What causes a relapse? And what are you supposed to do after a relapse, if that's where you find yourself? In this week's episode of Through the Glass Recovery Podcast, we're joined by Patti Clark and Dave Davis, who share their experiences. Patti relapsed after 10 years of sobriety, and shares what she sees now, looking back on that. Dave went through several relapses before finally reaching lasting sobriety, and the lessons he learned from each relapse are what got him to where he is now. Whether you're currently in a relapse cycle, or just want to avoid relapsing in the future, this episode is chock full of everything you need to hear.

In this episode:

• The loss of connection as a cause of relapse
• Finding people you really feel a connection with - not just any support group, but the right one
• Understanding society's influence
• Learn about yourself and your challenges so you can move through them
• Dealing with the shame after relapse
• Sobriety vs. Recovery
• Finding the lesson in a relapse
• Learning to love yourself enough that you can stay sober
• When you're limping along in sobriety, you're likely to relapse

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Patti Clark is the award-winning author of This Way Up: Seven Tools for Unleashing Your Creative Self and Transforming Your Life. Her own experience as a middle-aged woman in recovery is deeply reflected in her new book, Recovery Road Trip: Finding Purpose and Connection on the Journey Home.

Patti was born and raised in Northern California, lived in New Zealand for many years, and is now living in Portugal.

Online

https://www.patticlark.org

https://www.facebook.com/PattiClarkAuthor

https://www.instagram.com/patticlarkauthor

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Senior Database Architect by day. Husband, Father, Musician, Photographer, Artist, Internet DJ, Astrologer, Designer and Writer by night. Born and raised in Ottumwa, Iowa and later in Cedar Rapids, moved to Illinois in the 80s to go to DeVry. And never left. With many attempts at quitting drinking through the pandemic, it finally worked for me on the 20th of March 2023 and I have not looked back since.

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Visit our website at throughtheglassrecovery.com to sign up for our weekly newsletter, and to gain access to our FREE weekly recovery meetings.

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Facing fear in recovery can feel overwhelming. When you're still using alcohol, it's easy to drink your way through what would be a scary situation. But in sobriety, facing fear means developing resiliency, building confidence and courage, and knowing how to face fear head on.

In this episode, we explore how fear has affected us now that we're in recovery. We talk about what things make us feel afraid or anxious and why. We also share everything we've learned about moving through fear in ways that don't make us want to turn back to alcohol. Join us as we chat with Kenny (Recovery Hill); Corina, and Amber, and share our insights and advice on dealing with fear in recovery.

In this episode:

• Getting sober gives you the confidence to face anything
• Social anxiety and the fear of public speaking
• "Suck it up and just do it."
• Healthy fears vs. unhealthy fears - how to tell the difference
• Fear is about assumption and uncertainty
• The foundation of dysregulation is fear
• Fear can either lead you to worse version of yourself or a better version of yourself - it's up to you.
• Dealing with the fear of major change
• How others influence our fear
• Authenticity decreases the effect that fear has on us
• The more fears you face, the more confident you become
• Fear and excitement are physiologically the same experience
• How to make friends with fear
• Talking about fears helps to release their hold on you
• The process of building resiliency
• Fear has value - and we would be wise to stop avoiding it.

A large number of people who have an alcohol use disorder are using alcohol, at least in part, to self medicate symptoms of anxiety. For many, they don't realize that the alcohol is actually fueling and perpetuating their anxiety, because in the short term, it feels like alcohol is the quickest way to settle racing thoughts and a pounding heart. Removing alcohol from your life will immediately decrease your anxiety levels, but for some people, they're still left with some of the rumination and worry that kept them in a drinking cycle for so long. Learning tools that you can use in place of alcohol is fundamental in sobriety - without these tools, you'll be at risk of relapse.

In this episode, Taylor and Sarah join Julie and Steve to talk about coping with anxiety after quitting alcohol. They offer tips and tools that you can use right now, in addition to some mindset shifts that will be helpful for you to adopt. If you've ever suffered from anxiety - even in small doses - this is an episode you won't want to miss.

For more conversations about anxiety after quitting drinking, check out these previous epsiodes:

How to Cope With Anxiety In Recovery

Social Anxiety and Alcohol

In this episode:

• Panic attacks
• Supplements that help with anxiety after quitting alcohol
• Understanding that drinking actually causes anxiety
• Developing good habits that bring peace (and realizing alcohol counters those habits)
• Mindfulness as an anxiety tool
• Why imagining the worst isn't always a bad thing
• Therapy to increase coping skills
• The subconscious' effect on anxiety
• Why authenticity is at the core of overcoming anxiety

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My name is Taylor! I embarked on my sober journey in January of 2024 after being sober curious for about a year. After years of using alcohol to cope with trauma from abuse, anxiety, OCD & panic attacks, I took the final leap into healing and gave it up.

I am from small town Wisconsin and spend most of my days on the farm with my fiance taking care of our crops, chickens and cows. I am passionate about helping others, traveling, writing, and growing in my faith by participating in Bible study and spending time at our local church. I share my alcohol free journey with others to inspire and build community on TikTok through Tay’s Sober Journey.

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Sarah Siegel-Kolodziejski, originally from a small town in England, relocated to the United States around 30 years ago. With a background in fashion, real estate, and clean beauty, she started her passion project, Pure Clarity, under the motto “mindful drinking, mindful living.” Drawing from her personal journey with an unhealthy relationship with alcohol to an alcohol- free lifestyle 3 years ago, her goal was to create a platform for inspiring leaders, wellness and consumers in the zero-proof movement to come together. Through retreats, classes, and collaboration with alcohol-free brands, she hosts events in southern California for a community dedicated to celebrating an alcohol-free lifestyle fueled by mindful living. Whether for a lifetime, a day, a month or......

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Visit our website at throughtheglassrecovery.com to sign up for our weekly newsletter, and to gain access to our FREE weekly recovery meetings.

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