Explore every episode of the podcast The Sober Living Podcast

Sometimes, somebody else's success can be just the inspiration we need to keep moving forward.

In this episode of The Sober Living Podcast, I reflect on a quote from the ancient Stoic philosopher Seneca about celebrating the accomplishments of others as if they were our own.

One of the things I love about Alcoholics Anonymous is watching people succeed. Whether it's somebody picking up a sobriety chip, celebrating another year sober, rebuilding their life, or simply making progress in their recovery, there's something pretty amazing about being part of that journey.

But I haven't always been great at celebrating others. I've struggled with jealousy, comparing my life to other people's, and sometimes being so focused on what I wanted that I missed what was happening right in front of me.

Recovery has helped me appreciate the importance of lifting people up instead of tearing them down. I've learned that somebody else's success doesn't diminish my own. In fact, watching others overcome their struggles can give me hope for what's possible in my own life.

And sometimes, when I'm having a difficult day, celebrating somebody else's happiness can help me get outside of myself and find a little happiness of my own.

Because recovery isn't something we do alone. This is a we program, not a me program.

And when one of us succeeds, we all have something worth celebrating.

The Sober Living Podcast is a personal reflection on recovery, growth, spirituality, and learning how to live sober one day at a time.

I am a member of Alcoholics Anonymous, but I do not represent AA. The opinions and experiences shared here are my own.

Shut Up and Listen!

Sometimes the best thing I can say is nothing at all.

In this episode of The Sober Living Podcast, I reflect on a handful of quotes that have been sticking with me lately—from Marcus Aurelius and Zeno to a few simple sayings I’ve heard along the way.

They all seem to point toward the same idea: I don’t need to have an opinion about everything, and even when I do, I don’t always need to share it.

That can be especially true for me in AA meetings. Sometimes, instead of listening to what someone else is sharing, I’m sitting there rehearsing what I’m going to say when it’s my turn—trying to sound insightful or maybe get a laugh out of the room.

Meanwhile, I might be missing exactly what I needed to hear.

So maybe before I open my mouth, I can ask myself three questions:

Does it need to be said? Does it need to be said right now? And does it need to be said by me?

And sometimes the answer is pretty simple:

Sit down, shut up, and listen.

The Sober Living Podcast is a personal reflection on recovery, growth, spirituality, and learning how to live sober one day at a time.

I am a member of Alcoholics Anonymous, but I do not represent AA. The opinions and experiences shared here are my own.

There’s a saying in recovery that you have to give it away in order to keep it. It sounds like a contradiction, but the longer I’m sober, the more I understand it.

In this episode of The Sober Living Podcast, I talk about why staying active in recovery matters to me and how service has become such an important part of my life. Whether it’s working with someone I sponsor, going to a meeting, putting out chairs, giving someone a ride, or simply answering the phone, there are countless opportunities to give back what was so freely given to me.

The strange thing is, I never seem to walk away with less.

I think of it like a spiritual cup. The more I pour from it, the more it seems to get filled back up.

But there’s another change in perspective I’ve been thinking about lately. I often say that I have to stay active in AA if I want to stay sober.

Maybe I should be saying that I get to.

I get to go to meetings. I get to help other alcoholics. I get to have people in my life who want me around. I’m alive, I’m sober, I’m free, and I have the opportunity to be useful to somebody else.

That’s not an obligation.

That’s a gift.

The Sober Living Podcast is a personal reflection on recovery, growth, spirituality, and learning how to live sober one day at a time.

I am a member of Alcoholics Anonymous, but I do not represent AA. The opinions and experiences shared here are my own.

Gary H. sits down with tThe Sober Living Podcast to talk about service!

Chad sits down with the Sober Living Podcast and talks about his sobriety journey.

Surrender

For years, I tried to control my drinking.

I made rules. I set limits. I convinced myself that next time would be different. But eventually, I reached a point where I had nothing left to try.

I surrendered.

In this episode of The Sober Living Podcast, I talk about what surrender has come to mean to me—not giving up on my life, but giving up on trying to fix my life my way.

I share the story of my last drink, almost backing out of my first AA meeting, and the last-minute decision to walk into a meeting that would change my life. I also talk about finding something in AA that I wasn't even looking for: belonging.

Somewhere along the way, surrender led me back to spirituality, and today I can look back at parts of my life that once seemed completely disconnected and wonder if God's hand was there all along.

Sometimes the help I needed was literally right around the corner.

In this episode:

• Trying—and failing—to control my drinking

• What surrender actually looked like for me

• Almost backing out of my first AA meeting

• Finding belonging and realizing, “I found my people”

• How AA helped me rediscover spirituality

• Learning to see God's hand in places I couldn't see it before

• Why surrender doesn't mean giving up

• Being in the right place at the right time

The Sober Living Podcast is a personal reflection on recovery, growth, spirituality, and learning how to live sober one day at a time.

I am a member of Alcoholics Anonymous, but I do not represent AA. The opinions and experiences shared here are my own.

The Sun Is Still Rising

When I first came into AA, I was spiritually bankrupt. Getting sober was a tremendous gift—but looking back, sobriety was only the beginning.

For a long time, I thought a spiritual awakening would be some huge, life-changing moment. I was waiting for a lightning bolt that would suddenly make everything click.

Instead, my spiritual awakening has been more like watching the sun come up.

At first, everything is dark. Then a little light appears over the horizon. Slowly, the world gets brighter, you begin to feel the warmth, and eventually you wonder how the hell you ever lived in so much darkness.

In this episode, I talk about:

• Why sobriety was the beginning—not the destination

• The gifts recovery has brought into my life

• Why remembering the darkness helps me appreciate the light

• What truly scares me about the possibility of relapse

• The complicated relationship between gratitude and regret

• What The Dance means to me without quoting the song

• The AA Promise: “We will not regret the past nor wish to shut the door on it”

• Why I wouldn’t choose the pain again—but don’t know that I would erase my past

• How service, relationships, spirituality, and this podcast have become part of my recovery

My spiritual awakening wasn’t something that happened once and ended. It continues every time I recognize God working in my life, help another person, remember how far I’ve come, or become a little more willing to keep growing.

The sun is still rising.

Stay sober, stay strong, and keep moving forward.

I am a member of Alcoholics Anonymous, but I do not represent AA. The opinions shared in this episode are my own. The Daily Reflection discussed in this episode was reworded in my own words to respect copyright.

Bondage of Self

“Relieve me of the bondage of self, that I may better do Thy will.”

That line from the Third Step Prayer has always been one of my favorites. But what does it actually mean to be trapped by ourselves?

In this episode, I reflect on some of the ways fear, anxiety, ego, pride, and worrying about what other people think have held me back throughout my life. Sometimes the biggest thing standing in my way isn't another person or my circumstances. Sometimes it's me.

I also talk about my relationship with God, how my drinking affected my faith, and something I hadn't really considered before working on this episode: maybe God belongs on my amends list too.

Recovery hasn't made me fearless, and I still have plenty of work to do. But maybe being relieved of the bondage of self doesn't mean becoming fearless overnight. Maybe it means getting out of my own way, taking life one day at a time, and being willing to take the next right step even when I'm afraid.

It doesn't have to be perfect. Just honest.

I'm a member of Alcoholics Anonymous, but I do not represent A.A. The opinions shared in this podcast are my own.

Thanks for listening. Stay sober, stay strong, and keep moving forward.

In today's episode guest host Greg W. interviews the host of the SLP Mike K.

Finding a New Perspective

It's easy to look back at the painful moments in my life and focus entirely on what someone else did to me. But recovery is teaching me to step back and try to see the whole picture.

In this episode, I reflect on resentment, old hurts, and what it means to look at my past from a more honest perspective. The people who have hurt me aren't just characters in my story. They have their own histories, fears, struggles, and wounds that I may know nothing about.

Understanding that doesn't excuse bad behavior or mean the hurt wasn't real. But it can help me find compassion while still being willing to ask the harder question: What was my part?

Maybe seeing the past differently doesn't mean changing what happened. Maybe it means removing some of the anger and emotion that have clouded my view so I can finally see the whole picture—including myself a little more clearly.

Today's reflection is inspired by the August 11 entry from Daily Reflections and a passage from page 140 of As Bill Sees It. The reading has been reworded in my own words.

I'm a member of Alcoholics Anonymous, but I do not represent A.A. The opinions shared in this podcast are my own.

Thanks for listening, and as always... stay grateful, stay humble, and keep coming back.

When Helping Becomes Controlling

Have you ever found yourself trying to solve everyone else's problems while ignoring your own?

In this episode, I reflect on a lesson I'm still learning: just because recovery has changed my life doesn't mean it's my job to fix everyone else's.

I share how my ego often disguised itself as "helping," why I used to think I had the answers for other people, and how recovery has taught me the difference between sharing my experience and trying to control someone else's journey.

We also explore a simple but powerful question:

"Do you want advice, or do you just need to vent?"

Sometimes the most loving thing we can do isn't offer the perfect answer—it's simply be present, listen, and trust that God is already at work in someone else's life.

Today's reflection is inspired by the July 28 entry from Daily Reflections and a passage from Alcoholics Anonymous Comes of Age. The reading has been reworded in my own words.

I'm a member of Alcoholics Anonymous, but I do not represent A.A. The opinions shared in this podcast are my own.

Thanks for listening, and as always... stay grateful, stay humble, and keep coming back.

Today's reflection is about one of the greatest gifts recovery has given me: peace of mind.For years, I struggled with anxiety, depression, and trying to escape my own thoughts through alcohol. I believed drinking was helping, but in reality, it only made everything worse.In this episode, I share part of my own journey with anxiety, how getting help became an important step in my recovery, and why today's reading reminded me of the Promises found in the Big Book of Alcoholics Anonymous.

Humility isn't about thinking less of yourself. It's about letting go of the need to always be right, letting go of your ego, and finding the peace that comes with it.

In this episode, I reflect on how resentment, pride, and old hurts have shaped my life, and how recovery has taught me that serenity doesn't come from waiting for other people to change. It comes from honestly looking at my own part and being willing to let go.

If you've ever struggled with resentment, found it hard to say "I'm sorry," or felt weighed down by old wounds, I hope this reflection encourages you.

Today's reflection is based on the July 14 entry from Daily Reflections and page 74 of Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions. The reading has been reworded in my own words.

In today's episode we explore the need to let go of our control to find peace in our lives

What keeps Alcoholics Anonymous alive?

When I think about sacrifice in recovery, I don't immediately think about what I've given up. I think about all the people who sacrificed their time for me. My sponsor, the people who made the coffee, unlocked the doors, set up the chairs, answered the phone, and simply showed up when I needed them most.

In this episode, I reflect on the quiet acts of service that often go unnoticed but make recovery possible. Those small sacrifices helped save my life, and they remind me that someone else may be counting on me today.

This reflection is based on the June 30th Daily Reflections reading and page 220 of As Bill Sees It, shared in my own words and through my own experience. 

I am a member of Alcoholics Anonymous, but I do not represent A.A. The opinions shared in this podcast are my own.

I just hope when they get there, they find an open door.

Al joins me today to discuss his recovery story

Todays episode reminds us of the importance of trusting others in sobriety.

Today's episode explores the need to remain open minded around religion and spirituality in AA

Today's episode explores living in the now

Today's episode is the pilot episode of the Sober Living Podcast Interview series, featuring my sponsor Greg W

Yoday's episode dives into How It Works in the AA Big Book

Daily Reflections: Turning a negative into a positive

Today's episode explores the importance of giving without strings.

Today's podcast focuses on As Bill See's It page 271.

Today's episode reviews and discusses AA's Daily Reflections for April 21st Cultivating Faith