DeepSummary
Kate Madri grew up in Nashville in a household where alcohol caused a lot of problems and turbulence. Though she started drinking at 15, she was determined not to let alcohol affect her life like it did her addicted parent. However, as she got older, her drinking increased and her standards slipped. After falling in love with her best friend, their relationship was strained by excessive drinking and fighting.
Through books, podcasts, and seeing examples of sober women, Kate began to shift her perspective on sobriety. A drunken fight with her girlfriend at Thanksgiving became her moment of clarity. Kate describes attempting sobriety for the first time, finding support through her girlfriend who also quit drinking, and dedicating herself to building a life she wanted to be present for.
Kate emphasizes that sobriety is unique for each person, like a fingerprint, and shares her belief that honesty and open-mindedness are key requirements for any path to recovery. She encourages exploring different approaches without needing to label yourself, as long as you find what works for living your best life.
Key Episodes Takeaways
- Growing up exposed to the turbulence of an addicted parent can shape one's perspective and assumptions about alcoholism.
- Seeing diverse representations of sober people, especially those defying stereotypes, can help shift views on sobriety.
- Sobriety is a highly personal journey, akin to a unique 'fingerprint', requiring honesty and an open mind to find one's own path.
- Exploring different approaches without needing to label oneself can allow for flexibility in finding an authentic recovery process.
- Having a supportive partner also pursuing sobriety can provide immense solidarity and motivation.
- Relearning to live fully present without alcohol brings frustrations but also empowering self-discovery.
- Hearing others' stories of sobriety struggles can inspire hope that you too can overcome daily challenges.
- Building something tangible can provide visible motivation for redirecting time and money spent on alcohol.
Top Episodes Quotes
- “You can try to match your fingerprint with someone else and you can get a couple of those ridges similarly. But really, at the end of the day, it takes you understanding and knowing and being willing to put in the work to figure out what works for you.“ by Kate Madri
- “I really worked through a lot of preconceived notions or assumptions about what I had grown up seeing, which was that alcoholics were villains. Alcoholics were bad people. Alcoholics were people who ruined things.“ by Kate Madri
- “It gave me this sense of, like, okay, they went through the frustration that I'm going through now of, like, relearning, and they did it so like, I can do it. What's another day?“ by Kate Madri
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Episode Information
The Courage to Change: A Recovery Podcast
Ashley Loeb Blassingame
12/5/23