[00:00:01] Speaker A: Welcome to the Alcohol Tipping Point podcast. I'm your host, Deb Masner. I'm a registered nurse, health coach, and alcohol free badass. I have found that there's more than one way to address drinking. If you've ever asked yourself if drinking is taking more than it's giving, or if you found that you're drinking more than usual, you may have reached your own alcohol tipping point. The alcohol tipping point is a podcast for you to find tips, tools, and thoughts to change your drinking. Whether you're ready to quit forever or a week, this is the place for you. You are not stuck and you can change.
[00:00:35] Speaker B: Let's get started.
[00:00:44] Speaker C: Welcome back to the podcast. Thank you so much for listening. I really appreciate you. I want to take a sec to invite you to the next alcoholiday. It's a monthly dry group where I help people practice not drinking. This is for you. If you feel like you're struggling, if you feel like you're stuck, if you feel like you're broken, you're never going to get it. I want to just support you and arm you with lots of different tools to battle cravings.
Work on your thinking about drinking. Be more kind and compassionate to yourself as you're doing this. You know, drinking is a habit and it's probably something you've done for years or decades. Even so, it takes a while to unwind it. And that's why I'm so passionate about focusing on practicing, not drinking, working on progress, not perfection. I love the saying focus on the direction, not perfection. And I think it's important just to have these types of groups, programs that just give you a safe place that has no shame, no judgment. A safe place where you can just learn new tools and just start unwinding the habit so that it gets easier and easier for you to drink less or not at all. I would love to have you join the next alcoholiday. It starts the first of every month. As a podcast listener, you always get 20% off by using the code love love and it is hosted on a private platform. It is a HIPAA protected platform. It's really important to me as a nurse just to have privacy and a safe place for you. And what you get is daily emails, lessons, accountability. You get lots and lots of tools to battle cravings. You get a really detailed guidebook journal to help you out during those 30 days, 31 days, whatever the length of the month is. And then you get downloadable audio meditations. Just something to go to when you're feeling a craving. We also do weekly group chats, weekly group support calls led by me and another sober coach twice a week. And then there's also a private chat where you can just share with others, support others, and it's just a great place to practice not drinking. The cost is $89 us dollars. That is so it's less than $3 a day. Plus use that lo v e code to get your discount. And just a little background on me. I have been a registered nurse for 20 years. I'm a board certified health coach. I'm a smart recovery certified facilitator, an addiction certified mental health professional. I'm a mindfulness instructor. And then you all know I like to call myself an alcohol free badass. I've been alcohol free for four and a half years now, so I would love to see you in the next group. You can sign
[email protected] alcoholiday and join there. I also will link it in my show notes. Wherever you are with your drinking journey, just know that I am rooting for you, that you are not broken and you can change. Thanks so much.
[00:04:16] Speaker B: Welcome back to the podcast. On the show Today is Michael Ferrer. He is the founder of Sober and he is on a mission to inspire a million people for change. So for press is a safe place where people can experience and share their stories of recovery. When we recover out loud, no one dies in silence. So welcome to the show, Mike. It's so nice to meet you.
[00:04:43] Speaker D: Thank you so much. I really appreciate it.
[00:04:47] Speaker B: Well, yeah, I do. I just want to know more about you, who you are and what you do. I thought you were in Portland still, but you're in Austin, so you went from one weird city to another weird city.
Give us a little, give us an intro background about you.
[00:05:07] Speaker D: Well, first and foremost, I am an alcoholic. Identify myself as that.
It's part of what keeps me accountable, I think. But beyond that, I am a graphic designer by trade. Cut my teeth in advertising, you know, and you know, I was able to run global accounts and national accounts and that kind of thing. So this is, this is me kind of withdrawing myself from those high pressure days and trying to maintain a level of sobriety so that, you know, I can live a peaceful and serene life. That's, to me, what is the most important thing. But yeah, my background, I'm first generation american of cuban descent, and, you know, I was born in a very normal, supportive, loving household. Nothing crazy or, you know, anything like that. My parents were really, really amazing, supportive people.
My poor dad, I put him through the ringer when you know, I finally sort of announced that my. My plans for a career had to do with arthem.
[00:06:23] Speaker B: What did they do?
[00:06:25] Speaker D: Well, you know, mom's side of the family has artists, and dad's side of the family has artists. And dad encouraged me to maybe think about engineering, but you can draw and do all kind of cool things with that. You know, he was pushing me toward somewhere that was a little bit safer career wise. However, I had a different mind, and I was. I was a painter. I loved to draw. You know, I didn't do well in high school, and a lot of it had to do with after school, smoking weed, drinking beer. But beyond that, I. I did go to college, actually did super well in college, got scholarships, and then on to art school. Did really well there, even better. And got scholarships there as well. And then I took my first job in Portland, Oregon, where I was thrown into the fire at age 25 and became, right off the bat, an art director. So I worked for a very small advertising firm with notorious writer creative director in Portland. And it was very respected agency, and there was a lot of pressure. And along with that, you know, I was. Always had problems with anxiety going to Portland, the darkest, coldest, rainiest place in the world. Well, maybe Seattle and Alaska, but the northwest is pretty unforgiving when it comes to no sun. I've spent most of my life in the south, so kind of being uprooted right off the bat, thrown into a career that's extremely, you know, demanding. And then having the level of anxiety and depression that I had, it really was sort of in front of me. Everything was a priority but myself.
And it wasn't until that I can actually, like, pause, learn to love myself, and begin to really realize what the priorities should be, because I wasn't present for the people that loved me. I wasn't present for myself, you know, down the road. I wasn't even present for my job. And it showed because I started ghosting.
I literally would not show up for work.
And that's what led to my best friend coming into the house and doing his own little intervention, you know, so I had to spend time at the ER, and it was a whole mess at the ER. But when I showed up, I was drunk. And will's my best friend, and he was there the entire time while, you know, I talked to social workers and whatnot in order to finally agree that, yeah, I need to go to rehab again. And I'm really grateful that I did. It was a godsend. And sometimes you feel like you get that spiritual tap on the shoulder where you kind of have to say, hey, you know what? This is time.
So that's the journey leading up until April 9, 2019.
[00:10:01] Speaker B: Well, congratulations to you.
So you kind of went the more traditional route of doing a detox, of doing inpatient rehab, of doing aa, and then you founded sober press later on, which you said is showing just all different ways that we can recover, that we can change our stories. Can you talk a little bit about that?
[00:10:33] Speaker D: So, yeah, so we know, like.
Like, April 9, 2019, was an interesting time to, number one, quit my job and not have a backup. I was going to go freelance, but I didn't want to do it right away. Luckily, I had enough safe that theoretically, I could keep myself afloat and pay bills and everything for about a year. So had, like, a little over a year salary saved. And so I was pretty leisurely, although I started getting busy right away anyhow. But then the pandemic hit, and it was in the midst of the pandemic when we had to isolate and we had to wear masks, and, you know, the smiles went away. In person, meetings went away. I mean, life as we knew it changed completely. And I was kind of out of my mind going, what the hell? I was in isolation during the last five years of my alcoholism.
I didn't socialize. So here I was kind of beginning to feel the idea of what normalcy feels like. But then the pandemic hit.
I was not about to pick up the booze again. That was something I had made up my mind about, that I just wanted that to be left behind permanently. And while we all know that nothing is ever permanent, we're all vulnerable, and it takes work every day for me. I had this idea, and I bought a URL, soberpress.org dot. And I had put together this whole presentation kind of more for me. But then I started showing it to people, and it was the idea of sober press, a place where people can, you know, experience and tell stories to allow others to know that they're not alone and that recovery is possible.
And later, it was also in the idea that when we recover out loud, no one dies in silence.
And I also began, as I did, more research, a lot of the stigma has to do with, the stigma of addiction in general, has a lot to do with people just misunderstanding what addiction is. And so that also contributes to the stigma itself. But I didn't learn any of this until after. For me, this was going to be my lifesaver.
This is an endeavor that I was showing to my friends and to my family just in order to get validation and affirmation. And once I had that, a girlfriend was like, well, I mean, that's a lot to do. Why don't you just start with an Instagram? And August of 2020, I started with an Instagram, and I had no idea what an amazing community I was about to discover. And it's amazing people like you. I mean, all kind of podcasts. I mean, one of my first podcasts was with a gentleman out of Johannesburg.
Anyway, long story short, by October 2020, I was already pushing stories out, and they were coming out, like every other week. And so I've been able to maintain, you know, a level of consistency since then. Of course, there are lapses, but to the most part, I've been pretty consistent every other week putting stories out, and they're purposefully put out there in words, although I have embraced the idea of doing videos in multimedia. But I try to do it in words because there's an intimacy there that I feel like when somebody can sit there with their phone in their hand and read the words written authentically by these people that submit their stories, it has a greater effect. And it's almost like, you know, reading a good book, because these stories, I mean, there are all kinds of journeys from all walks of life, and they're empowering because you can see that people, against all odds, have picked themselves up and got it back together and have, like, recovered and are duly recovering every day. But not only that, it also offers what, what I, what I call, and I've read this before, so it's not. It's not a thing that I came up with, but one story actually become someone else's survival guide. So people that are new in recovery or curious of recovery can actually pick up and read these stories. And perhaps the idea is to give them that nudge of, let's maybe think about you. Because of this intimacy of words, I think it's a little easier for people to actually put themselves in their shoes and understand where they're coming from. So, you know, it's. I I think it's. It's one of these things that if I can help one out of a million people, that would be awesome. Job done. That's always been part of the mission is if I could create change in someone, that's the biggest. But if. If at all, I can actually leave them feeling a little more inspired than they were before.
That's the other mini mission.
[00:16:59] Speaker B: Yeah. Yeah. I just. I love your mission to inspire a million people for change. And I think that's why it's so important you know what you're doing and what also I, on this podcast, I'm like, I want to have people on from all different walks of life, all different stories of how they change their drinking. Just so people know, like, there's not just one way to change your drinking. There's not just one way to get sober. There are so many different ways, but also that aspect of seeing real people, like, overcome, not only survive, like, thrive. And it's that hero's journey that we all love. We all love to root for someone and see someone. And it's even more helpful when you can see someone who mirrors yourself. Because I end up working with a lot of women, a lot of nurses reach out to me because we can see ourselves in each other. And so that gives you hope and possibility. Totally.
[00:18:07] Speaker D: Yes. I'm over here nodding like a bubble at all if you. If you don't have me on camera, but yes, absolutely. I feel like there's so many stories that actually overlap, or if not, that congruencies that may not be the exact same journey but are similar, that suddenly you see this pair arise that I think that, you know, defies what people think is beyond human achievement when it comes to recovery. Because I know, and I've read this before in other stories that I didn't think I would ever be able to recover. You know, I was. I was a huge drinker, and there were days when I would drink from the moment I woke up all the way up until the time I went to bed, it was seriously that strong of an addiction for me. And it started infringing upon my own health. I started developing all kind of health problems because of it.
What sucks about drinking is that it is sort of the sneaky killer because it seems harmless compared to other art drugs, but it kills you slowly, and there's not that apparent contrast.
It's one of those things that you can die in multiple different ways by drinking heavily every day.
But I'm lucky that, you know, I didn't suffer any health, major health consequences, you know, even though I did spend time in the hospital multiple times.
And the addiction was so hard that just soon as I got out of the hospital and started feeling better, I started drinking again.
That's sort of the damning part of it all. It's. It's. That's the definition of insanity, really.
But to get back on point, yes, I agree. I think we need to celebrate everybody's path. We're all different, you know, and it's important to find your way. There's not one way of recovering, but hundreds, thousands of ways. And I feel like we need to celebrate and support everybody's path, because in the end, we're all on a congruent journey, and it's a journey that never ends. And there's work to be done every day, no matter what your path is. And there are multiple ones, like I said, but we have to wake up every day and do it all over again.
[00:21:06] Speaker B: Well, one of the things you said, like, was a common theme you saw and that I hear people say a lot. Like, I never thought I'd get to where I am now. Like, I would never in a million years have thought, you know, when I was 20, like, hey, you know, when you're 47, you're going to be, like, an alcohol free badass and have a podcast and be sober. I would have been like, what? Or even when you're in the depths of trying to quit and you think, like, I'm never going to get to the other side, but you do. And what are some of, like, the other common threads or patterns that you've seen with all these stories you've been hearing about?
[00:21:52] Speaker D: Well, it's funny you ask, because, gosh, there are so many different ones, but one that I experienced for myself that echoes others is. And this is so ironic for me because, you know, in. At the height of my addiction, I was single, didn't have a girlfriend. I lived alone. I had two dogs.
And I would hide my bottles.
I would not take them out to the recycling den because I didn't want anybody to know that I was an alcoholic. You know, I had so many, like, whiskey bottles and vodka bottles. So I would just stash them in different parts of the kitchen cabinets, you know, so I wouldn't have to bother seeing the aftermath of empties when I woke up because it was that bad. And it was. It was a way for me to ignore the reality. And I think I can see that with people who are trying to hide the drink from their spouse or husband. And I've heard those stories of that is like hiding, you know, the reality. And that's something that we all do. And that's part of the insanity of not acknowledging what we should be acknowledging. And that's the first step to recovery, is saying, you know what, I'm drinking way too much and doing something about it. And I've had the stories of people who have been able to kind of catch themselves before they are in a mode of major self destruction. They wake up from a huge binge and decide that day that they're done, that they don't want to drink anymore. And I've seen people recover from that moment. And I think, really that's what it boils down to, is acknowledging that you have a problem and doing something about it, you know, actually taking action. And that's the hardest thing in the world, coming to terms and submitting.
[00:24:20] Speaker B: Yeah. Yeah. The three hardest things to say are, I have a problem, I need help.
And Worcestershire sauce.
[00:24:28] Speaker D: Worcestershire. Oh, I love that.
[00:24:31] Speaker B: I saw that as a meme, and I'm just like, that is it.
[00:24:35] Speaker D: That is a great post. You need to put that out there.
[00:24:39] Speaker B: So what do you see for people who are successful because you're getting all these success stories. What are some key aspects of being successful? Successful of getting sober? What are some things you think are most helpful?
[00:24:56] Speaker D: You know, I think the biggest thing is fighting the uglies.
You know, it's. It's.
At its very core, it's. There's a looming mental health issue, and it may not be like the case for everyone, but more people than not usually either develop a mental health issue or have had one looming. For me, it was anxiety, low self esteem, depression.
So it was those things that I was trying to bury and numb down in order to sort of find that liquid courage and. But in the end, it be a lot harder than I would have ever imagined.
But it's what I call fighting the uglies is looking at what are the trauma events that you need to face if you have trauma or PTSD or what are the mental health factors that perhaps are looming that cause you to drink. That is an everyday thing. No one is. That's. Again, it's one of those things that you can't just flip a switch and say, hey, I'm cured.
But it's an everyday fight. And it helps to have counseling, it helps to have close friends, it helps to, you know, to talk about it, have it out in the open and do the things that you need to do in order to deal with it. And each set of circumstances is different and it requires a different effort. But the key is to actually every day to try to make headway and get better at it, you know? And you have to face. You have to face all that. And that's the hard part because you're no longer numbing down. You have to do it in a very raw and very real way, and it's exhausting sometimes. And that's. That's the hard, I think, the hardest part. But it's also the most rewarding.
[00:27:23] Speaker B: Yeah. So you would say, like, finding the reasons you were drinking, finding other ways to self soothe, other coping mechanisms.
What does that look like for you for working on it daily?
[00:27:42] Speaker D: So mu is such a huge thing. And there's so much you get from a community. You get, you know, for me, I get self assurance, I get affirmation, I get empathy, I get compassion.
These are all reinforcements that I think is sort of hardwired in our human needs.
That feeling of acceptance and safety. And that is my outlet for others. So it's a platform where they can feel safe to be able to express themselves. And I feel like a lot of self expression for me comes in journaling. It comes with making art and being able to create a post and write about it and put it out. You know, I try to be as thoughtful as I can.
It's one of those things that I kind of do it more for me than I do for anyone else. So a lot of what I put out there is something that I'm thinking about, perhaps I'm something that I'm trying to work through, and it's that process of sharing that actually yields. So I think if I were to say any one thing, for me, it was the community.
And it started with going to meetings, and I stumbled upon a great community on Instagram.
I have turned it into Facebook.
I'm also ambassador of Sober isn't cool and sober hope. And I also help others. That is such a huge thing. I've met so many really good people online, and I. I want to help, you know, I want to, like, be interested in the things that they're doing. And I feel like is just getting in there and participating, because service is the other part that really actually pays you back. The more you pay it forward, the more it pays you back. And I talk about community, and I talk about service quite a bit because that's what's helped me.
[00:30:06] Speaker C: Yeah.
[00:30:07] Speaker B: Thank you for sharing that. One of the things that you mentioned you wanted to talk about is emotional sobriety. What does that mean to you?
[00:30:18] Speaker D: So I've posted about this, and I feel like emotional sobriety is one of those things that I think that leads into the golden rule, if you will. And it's literally the idea of doing the right thing for yourself and others. So in other words, it's being a considerate and sober person.
No matter what. No matter what the things that you face are, is always trying to be thoughtful and present to your own emotions and be aware. Self aware. And you know what? We're human and we're not perfect. And we do get impatient, we do get short tempered, we do get agitated, we do get prickly.
But being able to be mindful of that kind of thing will actually serve you and serve others better. There's an extraordinary. An extraordinary amount of peace that comes along with emotional sobriety. And I feel like that when you're, like, really self aware and you try to, you know, approach every specific problem with the even and clear mind and clear head, you're able to be more effective about influencing. And again, we're all human.
None of us are immune from these emotions. But it's the idea of working on it.
There's this thing. I don't know if I believe in it or not, but I've heard it. Dry drunk.
[00:32:13] Speaker B: Where is that? Is dry drunk an AA thing?
Did that come from aa?
[00:32:19] Speaker D: I believe so. And while I got sober in the rooms in via, my path has veered. And like I said, we all have our own path when people are just starting out. I usually recommend AA because there is that set of guardrails that is effective, but I don't recommend, like, continuing it. I always feel like everybody makes their own modifications, if not veering from it altogether. And it's. It's one of those things. But you asked me about, is it an aa thing? Dry drunk, I think, yeah, by definition, I believe they may have coined that phrase, but the idea of a dry drunk is someone who has all of the bad emotional sort of baggage that goes along with an addiction. However, they're sober, you know, and that means that someone that maybe has not done the inner work that it. That they need in order to find peace and serenity within their heart and soul.
And like I said, it's. It's such a. It's such a broad net to cast. And I don't think it's fair. In a way, I'm kind of regretting that I even brought it up. Well, I think it's interesting things that it's a thing, and we have to be aware of that when we want to achieve, you know, a level of emotional sobriety, having that peaceful, serene mind.
There are a lot of. There's work to get to that point. And otherwise, you know, because we have the innate ability to be ornery and cantankerous and have these flaws about us that if we don't get them addressed, they'll continue to follow us. And in the end, it's the belief that, that will take you down yet again, back down the path of drinking or drugging or whatever, you know, because it does erode your peace and serenity.
[00:34:47] Speaker B: Yeah, yeah, yeah. It's interesting. And so emotional sobriety is just like being able to manage and express your emotions and all emotions, too. I mean, I always tell people, like, there's no bad or good emotions. They're all messengers. You know, what are they trying to tell us? How can we express them in a healthy way?
And so that's kind of more emotional sobriety.
[00:35:19] Speaker D: Yeah. And, yeah, it's being mindful to yourself and others. Others, yeah.
[00:35:26] Speaker B: You said the golden rule. Treat others the way you want to be treated.
[00:35:31] Speaker D: That's. That's. That's it. I mean, it's. It's no secret that hurt people. Hurt others, but people who are emotionally sober won't hurt others intentionally. And I know that when I was, you know, really far gone in my alcoholism, I was very hurtful. And that was a lot of the reason why I isolated myself. I just did not want to be around people, you know, for fear of hurting them.
You know, I had a short temper and classic being negative and cantankerous and sarcastic. And it's okay to be that every once in a while, but that. That was sort of my way of life, you know?
And that was because of my addiction.
Yeah, but, you know, it's important to be able to express yourself, but not the. Not at the expense of others.
[00:36:42] Speaker B: Yeah, that's a good point. That's a great point.
What are you looking forward to then? What's next for you?
[00:36:51] Speaker D: Well, I am always working on trying to improve sober press and trying to take part in the community and do my best to help others out. So that would always be sort of at the top of my list. I'd love what I do. I love interacting with the people in the community. There's so many great people such as yourself, you know? So I'd love to be able to just continue to interact and support and be of service, and if anything, just cheer someone on. You know, I just. I think it's great. There's this contagious energy within the Instagram community that I found that in of itself is very addictive. It's so cool.
[00:37:45] Speaker B: Yeah. It is a great example of the positive power of social media and technology.
[00:37:54] Speaker D: Yeah, it's great. I also love that people celebrate themselves in a very authentic way. When you start to compare, like, people outside of our community that have this mask on, there's something about our community in recovery that they're okay with being themselves, and they're okay with putting forth if they're having a bad day expressing that. And to me, I think there's something at the core, very authentic and genuine about our community that I love. That's all.
[00:38:37] Speaker B: And I think that's what people want. And I think that's why people like to hear the stories, these overcoming stories, like, oh, I.
Because for a lot of people, it's such a secret that they've been struggling with. And so to see someone tell their secrets and they told it out loud and a public space and they survive. Not only survive, but thrive. Like, oh, what a great example of, oh, maybe I could do that.
[00:39:12] Speaker D: Yeah, I mean, I would encourage anybody to reach out to me, if you're interested in telling your story. I embrace all, like, lengths of sobriety and I. And routes of sobriety. I think everybody's journey is very unique and is inspirational, but also want to say that I've had people who want to submit their story but then have this great trepidation about it of, oh, no, who's going to see this? And, you know, and I get that because it's kind of big and scary to be out there, right? And it's like, it's okay if you have second thoughts and you don't want to do it now, that's fine. If anything, you got the exercise of writing your journal, which is really, really helpful. Like, it's self help. And I've actually had people who submit their stories and had them published and come back later and say, you know, I never thought I would be able to do this. And I did. It feels amazing, you know, because they actually got to write it out. And now that's. That's another thing that makes it different than in the interview, because it's you facing the blank page and your own words, and there's that intimacy of words that is that you have to write down, you have to face, and you have to, you know, actually read and reread.
That is cathartic in a way.
[00:40:52] Speaker B: Yeah. I think anytime people share their story, it ends up being so healing, so beneficial for themselves, but also the people who are listening and whatever way you decide to tell your story, I mean, and honestly, you don't owe it to anybody. But there is something.
I remember there was a podcast that I listened to before I quit drinking, but it was actually a local podcast, so it was people, he was interviewing people in Boise, and I was just, like, obsessed with it.
But what was helpful to me was, like, hearing I'm like, oh, my gosh, these people live in Boise, and they overcame drinking and wow. But the other thing that was helpful for me, and I want to throw out here, whether you want to contact me or Mike, but like I told myself, when I get to the other side, when I get a year alcohol free, I'm going to tell my story. I'm going to go on that podcast. Like, that was something that, like, was a guidepost for me. I ended up, he ended up stopping the podcast, but I ended up having him on my podcast. I'm like, I have to tell Yden. We have to tell each other stories because you were a light post for me. And so even thinking about Mike and sober press, like, if you have a store, your story you want to share, if you want to write it down and send it to Mike, you're going to help so many people, I promise you.
[00:42:27] Speaker C: And if you want to come on.
[00:42:28] Speaker B: My podcast and tell your story, reach out to me or use it as a guidepost, like something, some light in the distance where you are going to get to the other side and you're going to want to share your story. And like you said, mike, that quote, like, your story becomes someone else's survival guide.
It's so true. It's so helpful for you and the other person.
[00:42:54] Speaker D: Yeah, I couldn't agree more. And I'm really grateful for the platform that you provide to be able to tell your story and be able to express yourself in a very safe and, I think, peaceful way. Yeah. It's great that we have people like you that actually broadcast our stories and have the ability to express ourselves.
And that's to you.
I appreciate it. And to me, I think that is the ultimate Band aid. Well, I hate to call it Band Aid. That was a bad word.
[00:43:36] Speaker B: Maybe it's a solve.
[00:43:37] Speaker D: It's a healing, right? To be able to express yourself and be able to speak and actually get the empathy and compassion and. And be. And feel safe is a process of healing.
[00:43:51] Speaker B: You know, it really is.
[00:43:54] Speaker D: Yeah. It's such an important part. And I don't know, for me, when I was thinking about the idea before I did anything at all with sober press, that in itself, that process was healing to me. And it was a very deliberate and purposeful sort of experience in and of itself.
But then to watch it actually come alive was. It was extra, extra. It was like, beyond anything that I would have ever imagined. I was literally blown away.
And I have this community. This community is like, they're incredible. They're all comrades.
[00:44:45] Speaker B: Yeah. I love it. We're in a cult.
We are part of a cult.
[00:44:53] Speaker D: It's a good cult.
[00:44:55] Speaker B: It's a good cult. Will there be a book? I mean, you could put these all together in a book, right? Is that in your future?
[00:45:04] Speaker D: I love that you brought that up. I have not made any plans to make a book about these stories specifically, but at some point, I would love to move in a direction of a book someday.
I love writing and I love designing. I don't know where that's going to take me, but I would actually love to be able to, you know, share my wisdom in a different way or my learnings. I hate to call it wisdom, but it's my learnings because I think sharing is a part of the service that everyone benefits from. Right. And that's my hope, is that people can walk away enlightened, entertained, or inspired.
[00:45:59] Speaker B: Yeah. Yeah, definitely. Well, I picture this beautiful book with your background in art and illustration and then these, and I'm like, you let me know. Let's start your guidepost. Like, I am the prize.
[00:46:14] Speaker D: I love that. I love that idea. Oh, that would be so cool, right? I would love that. Yeah.
[00:46:24] Speaker B: Yeah. Okay. We're going to make it happen, people. Okay, Mike, how can people find you and sober press?
[00:46:32] Speaker D: My web address is soberpress.org. it is purely focused on stories. I do have a shop just selling a couple of different things, but my focus is on the stories and the people that tell them. And then there is a tab where you can submit your own story. It's a form that you fill out. I do encourage people to go and explore the website before sharing, but also when you do, there are options to share. You can just write until your heart's content or there are questions that you can answer. So it doesn't matter either which way it's safe to share. And there's a huge process where you're part of the collaboration as we go, and. Yeah, so that part is great.
[00:47:26] Speaker B: Very cool.
[00:47:28] Speaker D: I run a Facebook group called Sober Press. Just search sober press on Facebook. It's a private group, so you'll need to ask to join. And then sober hope group. I also help admin. It's something I'm an ambassador for. So look them up on Facebook, and then I am sober press on Instagram. So if you want to find me there. I try to post something every day, if not twice a day. And that's all.
That's my whole thing.
[00:48:06] Speaker B: That's enough. I'll put the links in our show notes, too, definitely. So thank you, Mike. I'm so glad we got a meet.
[00:48:14] Speaker D: Thank you so much, Deb.
[00:48:15] Speaker B: Yes. I hope that you have a wonderful day and I look forward to sharing more stories together.
[00:48:24] Speaker D: Yeah, I would love. If you're interested at all, I'll throw that out there for you. I would love to share your story, but just think about it. There's never any pressure when I throw an offer out. There are times I reach out to people and say, hey, I'd love to feature you. And, you know, not everybody bites, but that's okay. I'm never pranking anyone.
[00:48:52] Speaker B: And I would say to people, too, like, if you're like, I don't have a very interesting story, they are all, your story is valid. Your story is you. And there's only one you. And it's so worth hearing.
[00:49:09] Speaker D: Absolutely. You know, people think that I audition, and it's like, no, I mean, that's a questionnaire. It's a form. That's going to be your story and you're going to be on.
[00:49:21] Speaker B: Yeah. Awesome.
[00:49:23] Speaker D: That's simple.
[00:49:25] Speaker B: Well, thank you so much. Have a wonderful day, a wonderful week, and we'll be in.
[00:49:31] Speaker D: You, too. Take care.
[00:49:33] Speaker B: You too.
[00:49:33] Speaker D: Bye, you guys.
[00:49:34] Speaker B: Bye.
[00:49:34] Speaker D: Take care.
[00:49:37] Speaker A: Thank you so much for listening to this episode of the Alcohol Tipping Point podcast. Please share and review the show so you can help other people, too. I want you to know I'm always here for you, so please reach out and talk to me on instagram, alcoholtippingpoint, and check out my website, alcoholtippingpoint.com, for.
[00:49:55] Speaker B: Free resources and help.
[00:49:57] Speaker A: No matter where you are on your drinking journey, I want to encourage you to just keep practicing, keep going. I promise you are not alone and you are worth it. Every day you practice not drinking is a day you can learn from. I hope you can use these tips we talked about for the rest of your week. And until then, talk to you next time.
