RE 539: Why Aren’t You Drinking?

Today we have Brooke. She is 47 years old from Pittsburgh, PA and took her last drink on September 27^th, 2024.

 

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[02:02] Thoughts from Paul:

 

When we get asked why we are not drinking, Paul shares that we should be turning the question around and asking them why they ARE drinking.

 

We can ask them questions like why they are spending $12 on something that can erode their insides and leave them with a hangover the next day. Or ask them why they are drinking a Class 1 carcinogen and is linked to seven different kinds of cancer?

 

Or another direction to go with this “why aren’t you drinking” question is that you don’t have to explain yourself or justify anything to anyone. In fact, be the catalyst. Be the one that switches the question in your community. But don’t shame people. Don’t say it with an aggressive tone but say it with presence and say it with love.

 

This isn’t about shaming anyone and it’s definitely not about you being right and others being wrong, but it’s about reclaiming the narrative. When you flip the question, you give others permission to question the script they’ve been handed. You become part of the change simply by standing in your truth.

 

[07:19] Paul introduces Brooke:

 

Brooke is 47 and has lived in Pittsburgh for 23 years. She has been married for 25 years, and they have two young adult children ages 22 and 20. She works in a test kitchen. For fun, she has pets, loves to garden, and has property to horseback ride on.

 

Brooke was the youngest of three girls. She and her family moved around a lot because of her father’s work and when she was 13, they moved to California.

 

When she was 14, Brooke was groomed into a relationship with her volleyball coach that lasted for two years. There was alcohol involved in a lot of their relationship, Brooke says. Brooke grew tired of the secret relationship and wanted to be a normal teenager with friends her age.  

 

Brooke got a DUI when she was 18 which derailed some plans she had for college. She didn’t think she had a drinking problem but learned not to drink and