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Today we have Harvey. He is 71 years old, lives in Fort Myers, FL and took his last drink on January 18th, 2026.
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Registration for our annual Bozeman retreat begins on Wednesday April 1st. This event takes place August 12th-16th. This retreat is all about fun, laughter, smiles and silent disco. We didn’t quit drinking to not have fun! Musical guest Uprise will be back and it’s going to be another awesome year.
[03:54] Thoughts from Paul:
Paul shares with us and excerpt from Shannon Alder regarding sensitive people. See if this rings true for you:
“Sensitive people are the most genuine and honest people you will ever meet. There is nothing they won’t tell you about themselves if they trust your kindness. However, the moment you betray them, reject them or devalue them, they will end the friendship. They live with guilt and constant pain over unresolved situations and misunderstandings. They are tortured souls that are not able to live with hatred or being hated. This type of person needs the most love anyone can give them because their soul has been constantly bruised by others. However, despite the tragedy of what they have to go through in life, they remain the most compassionate people worth knowing and the ones that often become activists for the broken-hearted, forgotten and the misunderstood. They are angels with broken wings that only fly when loved.”
Would you consider yourself a sensitive person? It isn’t a bad thing at all, because you feel. And look out, it’s the sober, sensitive person through their healing that heals others. That’s the work we are doing here.
[08:01] Paul introduces Harvey:
Harvey is originally from Brooklyn but has lived many other places and currently spends his time between Virginia Beach and Fort Myers, FL. Harvey met his wife in 1980, and they have been married over 40 years. He works part time for CNN audio and just celebrated his 71st birthday.
Harvey took his first drink when he was 16 and says it wasn’t the “a-ha” moment that many others have had. In college, weed was Harvey’s drug of choice until it stopped working for him. He was able to quit easily but alcohol proved to be different.
In 1987 after a move to LA, Harvey and his wife got into the wine culture. It wasn’t until two years later that he began to question his drinking and realizing he often woke up not feeling well. This began a tradition of Dry January where Harvey and his wife would quit drinking to let their bodies heal but never because they thought they were alcoholics.
In 2011 Harvey had his first turning point in his drinking. He was apparently hiding his drinking from his wife. When she confronted him with the empties he was hiding, he decided to go to an addiction counselor. They recommended AA and Harvey attended daily until he attempted to work the steps. The Higher Power aspect soured him.
Harvey went back out for more field research. Over time his wife was growing tired of his drinking and he eventually decided in 2024 to get back into recovery and discovered Recovery Elevator and Café RE when seeking alternatives to AA. He says he jumped right into the community and hasn’t left.
Going forward Harvey is doing this for him and not just for his family. There have been a few difficult bouts of field research, but Harvey is committed to continuing his recovery. He acknowledges that he is coming to the acceptance phase of his grieving of alcohol. Harvey is exploring new hobbies, specifically music. He intends to continue going to Café RE chats, walking and being open to more opportunities to have fun.
Harvey’s parting piece of guidance: don’t put it off till next month or to Monday. If you’ve made the decision that you want to quit, do it immediately.
Recovery Elevator
We took the elevator down; we’ve got to take the stairs back up.
We can do this.
I love you guys.
