Moderation Drinking: ACCOUNTABLITY

It’s one of the reasons I created the First Round Last Call Challenge Coin……and The Code of Conduct to help regulate my alcohol intake as it was definitely a change that needed to happen in my life.  You’ve heard me talk about How it works with one side of the coin  First Round, have 1 drink then other side of the coin  Last Call have  a 2nd drink… and once Last Call is done I STOP DRINKING ALCOHOL FOR THE REST OF THE DAY.  That’s the CHALLENGE part of this coin…. to actually STOP at 2 drinks. 

This Coin has made me more ACCOUNTABLE not only with my own drinking but in other aspects of my life as well. Accountability is something I think we as a nation have drifted away from.  

Our kids have grown up on video games and when things don’t go right they can just hit a reset button. And It’s become easier to blame and sue somebody than it is to own a problem we may have created. And just look at the political theater we are living in right now with the Presidential election coming up this year. Regardless of what side you’re on --democratic or republican-- I think we can all agree there is just too much fighting and scheming and posturing…. And nothing gets done. Important issues from immigration at the border, to aiding our allies who are at war—everything is in a bottleneck and NO ONE IS ACCOUNTABLE.


Host: Andy Whiteside
Co-host: Sam Meader

Transcript

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Andy Whiteside: Hello, everyone! Welcome to Episode 4 of moderation drinking. I'm your host, Andy White said. I've got Sam with me, Sam, metered Sam. How's it going, man, how are you today going on, you guys? Moderation drinking the website? The challenge, Colin, own some properties. South Carolina.

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Sam: I read some of your stuff occasionally, and you've got a lot of work on your hands getting ready for the season. Right? Yeah, that's kind of one of the themes here. I wanted to talk about our sort of our New Year starts right now in March. So what we do is, you know, we do nightly rentals throughout the

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Sam: the summer and the fall, and then in the winter we go to monthly rentals, and that's also when we do our remodels and upgrades and maintenance. And so we've just come out of that. We've done our most ambitious remodel yet 4 bedrooms and 3 baths all in one of our buildings, and we gutted it down to the stud. So we've been a actively working and a big part of what I wanted to talk about today. Accountability kinda touches on that experience

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Sam: and working with some of my vendors and then coming into the season here. So accountability has been a big thing for me. And that's the theme of today's podcast

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Andy Whiteside: okay. Yeah, that's a blog. You get right up. I've got a word document from you right now. But you're gonna have this post on your site within 24 h or now. So we wanted to cover that. So Sam, I'm just gonna kinda walk us through this and I guess you'll tie into it the idea that it ties back to your business. So if you could without reading the blog, help us understand this blog about accountability

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Sam: and how it ties into you know what you're doing with your properties into this time of year and influence our families.

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Sam: Well, one of the things when I created this coin, you know, late 2022, and launched it in 2,023. The coin itself, and why moderation drinking exists is to

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Sam: first and foremost to help me become accountable for my own drinking and the coin first round last call works on the basis of using it. When you decide to limit your drinking by having one drink with the first round side up, flip it over, have a second drink, and the code of conduct that comes with this coin means that you stop drinking alcohol after the second drink. So

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Sam: once I started using this coin and became more accountable to myself for drinking. I noticed that it it really helped me become more accountable in other aspects of my life, and

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Sam: the more I became accountable. And this may sound bad that the more I've been looking around and trying to hold other people more accountable for whatever they are doing interacting with me.

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Sam: And I noticed this year on our large remodel even though we've had some vendors who've been with us of 4, 5, 6 remodels before. It just seems like in general accountability seems to be fading as a principal in certainly my world, and I don't know if you've experienced that as well. But I that's what I wanted to talk about today is

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Sam: is what what's been happening. And you know everything from accountability personally within your family, within your local community, or just in general. I think it's a core principle that starts with yourself. Then your family those you love, and then your professional interface, the Co. Workers, the vendors that you may work with. For me, using this coin and practicing accountability

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Sam: through moderation. Drinking has really helped me, I think, become more accountable and other aspects of my life. That's why I think this coin is so powerful. You know, I think in in general I had with drinking, and after I got sober and chose to drink again,

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Sam: I needed to be accountable to myself for my own health.

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Sam: but also to my wife to maintain my marriage as it was falling apart. And so that's why this coin is really help me become more accountable. And I think, you know, just looking at society. In general, our kids have grown up with video games. They have a reset button, so they don't have to do the hard work. All they have to do is hit a reset button and start over and as adults. I think we've seen. It's easy to blame somebody or Sue somebody.

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Andy Whiteside: What do you mean? Knowing you hit the reset button and everything just picks up where you left off, whereas what? When you were a kid, how was how was it different? Just video games alone? How was it different? Yeah. Well, you had to.

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Sam: you know, in in sports you had to go sit on the bench. If you've made a bad play or like to use the video games. If you don't like how that that game or that war is going instead of you know, being out of the game, you can just hit reset and and start over, and maybe get a different outcome, and repeat and repeat and repeat, almost with no accountability. You just get to satisfy yourself.

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Andy Whiteside: When things go right, even if it takes 10 tries, and the real world is not like that real world like that. I'll give you a quick sports example, I've got a a guy I coached some basketball with along the way, and his daughter would just shoot wild shots all the time, and I'm sitting there, looking at him. Going, hey? You know. Let's let's venture and and let's let's let's make her learn to take good shots. His exact response to me was. No, no! And he yelled out to her, Keep shooting! Keep shooting, no matter what. Keep shooting. If you're open, you get the ball off, shoot it.

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Andy Whiteside: I'm like.

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Andy Whiteside: what is wrong with you. That's not how you teach kids how to be accountable. And and to be frank, and you know, nobody knows who I'm talking about here. But that kid has turned up to be a spoiled, rotten brat because it was just a matter of everything revolved around them, and nobody wanted to be their teammate except for other spoiled, rotten brats.

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Sam: Yeah. And II think I've seen it, too, in the professional world. And you know some of the situations I've been in in real estate. It's easier to sue somebody than it is to own a problem that maybe you helped create. And I know it's in the headlines every day. This political theater that we're in now with a Presidential election coming all this posturing and and and fighting, and

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Sam: whatever you want to call it, whether you're Republican or a Democrat, it just seems like the fight is more important than the outcome of getting things done when there's important things like, you know, immigration at the border, or aiding some of our allies that are in foreign wars

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Sam: wherever your politics are. I think everybody can agree that

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Sam: it doesn't seem like the politicians are accountable. They just do what they do. And so a lot of this has coalesced at this time of year with us, doing the remodel and running into some some of the vendors that even in years past have become reliable

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Andy Whiteside: seemingly, you know, dodging their responsibility. It's been super frustrating, I think I told you many. Guy drove into Charleston this weekend, and I drive, you know, probably once a month in Charleston. I think it's a great example. There's a lot going on in Charleston almost every major billboard for the last 10 miles as you're driving. It's a lawyer. Yeah, the law firm trying to get you to sue somebody. And and you all this to me starts with accountability

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Andy Whiteside: for money, like like people want your money, therefore they encourage the bad behavior over drinking. You. You name it suing everybody and then people fall for it, and at some point yourself, accountability and your accountability to others in your immediate circle. And then beyond is where it has to start.

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Sam: Yeah. And

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Sam: yeah, for us. It it you know, give you an example of of the project that we've been working on. With some of the custom tile work we we had done, and we're hiring, you know, plumbers, electricians, tile drywall guys were acting as general contractor, but some of our vendors and trades have been with us through 5 and 6 remodels, but it just seems lately that the wheels have fallen off the wagon.

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Sam: and when you know you're doing a bathroom. The you know, the the one of the big failure points with the toilet is the flange that the plumber uses to drain. It has to be at the right height, and it has to be level and solid. And the tile guy has to cut around it, and despite multiple meetings and everybody assuring that they they had it all squared away, that there we still have problems, and they're each pointing the finger at each other. And so they're not responding to us. It was a big mess. We ended up getting it fixed, but

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Sam: it just felt like neither one of them was owning their own grade, and being accountable for what they were contracting to do, we did a bathroom at our low place, same exact thing. The guy went to set the toilet, and and he said it. And then, 3 weeks later, we had a leak

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Sam: foundation highly recommended. So it's it's it's it's it's it's it's it's it's it's it's, it's, it's it's it's it's it's it's it's it's it's it's it's it's it's it's it's it's it's it's it's it's it's it's it's it's it's it's it's it's it's it's it's it's it's it's it's it's it's it's it's it's a

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Sam: this band brand new cabinet fronts that had holes where they weren't supposed to be. And he, he assumed we'd be okay with it. We're like, this is brand new. We're not gonna have holes. So it's a big thing we had to reorder, and then but getting him to come back and schedule it was was a nightmare, and we just

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Sam: seem like this time, and and the more we go with technology, the less people want to talk to you. They just they just text. And I find that supremely frustrating. You know when we're asking things like, When will you come back and fix this?

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Sam: I'll be there tomorrow. Then tomorrow comes. It's a no show, and they only communicate to text. So it's the next day. Same thing. When are you coming? Oh, I'm on my way while you're on your way from the next town over James Island 15 min, or you're north of Somerville, where it's going to be 2 h in traffic. And meanwhile we're trying to go to Lows for the fourth time that day to get more material.

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Sam: feel like we're held hostage. So just coming through that it really, we just looked at each other, my wife and I and said, just this just seemed a lot harder this time. But we got done the places look beautiful. We got the photograph first coming this week. And then. Now we're into the season where we begin our nightly rentals, and then

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Sam: we have this, you know, sort of

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Sam: once or twice a year situation that we always wonder how people have the gall to do what they do. It happened a. you know, occur in the first week. Somebody the first check in of the season.

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Sam: you know, it went like this, and it's all about accountability. This woman booked in January and said, You know why we ask, why are you coming? Oh, I'm coming for some beach time with my daughter. So she books this place supposed to only have 4 people.

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Sam: and then the day of check in who who shows up? It's 2 car loads of 18 year old kids on spring break

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Sam: and the mom's nowhere to be found. And so we asked the daughter. And so where's your mom? This seemed like it was going to be a trip for you 20, no, it's my senior year trip. My mom was never coming, so we had to call the mom. And she didn't return our calls. But our policy is, you have to be 21 years old to to book and check in, and we only give the keys to those people who book.

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Sam: But we told those kids, hey? You can't check in, and, you know, have your mom come? Have her call. She never called. She never asked for a refund. I think she was embarrassed. And I we were just thinking like, what message is this? Sending her her daughter?

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Sam: And so it was just sort of another thing. This project seemed to be harder this year because people weren't being accountable, and one of the first guests of the season books under, you know, something that wasn't true and not being accountable. So it just seems like it's happening more and more. And so, Sam, you're old enough to remember this. There was a commercial at some point about a kid using drugs. And the parents said, Where did you learn to do drugs like that?

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Andy Whiteside: Remember this commercial back in the eighties and the I learned it from watching you. You're exactly right. And then and to time point in the moderation, drinking podcast is, they learn this behavior from you, you model it, and accountability becomes less and less and less as you know, the kids see what the parents do and take it to another step further.

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Sam: That's right. And you know another thing that happened. I'm a big college football fan in in January there was a College Football National Championship to play off. And

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Sam: if you recall, Alabama was beaten by Michigan in the Semi round to go to the National Championship, and a lot of the players were banging their helmets and cussing out. And you know, Nick Sabin, world, renowned best college coach of all time, with 7 National Championship retired after that, very surprisingly after that loss.

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Sam: and I don't know if you saw his comments, but one of the things he said was, you know.

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Sam: that's not who we are as a team. What those what those players did I I've coached them to win with class and lose with class to see that happen made me really upset. And then he said, just the trend is, you know, used to be when players come to Alabama. It was an honor to even make the squad or try out. And now the first thing they ask is, how much playing time am I going to get, and how much money can I make in the nil the name image, likeness that that now Nca. Allows players to be paid?

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Sam: And so it it it seemed like, you know, that was part of accountability. If you're if you're a player on a team, putting your needs first and your compensation ahead of the whole good of the team. I would. Just it. Just seem like that's a trend out there, and it's disturbing.

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Sam: So Sam, tie that into abuse of alcohol that tie that little story into the abuse of alcohol. You see it well, it really is getting back to what we said at the outset. Accountability of yourself. I think if you are in a position

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Sam: where you may know that you drink too much

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Sam: and you're you're seeking a way to drink less. This coin that I created really helps. People do that. And I know for me it was a life changing experience, and with a lot of the customers who bought the coin in the comments that they made. Tells me that they are also achieving some type of change and becoming more accountable when it comes to drinking. So it doesn't matter really what you do. II know some people told me that they

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Sam: they have a journal that they log in how many drinks they have when they go out? I know there's apps for that kind of thing

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Sam: this coin does that as well. So whatever you're using. Iii think if if it helps you limit your intake and drink in moderation, it's gonna II believe, help you make yourself more accountable and just like what I've been doing. As I become more accountable, I seek to hold others to the accountability of our relationship, whether it's personal or professional.

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Andy Whiteside: you you end it with. Imagine what the United States America could be like if 100 or 1,000 or 100,000 of your neighbors became more accountable for not only drinking, but everything else they did.

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Sam: What are you trying to say? There? Well, that that's why I'm doing what I do. Once once I found once I saw that this coin

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Sam: really helped me become accountable for my own drinking, to have first round, wondering last call, second drink, and then commit to stop drinking. After that last call

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Sam: Once that started to happen over and over and over again. It really gave me a foundation of confidence to effect change in my life in other areas, but just to be accountable to myself, and certainly my wife and those around me, and I thought, well, if if

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Sam: more people could get this coin and become more accountable to their own drinking, maybe they also would become more accountable in other aspects of their lives. And that's why I wrote there.

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Sam: you know. Imagine what this country would be like if a hundred or a thousand or a million people

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Sam: became more accountable. I think there'd be less lawsuits. There'd be less friction in the workplace and in marriages and it seems bold to make that claim, but the fact that thousands of people continue to click the website

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Sam: tune into this podcast and actually order the coin and tell me that they love it, and it's working for them, and it's helped them dial back their drinking. I think I'm onto something here.

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Andy Whiteside: I would sum it up if what if?

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Andy Whiteside: What if a hundred, a thousand 100,000 more people, more human beings, became more human and held themselves accountable.

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Andy Whiteside: whether it's alcohol or what have you, but in this case alcohol for sure. And it would. It would role model for, you know, generations to come.

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Sam: I think that's really all we need

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Sam: that ad you talked about on TV, where they how'd you learn to take drugs like that were I learned from watching you? And it's everything we do as adults. Our kids are modeling that. And they're modeling it younger and younger these days. So I think when you told your story about where you learned to do it. You you clearly stated you learned it from your parents. And that's right.

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Andy Whiteside: Yeah.

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Andy Whiteside: absolutely well. Sam, thank you for the time again, and always great catching up with you. And of course we're gonna we're gonna be hold ourselves accountable for. Continue to do this.

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Sam: because if we change one person impact one person who knows how many we change after that through that one.

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Andy Whiteside: And you know, I owe it to. You know things that have happened in my life in the last year, and and you as well, and yours, and you know we're gonna keep doing it.

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Sam: Good. Thank you for putting this together and for having me alright. Thanks, Sam. Okay.