Sober Sunrise - AA Speaker Podcast

The Day I Couldn’t Swallow My Last Drink: AA Speaker - Mack B. - Mt. Crested Butte, CA

Mack B. from West Covina, CA speaking at the 14th annual Crested Butte Mountain Conference in Mt. Crested Butte, CA - July 13th-18th 1997
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Mack recounts his journey from a violent, ego-driven waterfront alcoholic who lost families, careers, and self-respect to a man sober since June 15, 1966 through Alcoholics Anonymous, the Twelve Steps, and a spiritual awakening; after hitting bottom when he could no longer swallow his last drink, he was guided into AA by another alcoholic and carried through the Steps by tough, loving old-timers who taught him honesty, amends, and service, allowing him to rebuild his life with dignity, meaningful work, restored relationships, decades of committed marriage, sober children and grandchildren, and a life rich with travel, laughter, and purpose—ultimately showing that AA may not solve every problem, but it teaches how to live sober one day at a time with a quiet heart.
Music: Deep by KaizanBlu

Everything Changed When I Worked the Big Book: AA Speaker - Kerry C. - Berkeley Heights, NJ - 2004

Kerry C. from Harrison, NJ speaking at the Into Action Big Book Group's 10th anniversary in Berkeley Heights, NJ - August 31st 2004
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Kerry shares a powerful testimony of moving from a chaotic, self-destructive adolescence—marked by violence, trauma, and uncontrollable drinking—to a life transformed through the power of God and the Twelve Steps. Getting sober at just 18, she spent years struggling with untreated alcoholism inside AA until a true Big Book–based spiritual experience finally changed everything, giving her stability, purpose, and the ability to show up as a loving mother, a present wife, and a trusted sponsor to countless women. Her story highlights how deep insecurity, rage, and judgment once ruled her life, but working the steps, making real amends, and building a daily relationship with God turned her into someone capable of forgiveness, service, and unconditional love. Today she lives freely, connected to her family and her AA community, carrying a message that the power of God is real, available, and capable of transforming anyone who seeks it.
Music: Deep by KaizanBlu

I Didn’t Know How to Not Drink: AA Speaker - Noel S. - Nashua, NH

Noel S. from Brookline, NH speaking at the sixth New Hampshire State Conference of Young People in AA in Nashua, NH - March 6th 2005
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Noel shares a raw, funny, and deeply honest journey of drinking from age 12 until alcoholism consumed every part of his life—relationships, sanity, school, and his sense of reality—until one night in Bangor he finally reached the moment of grace where he realized he couldn’t drink anymore. He describes how AA members showed up for him immediately, how sponsorship and the Big Book helped him understand the true nature of alcoholism, and how working the steps—especially the inventory and daily tenth step—transformed him from a terrified, chaotic young man into someone capable of showing up for others, repairing relationships, and facing life’s hardest moments sober. Through brain surgery, family illness, deep fear, and loss, Noel learned to rely on God, discipline, and service rather than alcohol, building a life where he is present, useful, and able to help other alcoholics find hope.
Music: Deep by KaizanBlu

The 4 R’s That Saved My Life: AA Speaker - Leroy Y. - Toluca Lake, CA

Leroy Y. from Van Nuys, CA speaking at Toluca Lake, CA - February 11th 2007
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Leroy shares his story of growing up in chaos, falling into addiction, and spending years in jails and prisons before discovering the truth about himself through the steps of Alcoholics Anonymous. From overdosing in sixth grade to living under aliases and feeling deep shame about his identity, Leroy’s life was ruled by fear, violence, and spiritual emptiness until a sponsor finally guided him through the Big Book line by line. He speaks openly about relapse, loss, prison, and the moment of grace that pulled him back into sobriety, eventually rebuilding his life through amends, service, and the daily practice of the “four R’s”—remember, repetition, redemption, and rejoice. His journey shows how AA transforms a person from the inside out, turning liabilities into assets and giving him a life of purpose, joy, and freedom he never imagined.
Music: Deep by KaizanBlu

A Priest Who Couldn't Stop Drinking: AA Speaker - Hollis D. - Eugene, OR - 1999

Hollis D. from Staunton, VA speaking at The Summerfest 1999 in Eugene, OR - July 7th-10th 1999
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Hollis shares a powerful and often humorous account of his life in alcoholism and recovery, describing how drinking unraveled his priesthood, morals, health, and sense of self until he finally surrendered in November of 1977, and entered AA completely defeated. He highlights the life-saving impact of sponsorship, the Big Book, working all twelve steps—not just the first half of them—and giving the program away through service, from helping drunk priests get sober to building AA groups and studying its history. Hollis’s story shows how recovery rebuilt every part of his life, gifting him a loving marriage, a daughter he never expected to have, deep spiritual renewal, and a joyful commitment to carrying the message. His journey underlines the life-changing truth that AA isn’t just about not drinking—it’s a way of life that restores purpose, connection, and hope one day at a time.
Music: Deep by KaizanBlu

Am I Moving Forward… or Just Swinging Back and Forth? - AA Speaker - Kenny L. - Hong Kong - 2012

Kenny L. from Houston, TX speaking at the Hong Kong International Convention in Hong Kong - November 4th 2012
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Kenny’s story shows how a man who could not stay sober for years—even with treatment, education, willpower, and every plan he could invent—finally reached the gift of desperation that opened him to a spiritual solution. He describes growing up feeling misunderstood, achieving academically, climbing career hills as a CPA and attorney, and still never feeling whole until alcoholism stripped everything away. His breakthrough came when he stopped trying to manage his life and instead became willing to believe he had a sick soul and needed power, not plans. A blinding white-light experience marked the turning point, and from that moment he began taking direction, helping others, and doing the spiritual actions in AA he had resisted. Through sponsorship, humility, and service in halfway houses and professional assistance programs, he rebuilt his life and even founded the Powerhouse Recovery Center—proving that when he stopped running the show and focused on helping others, a life beyond anything he imagined unfolded.
Music: Deep by KaizanBlu

Don’t Quit Before the Miracle Happens: AA Speaker - Robbie W. - Aberdeen, SD

Robbie W. from Vineland, NJ speaking at the Aberdeen Wednesday Night Group's Quarterly Meeting in Aberdeen, SD - 2007
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Robbie’s story is a raw, powerful walk from gifted Catholic-school athlete to a broken young alcoholic whose drinking dragged him through jails, prisons, mental institutions, and homelessness before he finally cried out to God in a Kalamazoo detox at age 22. What saves him isn’t luck but the unwavering love of Alcoholics Anonymous—beginning with a pig farmer named Don who took him into his home, taught him the steps, and showed him he was worth saving. Through rigorous honesty, daily action, and sponsorship, Robbie rebuilt his entire life: returning to his parents with amends, becoming a husband and father, building a stable career, and spending his life carrying the message to newcomers. His central truth is that God never let go of him—and AA didn’t either—and that our job is to pass that same hope to the next suffering alcoholic.
Music: Deep by KaizanBlu

AA Is a Sacred Community — The Steps Are What Heal Us: AA Speaker - Paul M. - Chicago, IL

Paul M. from Chicago, IL speaking at his 60 year sobriety anniversary at the Last Chance House in Chicago, IL - August 26th 2007
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This powerful gathering celebrates Paul Martin’s remarkable 60 years of sobriety, but even more, it showcases the timeless AA message he carried into the lives of the six men who spoke before him—each a sponsee or someone deeply formed by his guidance. Their stories reveal how they arrived in AA full of fear, ego, or untreated alcoholism, only to find healing through Paul’s unwavering emphasis on rigorous honesty, repeated step work, amends, and daily spiritual action. Together they show that sobriety isn’t sustained by meetings alone, but by practicing the Twelve Steps as a way of life—over and over—until sanity, humility, and usefulness slowly return. Above all, the evening honors the sacred community of Alcoholics Anonymous, where one alcoholic helping another becomes a lifeline, a spiritual path, and a living demonstration of the profound impact one dedicated sponsor can have across generations.
Music: Deep by KaizanBlu

“You Don’t Have to Reinvent AA — Just Show Up”: AA Speaker - Jason B. - Memphis, TN

Jason B. from Memphis, TN speaking at Tennessee Conference of Young People in Alcoholics Anonymous in Memphis, TN -2009
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Jason’s talk is a powerful reminder of how early willingness, honest step work, and deep service can completely reshape a life. He shares how his drinking began young, escalated quickly, and left him spiritually empty—yet the moment another alcoholic carried the message, a door cracked open. With a sobriety date of May 16, 1999, he credits the Big Book, real sponsorship, rigorous inventory, and years of service for giving him a life of purpose, connection, and freedom. His journey highlights the importance of unity, showing up for others, and discovering a God of one’s own understanding, proving that consistent action in AA can turn a lost young man into someone who now helps countless others find sobriety.
Music: Deep by KaizanBlu

Dr. Bob and the Good Old Gals: AA Speaker - Gail L. - Stockholm, Sweden

Part 2 of Gail L. from Akron, OH speaking at the Swedish Serenity group's spring convention in Stockholm, Sweden - May 30th 2009
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Gail shares a heartfelt and often humorous walk through AA’s early history, shining light on the women who quietly held the fellowship together. With gratitude and decades of sobriety since 1978, she honors figures like Anne Smith, Lois Wilson, Henrietta Seiberling, Sister Ignatia, and the first sober women who helped nurture meetings, guide new drunks, open their homes, type the Big Book, and shape the spiritual practices that became our Steps. Through stories of sacrifice, courage, and grace—women sewing collars during the Depression, praying alcoholics into the rooms, taking in strangers, keeping Bill and Bob alive, and standing firm when AA wavered—Gail reminds us that AA’s birth was a collective act of love. Her greatest contribution is preserving this legacy so we never forget the “good old gals” whose faith and service helped millions find a life of recovery, one day at a time.
Music: Deep by KaizanBlu