RE 582: What Are We Connecting To?RE 582: What Are We Connecting To?
Recovery Elevator
Paul talks with Ron, a 67‑year‑old executive whose third attempt at sobriety feels different because he’s finally embracing connection and community. The conversation touches on marriage, relapse, shared recovery with his wife, and why doing the work together has changed everything.
39:24•13 Apr 2026
Saying Yes to Connection: Ron’s Third Try at Sobriety Feels Different
Episode Overview
- Connection to self, others, and nature is highlighted as more important than white‑knuckled sobriety.
- Long periods of moderation attempts and dry sobriety often led Ron straight back to heavy nightly drinking.
- Quitting alongside his wife after her rehab stay gives Ron accountability, shared purpose, and emotional support.
- Community tools like AA, smart recovery, therapy, and honest conversations at work are key parts of Ron’s new approach.
- Ron stresses that seeking help and not doing it alone is far easier than trying to manage alcohol in isolation.
“"It feels different this time. Doing it with somebody that you love and care for and leaning into supporting and encouraging one another and then doing the work."”
How do people find strength in their journey to sobriety? This Recovery Elevator episode centres on that question, as Paul Churchill chats with Ron, a 67‑year‑old restaurant executive from Milwaukee who’s only a month alcohol‑free, yet already sensing a huge shift. Ron drank moderately for most of his life, but a divorce at 52 and opening a sports bar sent things spiralling into nightly sessions with his “best friend” Johnny Walker.
For 15 years, he passed out drunk most nights, all while running marathons and holding down a high‑pressure career. He tried eight years of moderation and two solid stretches of sobriety (13 and 15 months) as what he calls a “dry drunk” – no community, just willpower and journaling – and each time went straight back to six to ten drinks a night. This time feels different because he isn’t going solo.
Ron’s wife Denise entered inpatient rehab after her own drinking escalated during the pandemic. Seeing her just three days after detox, he says, “I saw the woman that I married,” and cancelled a divorce inquiry. He cleared 150 bottles from home, quit the day before she left rehab, and now they’re walking the path together. The episode focuses strongly on connection: to self, to other people, and even to nature.
Paul reflects that, “The opposite of addiction isn’t sobriety, it’s connection,” and talks about how alcohol once masked disconnection from community and the land. Ron backs this up in practice: he’s openly told 80 of his work leaders about his drinking, attends AA and other meetings with his wife, and leans into honesty instead of hiding. If you’re tired of white‑knuckling it alone, this conversation shows what can happen when you add community, honesty, and shared commitment into the mix.
Who might walk this path with you if you let them in?
Do you want to link to this podcast?
Get the buttons here!
More From This Show
The latest episodes from the same podcast.
Related Episodes
Similar episodes from other shows in the catalogue.