Sober Motivation: Sharing Sobriety Stories

Welcome to this short and sweet solo episode with me Brad. I had a few thoughts I wanted to share so what better place than here on the podcast.
If I asked you what was your motivation for getting sober how long would it take before you said yourself?
The whole idea of this episode is my thoughts on:
What got you sober may not keep you sober.
Consequences seem to fade such as impaired driving, hangovers, strained relationships, arrests, physical health  or embarrassing moments. The sting from these consequences can fad over time and that is why I think it is important to always be reevaluating our motivation and our WHY to committing to staying sober. 
So many times you will talk with someone and they are on the top of their sober life game and next week they are back at it again and when you ask what happened the answer is I don’t know.  What happens during these tough times that causes us to abandon ship and return to what we feel will help us out?
 
So the question becomes what brought you into sobriety and is it enough to keep you going on the journey? When the consequences of some actions dry up what will keep us going?
I think a big answer to all of this is we have to develop a love for ourselves. Of course we can being our journey for external reasons but time and time again those tend to fade away. I know easier said than done trust me I know because when I started on this journey I did not feel worthy of a sober life or worthy of love from others or love for myself but I was tired of the pain addiction was causing in my life. The short answer is I was disappointed in what I had become and couldn’t look in the mirror at the shell of a person I was.  We can change people, places and things and those are all a must but Where ever you go there you are. Right? At some point to internal work has to start and that work may never end I know it has not for me.
I lived to escape myself and escaped myself to live.
Also motivation alone may not keep us sober but maybe it can be a tool we can utilize to support the process? Throughout addiction many of us lose hope, hope in ourselves and hope in life being any different but the truth is there is hope in sobriety but it may not be immediate it is something I believe our actions will produce. Working on doing the next right thing time and time again.
 
What keeps me going is I know exactly what my past way of living does to me and I don’t intend to play with fire today.  I also love nothing more than being present in life and being a work in progress.  Nothing truly feels better than waking up knowing I have a chance to make a difference today. Nothing feels better than to wake up with hope because I lived to long without that.
 
So the big question remains what motivates you to stay sober and has it changed from what motivation you to get sober? And if is has not there is nothing wrong with that maybe you added some new things to the list. This is something I take a look at everyday because we can’t stay clean on yesterdays shower.
Send me a message over on instagram @sobermotivation and let me know what your motivation is or send me over an e-mail Brad@bradtmcleod.com
Hope to hear from you soon

Jenn’s parents separated when she was young and it took a toll on her well being and learning to grow up fast was a must.  Jenn had come to accept that her life would consist of being in and out of rehab/ hospitals due to her drinking and meth use.  Jenn thought for sure her daughter would provide the strength and insight for her to get and stay sober but it didn’t. After 11 rehabs Jenn still struggled to stay sober and it wasn’t until she surrendered and became willing to work a 12 step program that her life changed. Jenn is a strong example of sobriety and is a real light in this world. Jenn has been sober for 4 years and her life has completely changed. This is Jenn’s story on the sober motivation podcast.
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Michele Smith from Recovery is The New Black did not start drinking alcohol and using other substances until later on in life but non the less she still got addicted. Michelle was very goal focused growing up and that seemed to occupy a majority of her time. It was not until later in life that she found alcohol provided an escape from all of life’s responsibilities and it took her to a very dark place. After rehab, meetings and several hospital visits she knew something had to change. This is Michelle's story on the sober motivation podcast.
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Carly Rogers started drinking alcohol when she was 11 years old. It all started out very innocent and was never intended to become what it ended up being. Carly was performing in Nashville and drinking seemed to go hand and hand with the business. Carly’s doctor mentioned it would be best if she was not drinking alcohol due to having some medical issues from a car accident. Carly feared she would no longer be fun or fit in but for the last 93 days she has discovered that was not the truth. This is Carly’s story on the sober motivation podcast.
 
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Manny was told he had 6 weeks to live and was so confused that nothing could be medically done to improve his situation. Manny had many close calls over the years of his life and alcohol was not helping.  Manny was drinking daily and going without was not an option but it wasn’t always that way alcohol slowly became the #1 priority.  He got another chance at life and is making the best of it everyday. This is Manny’s story on the sober Motivation podcast.
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Jeff Simone started using substances in his teenage years and once he found prescription pain medications his life started the unraveling process and Jeff was in love. Jeff didn't draw a sober breath in his 20's. Jeff would begin his career as a pharmacist and you could say this was the perfect job for someone addicted to prescription pills. Jeff’s addiction took him on a journey he wouldn’t wish upon his worse enemy. Jeff would have to make some choices about the direction of his life. Jeff is an inspiration to so many and this is Jeff Simone’s story on the sober motivation podcast.
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Nate Thompson started playing hockey as a young boy with the dream of making it to the NHL and Nate did exactly that. Nate had his first drink of alcohol at 12 years old and things progressed from there. When he left the family home to start his junior hockey career he was drinking much more. Work hard play hard. Nates addiction to alcohol would progress to affect many areas of his life and Nate struggled to be feel comfortable in his own skin. Nate found hope from others that where living a sober life. Nate got out of his own way and asked for help. This is Nate Thompson's story on the sober motivation podcast.
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Thank you for your support with the podcast,
Brad
 
 

Danny Shannon was stuck in addiction for 17 years. What started out as fun at 14 years old would be a long long battle with addiction. Danny had over 50 attempts at rehab and other programs and could not stay sober. On Christmas Day of 2009 Danny ended up a literal crossroads on a home visit from rehab.  Danny made a choice that day that changed his life forever. All the way from Australia this is Danny Shannons story on the sober motivation podcast.
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Bruce aka @bwb.positivity was fighting an uphill battle from day 1 coming into this world detoxing off substances. Bruce found a loving family but struggled with the trauma from his early childhood. Bruce moved to NYC to chase a dream of being a broadway dancer but after so many rejections Bruce turned to substances to deal with the emotion pain. Bruce hit many bottoms, but today Bruce is 106 days sober and this is Bruce Brackett’s story on the sober motivation podcast.
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Brad Garrett from (Everyone Loves Raymond) has been sober since 1997. Due to childhood trauma and other things Brad found he could escape himself  with alcohol and marijuana. On a beach in Maui Brad had what he might consider a simple but powerful experience.  From that day forward he put down the booze and drugs for good. Brad’s story is an amazing example of what is truly possible when we decide the get sober. And this is Brad Garretts story on the sober motivation podcast.
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