Episode 469 - 10 Facts About Americans and Alcohol
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Today we have Lisa. She is 66 years old and lives in Atlanta, GA. She took her last drink on November 16th, 2022.
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CafĆ© RE ā use the code OPPORTUNITY to waive the setup fee.
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[02:51] Thoughts from Paul:
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Paul shares with us ten facts about Americans and their drinking habits that he found in an article from the Pew Research Center.
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The article shares with us statistics regarding what people are drinking and where alcohol consumption is the highest, along with statistics about age and income ranges.
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The biggest takeaway from this article is the first stat that says, āOnly 62% of U.S. adults say they drinkā while 38% abstain completely. Not everyone is kung fu fighting. There is a voice inside the head that says, āEverybody drinksā, but right there we just debunked that myth. A lot of people donāt drink because they donāt want to. Many people donāt drink because their forced to. Whatever the reason is, about 40% of Americans donāt drink.
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And although alcohol consumption is rising, weāre seeing the younger generations say no, like no previous generation has done so.
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Check out Sober Link.Ā You can find some tips and can sign up for a $50 off promo code.
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[10:00] Paul introduces Lisa:
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Lisa is a repeat guest from episode 411. She took her last drink on November 16th, 2022. She is 66 and lives outside of Atlanta. She has been married for 37 years and they have two adult children. Lisa enjoys working out, traveling, reading, and listening to podcasts.
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Lisa grew up in a close family, but her parents had a miserable marriage. Her mother drank to deal with it and the drinking increased when Lisa was in middle school. Upon trying her first drink in high school, she didnāt have the āwowā moment at first but quickly found it gave her confidence and she felt accepted and less insecure with her friends.
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After graduating college and entering the booming computer software industry, Lisa found herself drinking at a lot of parties, conferences, and sales meetings. She says her husband didnāt drink much. Aside from when she was pregnant, Lisa drank in a way that she considered normal.
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In her 40ās, Lisa and her husband left the corporate world and started their own business. It was successful but very stressful. She says her drinking ramped up and she was beginning to try and hide the wine bottles from her husband.
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After a fall Lisa had during a blackout, her doctor referred her to a counselor. She discovered AA and was able to stay sober for a year without doing the work. Soon after the year mark, Lisa thought she could moderate and started drinking again. She was successful with moderation at first, but after retiring, finding herself as the sole caretaker for her elderly mother, the drinking increased again.
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One night Lisa found herself pouring a glass of wine that she really didnāt want and it was then she decided enough was enough. This time Lisa decided to get help. She went to AA and didnāt feel it was working for her. She discovered a Facebook group called SoberSis as well as CafĆ© RE. After her last interview, she was connected with a lot of other ladies that she is still connected with today.
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Last year found Lisa tending to several health scares, several surgeries, and the unexpected loss of her parents eight weeks apart. Lisa says that gratitude, using the tools she has learned in the sober community as well as her faith and family has helped her remain sober through it all.
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Lisaās favorite ways to relax deep breathing and exercise.
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Lisaās advice for somebody struggling with life and alcohol: find a way to connect no matter how uncomfortable it is, we have to have connections.
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CafĆ© RE ā use the code OPPORTUNITY to waive the setup fee.
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