Recovery Elevator

Achieve the life you deserve without alcohol

Community

We connect sobriety seeking individuals with others

Accountability

We create accountability through the Café RE accountability program

Stigma

The Stigma is just as dangerous as alcohol.  It’s time to shred the shame

What We Do

Of course, we do a podcast, but we also bring like-minded individuals together, particularly in early sobriety, who seek a better life without alcohol through support and accountability.

Some members of the private groups have years of continuous sobriety, while others are only days away from their last drink, we are all striving for better quality of life without alcohol. Stopping drinking is the first part, of course, then we learn how to embrace a life without alcohol. Eventually, we return to the point in our life when we were happy without alcohol. Imagine going to a party, wedding, concert, or other social event and not needing alcohol to enjoy yourself. This is not an overnight process, yet once achieved, it is the most liberating feeling in the world. We invite you to join us on the path to wellness and sobriety.

Shortly after episode 20 of the Recovery Elevator podcast, the goal and direction became clear; it’s time to shred the shame. Alcoholism is a disease and alcohol is one of the most addictive and dangerous drugs on the planet. It’s time to start talking about this.

Recovery Elevator and the private community Café RE offer a safe, informative place, for those who wish to quit drinking. Many, including the RE Team, find solace and comfort in our cohesive community.

 

 

Visiting an orphanage in the Sacred Valley during a Recovery Elevator Sober Travel trip to Peru in 2018

Do You Have a Drinking Problem?

 

 Have you taken online tests to determine if you have a drinking problem? Do you wonder if your drinking is actually a problem? Do you question if alcohol is negatively impacting your life? We’ve all searched for an answer. 

Here is the 100% accurate way to determine if you have an alcohol problem.

Get ready, your response to the next question could change the direction of your life forever.

What if you get an answer you don’t like? Will you re-take the test? Will you skew the results? Are you ready to take the test?

Let’s take the test. This should take about 14 seconds of time, so be sure to clear your schedule.

Okay, let’s start with question 1 which is a yes or no question.

1. Have you ever asked yourself, do I have a drinking problem?

Okay, the test is over, fast right? Let’s look at the results. If the answer is no, I’m sorry. You do not have the opportunity to drastically improve your life with quitting alcohol. If the answer was yes, then congratulations, you’ve been given the opportunity to remove a tremendous weight off your shoulders and live a much better life.

 

 

Paul Churchill speaking to guests at the Recovery Elevator Live in Nashville Event

How is this attainable?

Well, here are some things to keep in mind.

 

  • Alcohol is shit… It’s poison and pure shit
  • This cannot be done alone and you’ll have to meet super fun people alone the way
  • Laughter is required
  • A new life is not located in your comfort zone; you need to accomplish tasks that feel uncomfortable
  • Don’t forget the results of the alcohol assessment test, our unconscious minds try to convince us that we are a normal drinkers
  • The disease of alcoholism lies to us in our own voice
  • A terrible bottom is not necessary to quit drinking. Many Café RE members are high functioning members of society who made a decision to quit drinking before they suffered unthinkable consequences
  • There is no sugar coating here; quitting drinking is not easy. However, it doesn’t have to be brutal; it can actually be quite enjoyable with the right support and resources
  • This is YOUR time; a tremendous opportunity to improve your life
  • Get REal (Not a typo:) and ask yourself if your ideas actions are really working. The answer will be clear.

Meet The Recovery Elevator team:

Paul Churchill

My name is Paul and I no longer drink alcohol. My life has improved tenfold once I made the decision to quit drinking. Removing alcohol from my life fixed things that I didn’t even know were broken. I quit drinking for hundreds of reasons, but the biggest reason is that alcohol is SH!T. We are told a different story, that alcohol will deliver happiness and relaxation, but I didn’t experience any of that. In a Tedx talk I gave in 2017, I talk about how I was duped by alcohol.  What I’ve learned now is that alcohol is one of the most addictive substances on the planet  and I became addicted to it.  In fact, alcohol kills more people than all the other drugs combined. At the time when I was drinking, I didn’t know any of that. I thought alcohol made me relax and enjoy events more. I was under the impression anyone who made the decision to drink could stop after a couple… 

Even after I managed to remain sober a few weeks, it seemed my addiction, or unconscious mind, began to convince me that I could have just one drink, and I often listened. The problem was that 1 drink was too many and 10,000 wasn’t enough. How the heck does that work? How could things come to this? Had my best friend alcohol had turned against me? I began to realize I had no control over alcohol which was a devastating concept to grasp. What happened when I made the steadfast decision to quit drinking over and over? Well, the short answer is my unconscious brain never got the memo. I realize this now, but when I was trying to quit drinking, it was the most exhausting time of my life.

I created the Recovery Elevator podcast to create accountability. Looking back, it was a risky endeavor, but it paid off.  I took my last drink on September 6th, 2014. The idea for the private accountability groups came to me after I was unable to find one in August of 2014. At 1:55 am, while experiencing an intense craving, I searched for an online recovery support group with little success. What I did find was a Bud Light Lime sponsored advertisement on Facebook. I had 5 minutes to get dressed, drive to the gas station and take a guess what I purchased. I was drinking at 2:01 am. So I decided to start my own accountability groups which have evolved into Café RE with over 1,000 members from all over the world.

Paul Churchill was a normal drinker in high school and most of college. He loved to drink. He played several sports in high school and played football at Chapman University where he majored in Business and Spanish. His love for alcohol led him to Granada, Spain where he bought a bar in January 2006. He walked away from the bar after 34 months since he was drowning himself with alcohol. He attempted the geographical cure, moved back home in Colorado for a year, and then went to graduate school in Seattle at the University of Washington. He then moved to beautiful Bozeman, MT where he currently resides. Paul was alcohol-free from 2010- 2012 but he looks back at that duration of sobriety and says he was a dry drunk and was staying away from alcohol on will power alone. In 2012, his unconscious mind got the best of him and he drank after being AF over 2 years. Later that same evening around 2:30 am when gas stations couldn’t legally sell alcohol, Paul found himself googling if he could drink rubbing alcohol or hydrogen peroxide. Talk about picking up right where he left off. Paul struggled to quit drinking for another couple years until September 7th, 2014. In the summer of 2014, there was a DUI, release of employment from a job, and a failed suicide attempt. After reaching out to family, specific friends, starting a podcast, a sobriety counter app, selecting a sponsor, eating right, and exercising, Paul Churchill took his last drink of alcohol on September 7th, 2014 and got his life back.

“I was one of the lucky ones. 5% of people who make the decision to quit drinking, make it to 90 days, and then 5% of the people who make it to 90 days make 2 years. 5% of 5% of people make it to two years. I could not have done it alone and I’ve had countless support from so many. I’m so glad I found out that alcohol that was causing the pain and discomfort in my life. Quitting drinking wasn’t easy, but the life I have now is exponentially better. Alcohol would have claimed my life if I continued to drink. The crazy part is my life continues to improve the longer I stay away from alcohol. Quitting drinking was the one domino that knocked all the others down.”

-Paul Churchill

Tyrrell Lourie

An old-timer who I met in early sobriety told me: “just because the elevator goes to the basement, it doesn’t mean you have to go all the way down.”  When I came through the doors of AA in 2008, I hadn’t encountered a lot of “yets.”  I had not gotten a DUI…yet; I hadn’t lost a job…yet; hadn’t lost a relationship…yet; didn’t need to take a drink in the morning…yet. I was becoming more and more isolated, more and more secretive.  I would resolve in the morning not to have a drink, to quit for a while, yet have a drink in my hand by “witching hour” (5:00 PM).  I drank after work at 9:30 PM or 10 PM, to “unwind” sit in front of the TV until I fell asleep (passed out).  I went to great lengths to hide the amount I was drinking: hiding bottles in the closet, sneaking empties out of the house, drinking wine in boxes so no one could see how much I drank.  My life was a series of secrets.

Coming into AA and saying the words “I’m Tyrrell, and I’m an alcoholic” was like a huge weight had been lifted from my shoulders. Finally, I could be honest!  Since then, I’ve been able to stay sober, one day at a time.  During this time, life has happened: illness, death, financial problems, etc. and I’ve been fully present.

Around episode 25, Paul asked me if I’d be interested in helping with the Recovery Elevator podcast. Despite knowing little about podcasts, and even less about audio editing, I accepted his offer. I have officially become, a “content curator.”  I thoroughly enjoy the process and this amazing learning opportunity.  It’s also a pleasure to hear and polish these interviews before they go live!

The Café RE Private Community is also in my daily sobriety portfolio, along with prayer, meditation, and reading.

Working as part of the Recovery Elevator team is a joy for me!  I’m happy to be here, happy to be sober; grateful to all of ya’ll for my recovery!

Kerri MacFarlane

Hi, my name is Kerri MacFarlane…and I no longer drink alcohol.

I started listening to the Recovery Elevator Podcasts late 2016.  I found myself ‘binge listening’ to past episodes whenever I had the chance.  In February of 2018, I joined the Café’ RE private community, which quickly became one of my favorite tools in my sobriety toolbox.

When I saw that Paul was looking for someone to take over writing the show-notes for the podcast episodes I immediately reached out to him, I was thrilled to be a part of the Recovery Elevator team.

From the show-notes things evolved…to where I am today…gratefully working full time as the Community Manager/Event Coordinator for Recovery Elevator and the Café RE community.  My heart is full.

I live in NorCal, I am married, have two daughters (with spouses), 5 beautiful grandchildren and 2 spoiled pound puppies.  I LOVE to travel…and you can be sure to meet up with me on any/all of the RE sober travel trips!
I never knew sobriety could feel so good and I will continue to take it one day at a time.  It is true…the opposite of addiction is connection and we can’t do this alone.

Odette Cressler

Hola, My name is Odette Cressler, and I have been in the recovery world for some time now. I struggled with an eating disorder for about 10 years. After seeking treatment and stabilizing my mind and body, I found that I was now chasing alcohol to cope with distress and pain in my life. That is when I found Recovery Elevator.

I found the podcast and was immediately hooked. I joined Café RE and have built my chosen family around this community. I am incredibly grateful to be doing this with people who understand my struggles and are there for me, no matter what.

I live in California with my family, we love spending time outside, going to the beach, and exploring new places. Being able to be present for memory-making is a gift, and I owe a lot of that to Recovery Elevator. I love tea, puzzles, spicy chili mango, and kitchen dance parties.

I became part of the Recovery Elevator team in 2019, aiding with social media and event planning efforts. In June of 2020, I stepped in as the podcast host. I’ll be the voice of the podcast for 52 episodes, and I am really enjoying giving back to our community this way.

Kris Oyen

Hey everyone, I’m Kris O. and I began my alcohol-free journey in August of 2017. I had reached the point where drinking wasn’t just ‘not serving me’, but was creating chaos in all areas of my life. Externally, things looked fine; but on the inside, everything was being held together by a string. When enough was finally enough, I got some help and started down the path of recovery. I found the Recovery Elevator podcast while looking for resources online and subsequently joined the private Café RE community.

I’ve learned along the way that I don’t have to do this alone. By finding community, I’ve gotten more support than I could have imagined. Knowing that other people out there share my struggles, and hearing their stories, has helped me so much! I’ve also had a TON of fun while living a life that I didn’t think was possible. By eliminating alcohol and digging into what I was trying to numb, I’ve found a new freedom and love for life. It sounds so cliché, but everything is better. From my family life to relationships with friends, my job performance, and my ability to show up for others; it’s 100% worth the work that I’ve put in. I’m so grateful to have this chosen family by my side.

I have an amazing wife (who is my best friend), a daughter and son who are both above average, and a dog who is so-so. We live in rural North Dakota and live for the summer. We’re a camping and boating family to the core. I’ve got a passion for photography and videography, which has been a fun hobby over the years. That’s actually why you’re seeing a bio on here for me! I’ll be working with Paul to roll out content for the Recovery Elevator YouTube page. I’m really excited to be a part of this team and to have the opportunity to contribute to the online recovery space. Thanks for reading, and I hope to get to know some of you over on YouTube!

Stephanie McCarroll

Alcohol had long been a respite for me. I sometimes drank to cope with anxiety. Part of me knew this wasn’t a healthy approach, but it seemed to work. My father was an alcoholic, so I had a healthy fear of alcohol abuse. I still enjoyed drinking on occasion, but it was social drinking—nothing I was concerned about. I sometimes drank too much, but it didn’t cause problems.

That started to change after marriage and one of my twin boys was diagnosed with autism and a seizure disorder. I began to suffer from anxiety and depression. Having a special needs child, I became chronically sleep deprived – which made it challenging to meet the intellectual demands of my job and my family needs. A few years later, my husband was stricken with a debilitating mental impairment. The series of those events became too much and alcohol became a way to escape. I started to self-medicate with alcohol, but eventually – I no longer tried to restrain my drinking. Still, it took me some time to recognize I had a serious problem.

The Recovery Elevator podcast helped me name my problem. I immediately committed to abstinence. The early days were especially hard, but I got through them by listening to podcasts, reading quit-lit and encouragement from my family. I was fortunate that I was on a sabbatical, which gave me space to focus on my health and recovery. I started to practice mindfulness and meditation. I attended Cafe RE chats and AA meetings and I am eternally grateful for these communities. Now, nearly four years later, I live with less stress, have healthy relationships and am happier than I ever imagined. It is my pleasure to now be part of a team that was so instrumental in my own sober journey.

Big Storm, LLC Interactive Marketing Company logo

“970 worked with me to improve the Recovery Elevator website and gave me the tools needed to make changes. They were able to take my scattered visionary thoughts and place them into specific tag lines, color palletes, cleaner email templates and so much more. Previously, I was the marketing departement and I thought I was “nailing it” but 970 showed us where improvement was needed.”

– Paul Churchill

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