens.”

 

QUOTABLES

“Adios alcohol, welcome back hobbies and passions.” - Paul

“If you’re concerned enough about your drinking and you’re at an AA meeting (you’re probably an alcoholic)” - Lo

 

“We took the elevator down, we gotta take the stairs back up, we can do this!”

Don’t forget to support the Recovery Elevator Podcast by shopping at Amazon with the Recovery Elevator link:

www.recoveryelevator.com/amazon/

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