Interview with Ryan S who hit rock bottom, lost it all and then discovered joy love and friendships in sobriety

Welcome to a new kind of happy hour!! The Undrunken™ Podcast is hanging out with friends for an hour or so as they share their stories and journey with their relationship with alcohol. Not all of us consider ourselves alcoholics or identify with being sober, hence the term, Undrunken™.

This happy hour is with Ryan and we chat about his personal journey with alcoholism and sobriety. He explained how alcohol negatively impacted his life, leading to legal troubles and strained relationships. He joined a 12-step program in 2019 and found support within a community of non-drinkers. He also discussed the joy of rebuilding relationships and finding love in sobriety.

Ryan talks about one of his initial experiences with alcohol after high school, followed by his time in the army where heavy drinking was normalized, and then his college years at a school with a heavier drinking culture.

His continued use of alcohol had a huge impact on his life, ultimately hitting a rock bottom leading to the demise of his first marriage, legal troubles, and career challenges. He first tried to quit drinking in 2018, then after some experimental drinking, fell back into heavy drinking during the 2019 holiday season. By the end of January 2019, he decided to join a 12-step program, and began putting his life back together. He met his now wife and was enjoying sobriety. However, after a family tragedy, he had a brief relapse and so quickly returned to the program. Ryan emphasizes the importance of not feeling isolated in a struggle with addiction and the power of building connections with others dealing with similar issues.

Ryan like many of us has had his struggle with feelings of not being 'normal' and the desire to drink again, but found comfort in a community of like-minded individuals who don't consume alcohol. With the loss of some friendships he leaned into the formation of new ones, those based on mutual sobriety. Ryan’s journey has been difficult but achievable, and he encourages others struggling with alcoholism to persevere. Ryan emphasized the importance of not feeling isolated in addiction struggles and the need to challenge societal norms that promote drinking. The Undrunken Podcast thanks Ryan for his service.

Shownotes

Undrunken episode I’m jamming with Kat Sweet who introduced me to Kelly Quinn aka Throttle Girl

Music I'm playing non-stop Lofi Girl - beats to relax/study to

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