RE 593: Man's Best Friend

Today we have Camille. She is 36 years old, lives in Montreal, Canada and she took her last drink on April 20th, 2026.   This episode is brought to you by:   Sign up and get 10% off: Better Help   If you're wondering what you can expect in your first seven days alcohol free, check out our FREE 7-day guide.   [03:19] Thoughts from Paul:   Paul shares with us that his beloved dog Ben has passed away. He credits Ben with not only being a major catalyst for his recovery, but also for saving his life. Ben was a member of the staff at Recovery Elevator retreats and touched many people over the 12 years he was Paul's companion.   Paul says his thinking mind has tried to figure out where Ben is now, and after countless thoughts and tears, he always lands in a place of gratitude for the 12 incredible years he was able to share with his dog.   The opposite of addiction is connection, and we generally think of other humans when we hear this. But the quote is infinite and definitely includes our connection with animals.   [08:18] Paul introduces Camille:   Camille is 36 years old and lives in Montreal, Canada. She is a graphic designer for a software company. She lives with her partner, and he has a 9-year-old daughter who they see often. For fun, Camille enjoys sports climbing, crochet, crafting and DIY projects.   Camille had her first drink when she was 13 while at boarding school. Her roommate who was 14 was already struggling with alcoholism. In spite of being a "goody two shoes", Camille was occasionally binge drinking with friends. There were several hints that things were getting precarious with her drinking.   What sealed the deal Camille says is when she started working at a bar in her early 20s. She worked there for six years. While she did have some fun and met some great people, Camille says she was constantly either drinking or combatting a hangover. Towards the end of her studying, she was getting tired and looking forward to getting out of that scene but wasn't ready to moderate while she was still there. She was good at keeping up the appearance that her drinking wasn't out of control.   Even after trading the bartending in for a graphic design job, Camille would still find herself binge drinking to get drunk. She says it was har