Episode 436 – Our Road Ahead   Today we have Lacey. She’s 34 from Illinois and has been sober since May 15, 2020.   Recovery Elevator welcomes our newest sponsor, Athletic Greens.   [02:16] Highlights from Kris:   We feel it is important to use these first few episodes of Season Five to set a foundation for the upcoming year. Kris shares the RE mission statement and talks about what each of the six key themes means to him.   To recap, our mission statement: we offer hope through community and connection. Partnering sobriety seeking individuals with other likeminded people.   Over and over and over again, you’re going to hear us, and our guests, talk about the importance of connection. It’s not because it’s the only thing we know how to talk about; but simply because it’s THAT IMPORTANT.   Recovery Elevator’s Six Themes:   1)    We are inclusive 2)    There is no right or wrong way to do this 3)    Connection 4)    Don’t just quit drinking 5)    We need to remain open 6)    We must pass along what we learn to others     Better Help:  www.betterhelp.com/elevator - 10% off your first month. #sponsored   [09:30] Kris introduces Lacey:   Lacey is 34 and lives in Illinois. She is an instructional designer. She is married and has two cats. Lacey loves walking, camping, cooking, and doing crafts. She is part of a community theater and enjoys volunteering at the local animal shelter.   Lacey was young when her parents quit drinking, so alcohol was never around. She feels the mystery made it more interesting to her. She first drank with theater friends in her sophomore year of high school. This was the first time that she felt included in something.   After a falling out with some friends in senior year, Lacey found another friend group that not only drank but did other drugs. She felt like she needed to join in in spite of feeling apprehensive. Cocaine and alcohol went hand in hand for Lacey. She had to have alcohol to deal with the downside of the drugs.   In her 20’s, Lacey started identifying as a partier. She loved being able to drink and stay up all night and she wore it like a badge of honor. Lacey started doing more drugs because they helped her keep drinking.   After some time, Lacey started trying to moderate and find the right balance of the drugs and alcohol, but always ended up failing. She feels she had the dueling personalities during this time. Her mornings were full of anxiety from all of the behavior from the day before.   When Lacey started having health issues that the doctors couldn’t determine the cause of, she came to the realization that her substance abuse may be a contributing factor. In denial, Lacey continued partying even harder until she hit her breaking point and realized that she needed to stop for good.   It was not “one and done” for Lacey. She drank on vacation and then when she came home, she decided to join Café RE if she could make it 30 days. She struggled to embrace sobriety. She started feeling better after six months but thought she could handle drinking again. She then used Covid as an excuse to keep drinking and ended up back where she started. The day after she quit, she got an accountability partner who has become her best friend.   In recovery, Lacey is finding more time to do things that she used to love. Her friend group has changed, and she is ok with that.   Lacey’s favorite resources in recovery: her accountability person, Marco Polo and connection.   The best advice Lacey has received: if you are researching whether or not you have a drinking problem, you do but it’s not a death sentence. It’s ok, embrace it, it will be so worth it.     Cafe RE  Use the promo code OPPORTUNITY to waive the set-up fee Recovery Elevator YouTube Sobriety Tracker iTunes    You’re the only that can do this RE, but you don’t have to do it alone. I love you guys.