9: What Keeps Addicts Sober

Steve Coughran: 0:00

This is the Addiction Recovery Podcast with Steven T Ginsburg, founder of Restore Detox Centers in sunny California. Enjoy your experience. Hey, everyone, welcome back to another episode of Addiction Recovery. I'm here with host Steven Ginsburg. Steven, so great to be with you again today.

Steven T. Ginsburg: 0:22

Hey there, brother. Always good to get out with you and focus on the solution.

Steve Coughran: 0:27

Absolutely, and today we're going to be talking about what keeps people sober, and I'll kick things off by providing a little bit of context for the listeners. On November 12, you just celebrated 19 years of sobriety, so congratulations to that. I mean that that's a huge milestone.

Steven T. Ginsburg: 0:43

Thank you so much. By God's grace and mercy and the fellowship of alcoholics, anonymous, a day at a time. I celebrated 19 years clean and sober, so just an absolute gift and a blessing and something I covet, and I'm God fearing and disease fearing, but I'm very grateful for another day.

Steve Coughran: 1:00

When you were younger, though, steven, you know you went to rehab when you're a teenager, and then you got out and you're able to maintain sobriety for quite a while. What was different between the time you stayed sober then and when and where you're at right now, because you did relapse, right?

Steven T. Ginsburg: 1:17

I did yes, absolutely Again, by God's grace and mercy. You know I had put 12 years of sobriety together, but it is a very common tale. I can't sit here and say I wish I hadn't followed victim to it, because I believe it completely brought me to where I am today. But one of the most common things that occurs, unfortunately, with the illness I suffer from is suffering from an illness that tells me hey, you're okay, you're not sick anymore, you don't need to keep doing the things you're doing to sustain your sobriety. And I fell into that pitfall because all of the trappings and all of the promises and the success of sobriety were coming to fruition and I and many others fall victim to this, started neglecting and negating the very thing that delivered those results and, lo and behold, I relapsed. Of course I did.

Steve Coughran: 2:12

And you talk about addiction as a disease. So I think about, like my sister, for example. She has Lyme's disease and I talk to her and, you know, someday she's fine, the next day she's in extreme pain and it's like terrible to see my sister like this. I mean, I had lunch with her, you know, a few weeks ago and during that time, you know, she's breaking down, crying because she's just in so much pain all the time. And when I ask her I say, okay, well, what's the solution? Like what's the fix? Like let's fix this. She tells me that there's no cure for it, like this is the way she's going to live the rest of her life. So when we talk about addiction, is that the same thing? Or can somebody overcome the disease and like be healed from it and they don't have to worry about it coming back?

Steven T. Ginsburg: 2:55

It's a really important talking point and it's one I'm very passionate and convicted about, you know, and I want to keep it for me, and I always believe in me, and then we can apply it to others, after I first walked through applying it to myself.

Steve Coughran: 3:08

I am getting well today?

Steven T. Ginsburg: 3:10

I am not well, I am recovering.

Steve Coughran: 3:12

Today I'm not recovered, I don't want to get well and I don't want to be recovered.

Steven T. Ginsburg: 3:18

The disease's objective is to get me to a place where it starts to have me convinced that I'm not sick anymore. I am being granted through the working steps of this program and my program. I go to alcoholics anonymous. There's lots of great programs out there 12 step programs, work programs like smart recovery, work freestyle commonly does not work.

Steven T. Ginsburg: 3:40

So when someone is working a program of sobriety a day at a time, there is a remission that is granted to people like myself. That is based on our spiritual condition and working the steps and doing the foundation of a sober life and lifestyle. And it needs to be done a day at a time. And my objective always is Steve, and my objective for others is let's focus on winning the day. We've only got to focus on the day and sometimes we only have to focus on the hour, or sometimes we only have to focus on the minute or the moment because we're in peril, but we literally take it a minute, a moment at a time, an hour at a time, a day at a time. I didn't wake up 19 years clean and sober again. There was a day one for me. But it's through that consistent pursuit and it's through the working facets of the program that continue to deliver me sobriety and continue to grant me the remission I've been so gracefully given.

Steve Coughran: 4:38

Yeah, no, that makes sense. So let me ask you this when you got sober the second time let's talk about that 19 years Was it really hard to abstain from drugs and alcohol Like at the beginning, and it's less than over time or do you feel like the temptation is equally pervasive today as it was one month after your initial sobriety?

Steven T. Ginsburg: 5:00

You know, I'm very grateful that the obsession for me was lifted when I had that first day back and I went. Look, I went right back to an AA meeting my day one. I walked across the street. There's a bunch of guys smoking cigarettes in a park. Now I'm like those are alcoholics, I know my people and I'm like is there a meeting? And they pointed me towards the meeting and I took a newcomer chip and I hadn't looked back. I already had the working components of a program because I had worked one before. I repeated what I had done before.

Steven T. Ginsburg: 5:29

But there was a difference. I was extremely mindful not to be complacent, a day at a time, not to lose sight of my objectives and the things I needed to do to sustain sobriety a day at a time, not to lose hold of humility and prayer and getting a sponsor and working the steps and going to meetings and being of service. Those elements a day at a time. That's what removed the obsession. And the obsession can't remanifest itself back in me unless I trigger it with a mind-altering substance. So if I abstain from alcohol and drugs, that phenomenon of craving will not come and get me. So I was rid of that very quickly by the grace of God, but I did my part. I did my footwork. It's about the footwork.

Steve Coughran: 6:16

And I like that and I like how it's a day at a time and the footwork combined. I think that's key because it could be totally overwhelming. If I'm 20 years old, coming out of rehab and I think, oh my gosh, I got to do this for the next 60 to 80 years, I mean it could be completely overwhelming. But if you look at it, okay, I just got to do this till tomorrow, and then I got to do this till tomorrow and the next day and the next day, then I think it's more manageable.

Steven T. Ginsburg: 6:40

You know, steve, today it's Wednesday. I can get through, and it's already 11 o'clock in the morning. I can get through Wednesday. I can't get my mind around forever. And the rest of my life that's too far out.

Steven T. Ginsburg: 6:55

And so what I'd say to that 20 year old is I want to continue to come alongside you and help you to understand how to focus on what's right in front of you. And what's right in front of you is this moment, this day, and we are here to win the day. And then you start to gain proof of concept. You start to see the return, the promises. There's 12 promises in alcoholics and on this the promises come true. Things start to get delivered, and I'm not just talking about material things. I'm talking about walking in your own brand of integrity. I'm talking about reclaiming your place and your family. I'm talking about living immense. You start to begin to have a life worth living and you have that self esteem. You're not arrogant, you're confident and you're whole and you're healthy. And that return comes and you feel better and you keep focusing on the things that deliver you the better. And that's where I am so passionate and where I implore people. Our disease is pursuing us relentlessly, so we must pursue our sobriety intentionally the same way. I love that.

Steve Coughran: 7:56

And I love your insights where you know take it one day at a time, work the program and that's how you stay sober. Any parting words for the audience? Any other tips or patterns that you follow to stay sober?

Steven T. Ginsburg: 8:08

I just implore people to know that there is hope, that there is a solution, that there are millions of people globally who are participating in the solution. They're living sober lives, they're working programs, their lives have gotten better, they've repaired damaged relationships, they've overcome tremendous trauma, but they haven't done it on their own. They've done it with a power greater than themselves. They've done it by attending meetings. They've done it by having a great sponsor in their life, by working the steps and being of service. Those elements which are very simple for us complicated people, will deliver sobriety at day to time, but never think there's not hope and never think there's not a way to be delivered from this maniacal disease. And if anyone out there sorry, you are on one of my most passionate subjects, brother, so I'm going and going If anyone out there is suffering or thinks there's no hope or doesn't believe there's an answer, I am here, steve, and I are here. We are available. I will talk to anyone and everyone. We are here with you and for you in all things.

Steve Coughran: 9:10

I love that great message there and I absolutely agree. So if you want to reach out to us, if you have any feedback, if you have any comments, questions, you can always reach us at hello at restoredetoxcenterscom. Also, you could go to our website, restoredetoxcenterscom. There are a ton of resources there for you and if you need help, yeah, it's easy Click the button and you could immediately talk to somebody live. So thanks for joining us, everybody and Steve, it's been a pleasure.

Steven T. Ginsburg: 9:36

Thank you so much. It's such imperative information. Everybody have a sober and a safe day. Bless you all.