📍 Welcome back to Rat Race Stories of Addiction and Recovery. I'm your host, az, and today we're unpacking a headline that might seem like good news, bad news, or just confusing news depending on where you stand. LCBO revenue drops below 2 billion for the first time in a decade. That's the headline from Global News.

Um, and it's not, and it's got people talking. But what does it mean? Is it a sign of progress, a warning? A shift in how we drink or how we think about drinking. Let's break it down. So here's the deal. LCBO, Ontario's Liquor Control Board has seen its revenue dip below 2 billion for the first time in 10 years.

That's after the province began liberalizing. That's after the province began. Lib, liberalizing alcohol sales, allowing beer, wine, and coolers and convenient stores, grocery stores, and big box retailers. On paper, it looks like people are drinking less, but are they? Not necessarily. What we're seeing is a shift in where people buy alcohol, not necessarily how much they consume.

The L CBOs monopoly is shrinking, but alcohol is more accessible than ever. And here's the kicker. More access doesn't mean more safety in addiction. Recovery circles in addiction recovery circles, we talk about triggers, and one of those biggest triggers is availability. When alcohol is everywhere at the gas station.

Besides the chips at the gas station beside the chips in the park, it's harder to avoid, harder to resist, and harder to recover. Let's talk about Ottawa, the city de designated eight public parks where alcohol is not allowed. Let's talk about Ottawa. The city designated eight public parks where alcohol is now allowed.

You can bring a cooler, crack a beer, and sip under the sun. Sounds chill, right? But not everyone's happy. Residents have raised concerns. They've increased litter and broken glass. Public intoxication has gone up. Safety for families and children is a concern and there may be a lack of enforcement. And here's the deeper issue, normalizing public drinking for folks in recovery.

Seeing alcohol is very public. It is. It it for folks in recovery. Seeing alcohol in every public space can. Feel like a punch to the gut. It's not just about temptation, it's about invisibility. When drinking is everywhere, sobriety becomes the exception, not the norm. And it's dangerous because recovery isn't just about obs abstaining.

It's about reclaiming space. So your parks, your beaches, festivals, they should be safe for everyone, not just those who drink. Now let's pivot to pop culture. Apparently Diddy was caught drinking and it made headlines. Why? Who knows? Maybe because he's facing a lawsuit. Maybe because he's a public figure, maybe because he's a public figure.

Maybe because we love to watch celebrities fail. But here's the question, why do we care? Celebrities drinking culture is a mirror. It reflects our own relationship with alcohol, our glamoration, our denial, our obsession, our glamorization, our denial, our obsession. We see star sipping champagne, launching tequila brands partying in clubs, and we internalize it.

We think drinking equals success status celebration, but we rarely see the aftermath. Like we don't see the rehab stints, the the lawsuits, the broken relationships, the quiet suffering. So when Diddy drinks, it's not just about him, it's about us. It's about what we normalize and what we excuse and what we ignore.

Alright, let's bring this home. Whether it's LCBO revenue, Ottawa Parks, or celebrity headlines, the common thread here is normalization. Alcohol is everywhere, and that makes recovery harder. But here's the good news, awareness is growing. More people are questioning their habits. More communities are advocating for space, for sober spaces.

More voices like this podcast are speaking up, so what can we do? Well. Challenge normalization. Speak up when alcohol dominates public spaces. Number two, support policy change. Advocate for sober zones, better signage and community education. Four, share stories like normalize recovery, not just drinking.

And lastly, check in with yourselves. Are you drinking more because it's easier or because it's necessary? The rat race isn't just about work. It, it's about consumption. It's about chasing relief status and, and escape. But recovery is about slowing down, about asking, what am I really drinking for? So whether you're in Ottawa watching Diddy, or walking past a cooler in a corner store, pause, reflect and choose.

And remember, you're not alone.  📍 All right, guys. Thanks for tuning into Rat Race Stories of Addiction and Recovery. If this episode resonates with you, please uh, support us by visiting www.ratracepodcast.com. Until next time, stay grounded, stay curious and stay sober if that's your path.