15 Comments

“Frayed insulation around our wiring.” Great metaphor. I could listen to him for a long, lomg time.

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Thank you, Kevin, AJ, and Sari for this excellent interview.

As someone in recovery myself I appreciate your take on the sensitivity of a drinker and I look forward to reading the book that is, as yet, unwritten! My favorite part was the last question about life beyond your wildest dreams and that it has come true for you. A life of my dreams was a great driver for me to give up my wine-drinking habit, I felt if I didn't I would be a shell of my former self, rather than continual movement toward my potential.

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Thanks, Donna. 💕

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From one heat-seeking missile to another - thank you! So much fun to read this. (Fun because I’m down the road on this, too - laughed out loud at remembering “keep coming!” In those first awful days! ) Congratulations on your time.

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All the feels😬

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Loved this! Thank you. I’ve never crystallized the connection between my alcohol use and my obsessive nature, so this quote really struck a chord: “I have that degree of obsessive compulsiveness that is like a heat-seeking missile for whatever the darkest part of what's going on in my life is. I  actually asked a therapist about this once. I said, ‘How come I always just obsess on the dark shit? Why don't I obsess on all the incredibleness of my life?’”

And now that I’m (newly) not drinking, the reality of always being present with that obsessiveness is sinking in. But I’m ready to find new ways to cope with it. To grow stronger and find ways to cultivate peace from within.

Thank you again 💞

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Sep 19, 2023Liked by Sari Botton

This story should be included in the next edition of The Big Book. Really! I'll be sharing this with my many sober friends and relatives, and with a few who have not yet found the transformation that recovery brings. Thank you, thank you, thank you!

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Wonderful insights. Thank you for sharing.

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Really helpful interview. The obsessive-compulsive nature of the alcoholic...myself and pretty much my entire family on my father’s side...was a light bulb moment. Thank you.

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Sep 22, 2023Liked by Sari Botton

Love it.

I'm 50 and 8 years sober --

do i count as an oldster?

I'm working on my memoir

"From county (jail) to Carnegie (hall)"

It's been quite a ride.

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Everyone who is alive and getting older is an "oldster" in my book. https://oldster.substack.com/p/q-who-qualifies-as-an-oldster-a-everyone

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Sep 22, 2023Liked by Sari Botton

What an amazing interview.....from another Hoosier.

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Sep 19, 2023Liked by Sari Botton

This was so good.

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Thank you for doing this. I learned a lot.

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This was such a brilliant read. Thank you for sharing.

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