RE 606: Think Happy Thoughts

Today we have Alysse. She is 51 years old, lives in Seattle, WA and she took her last drink on April 30th, 2006.   This episode is brought to you by:   Sign up and get 10% off: Better Help Café RE – the social app for sober people   [02:58] Thoughts from Paul:   The topic for today's podcast is Think Happy Thoughts. This links well with the most prolific teaching we covered last week, which is The Golden Rule.   The human brain is the most powerful manifestation machine on planet earth. What you put out there is what you get back. Removing alcohol from your life is a HUGE step forward, but then it all comes down to the mental state you choose.   Author Jay Shetty has a book called Think like a Monk. He has a line about your thoughts that he wants you to ask if the thought is a seed or a weed. If it's a weed, let it go. If it's a seed, keep building on it. Add water, healthy soil and all of that.   The MOST IMPORTANT part of thinking happy thoughts is AWARENESS. You have to first become aware of your thoughts.   Paul shares that he uses journaling often. He writes about things he is looking forward to and tries to be aware of his thoughts throughout the day. We often think the answer to our problems needs to be complicated and located outside of ourselves. It's within and it starts upstairs.   [08:01] Paul introduces Alysse:   Alysse just turned 51 and recently celebrated 20 years of sobriety. She lives in Seattle, WA, is single, and has one son. She is considering going into business for herself and enjoys content creation and arts and crafts.   Alysse grew up in a small town, attended a Christian school until her teens, and says she lived a sheltered life. She first drank during her sophomore year of high school and says she drank alcoholically from the beginning.   Alysse briefly attended college before dropping out and working for the airlines. At 20, she became pregnant and hoped motherhood would improve her life. She abstained from drinking for most of her pregnancy, but afterward returned to substance use, which quickly became heavier.   Alysse describes her 20s as a cycle of moving in and out of her parents' house, changing jobs and friend grou