Topic: Relapsed? – PLUS Insights On Bam Margera And Dr Phil And The State Of Alcohol Recovery In America

Notes:

• State of addiction and recovery in the United States – he reached out for addiction assistance from Dr. Phil specifically
• For every Bam Margera, there are people who can’t reach out for help in the way celebrities can
• Often times, we look at it as all about money – sadly in some rehabs if insurance does not cover it, they are rejected – this is a flaw and a huge miscommunication
• Of course, alcohol is made readily available, but help is not all the time
• A lot of people need help, they don’t know where to get it and rarely anyone is looking at what is truly going on
• “Let’s get to the root problem” – The root problem is actually alcohol
• Alcohol becomes someone’s coping mechanism – for literally everything
• We need to learn a new way of coping and it’s fucking up our life with our own hand – when you take the alcohol out everything is going to change
• It’s easier to sit with your problems than drink them away
• What is it that keeps us relapsing? It’s that first drink that ignites all of the neuropathways in your brain, then you’re right back where you’re at
• IF YOU DON’T HAVE THE FIRST DRINK, YOU WILL NOT GET DRUNK – so how do we build defensives against that first one?

Guest – brittany over:

• Grew up around alcoholic parents – made a commitment to never drink because of my experience with family issues
• There was one time I had a drink, and it ‘helped’ my depression
• Drank with my husband fairly often
• Stopped drinking when I got pregnant
• After breastfeeding I had that ‘one drink’ which led to me drinking every single night
• I passed out every night, my husband took care of my daughter – I woke up, worked, and needed/wanted that drink
• Upon reflection, I am really not sure why I was drinking so heavily, but I couldn’t stop
• One week I almost lost my job, daughter and husband in one week – ended up drunk at a work event on my husbands birthday
• Was in rehab for 31 days – felt functional, could be a Mother to my daughter
• Looking back on my history, I realized that I was most certainly a dry drunk – fell back into having no self-esteem, didn’t use the tools I had built up from rehab – felt like I was just ‘living’
• My husband left me – there were lies and someone else in his life – I do not recall even driving myself to the liquor store, but I did – I sat and cried for 30 minutes and said ‘Fuck it’ – so I relapsed
• I couldn’t be a Mother anymore
• Looked online because I needed help, I knew I had to get sober again – that is when I found Marcus & Terry
• I called my Doctor and initially they ignored my cry for help – I called them back and told them No… you need to see me – they gave me the medications needed to get through detox safely
• What would you say to someone who is out there that needs help:
  • It’s YOUR life – don’t wait – you are not guaranteed tomorrow
  • Build a support system
  • GO TO YOUR DOCTOR
  • Are you scared to live sober? I am too – I still have my days, but what will make it worse is drinking
  • We don’t choose this life, but we choose what we do about it
  • Sober life is WONDERFUL

Notes continued:

• There is a lot of fear around detox – you NEED to see a doctor
• “Grateful never relapses”
• When we are alcoholics we are completely self-absorbed
• We sugarcoat alcoholism – NO – alcohol has taken over your life and that is how you need to look at it
• Teaching is an active process
• Sobriety is more than not drinking – it’s a serene life – it’s a fulfilled life – it’s a life that’s properly managed
• Being sad and feeling things is a society thing – you are supposed to feel emotion