Sober Sunrise - AA Speaker Podcast

John K. from Dallas, TX and Myers R. from Dallas, TX speaking on step 1 at the 2nd Annual Stay Sober For Keeps Workshop in Laguna Niguel, CA - January 21st 2012
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John K. shares his experience of being a grateful recovered alcoholic (sober since 1999) and emphasizes how the Big Book of Alcoholics Anonymous is a textbook with precise instructions for recovery rather than just stories or opinions. He contrasts the old AA approach—rapidly taking newcomers through the Steps, focusing on the allergy, the mental obsession, and a spiritual solution—with today’s tendency toward endless discussion meetings and watered-down sponsorship. Using humor, vivid examples, and the “cake recipe” analogy, he drives home that alcoholism is not just about bad decisions or drama but a fatal disease requiring a textbook-guided program of action and spiritual experience. His main accomplishment is living and teaching this structured recovery, showing that half measures and vague fellowship aren’t enough; following the Big Book’s instructions exactly leads to lasting sobriety, sanity, and the ability to help others.
Music: Deep by KaizanBlu

Tara R. from Sedona, AZ speaking at the Connect the Dots group in Las Vegas, NV - November 19th 2012
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Tara shares a powerful arc from early bullying and self-loathing to a first drink at 12 that “saved” her life but led to years of chaos, two marriages, and profound shame—then a turning point after her husband’s death when, despite 19 years dry, desperation nearly took her back out. Guided through the Big Book line-by-line, she experienced a true Third Step surrender, did fearless inventory and amends (including a life-freeing reconciliation with the woman from her first marriage), and discovered that the real problem was in her mind and the real solution was a daily relationship with God and service. Her key accomplishments include maintaining sobriety since August 24, 1986, transforming grief and jealousy into spiritual growth, becoming a devoted mother who made living amends, and sponsoring others with urgency and love. Life-importance takeaway: half measures are torture—when she stopped settling for “crumbs” and worked the Steps as written, she found the banquet of a useful, joyful life centered on God, community, and helping newcomers.
Music: Deep by KaizanBlu

Audrey C. from Dallas, TX and Michael K. from Dallas, TX speaking on steps 1-3 at a sponsorship and 12 Step workshop in Dallas, TX - March 2011
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Audrey C. and Michael K. (seasoned Big Book teachers co-leading a Dallas 2011 workshop) share lived, long-term sobriety marked by heavy sponsorship and service, and they translate that experience into a crisp roadmap: Step One’s honest self-diagnosis (body “allergy” + mind “obsession”), Step Two’s practical hope in a Power greater than ourselves (because our real dilemma is lack of power), and Step Three’s decisive handoff from self-will to a new Director via the Third Step prayer—proved by action that launches 4–12, not by theory. Their core message is life-level, not lecture-level: put God first, serve others, and your life gets bigger than your problem; keep self at the center, and the problem stays bigger than your life. Their accomplishment is turning decades of recovery into a do-this-next method—sponsorship, inventory, amends, and daily service—that lets newcomers trade chaos for purpose and helps old-timers deepen freedom, usefulness, and love.
Music: Deep by KaizanBlu

Jerry J. from Lake Whitney, TX doing the steps at the Space Coast Roundup 2005 in Melbourne Beach, FL - February 2005
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Jerry spoke with humor and humility about nearly losing everything to alcohol before finding lasting sobriety on January 1, 1973, through the grace of God and the steps of Alcoholics Anonymous. He shared stories from his Texas upbringing—like his bulldog Patches and the “cattle trucks” of life—to illustrate the insanity of alcoholism and the futility of trying to control it. A lawyer by trade, he admitted to hiding behind rationalizations, burning his bed from "smoking drunk", and ignoring doctors’ warnings until he was forced to face reality. In AA, he learned that recovery is not about willpower but about surrender—discovering the truth of powerlessness, the obsession of the mind, and the allergy of the body. Through Steps One, Two, and Three, Jerry found that selfishness and self-centeredness were at the root of his troubles, and that turning his will and life over to a Higher Power brought freedom, humility, and spiritual awakening. His message showed the transformation from denial and self-will into a life anchored in honesty, connection, and a daily walk with God.
Music: Deep by KaizanBlu

Desmond T. from New York, NY at North East Texas Area Fall Convention - September 21st 2002
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Desmond hid behind white shirts, ties, and miniature bottles—until the love of AA finally broke through his defenses. Despite early slips and arrogance, he kept coming back, drawn to the honesty and realness of the people, who welcomed him, carried him past bars, and showed him what surrender looked like. Over time, he discovered the power of meditation, the truth of powerlessness, and the daily reprieve found in service. From near death with bleeding ulcers to serving as a Grapevine trustee and later its leader, his life transformed from self-will and denial into one of humility, connection, and love. He closed by affirming that AA gave him not just sobriety, but the ability to live with presence, intention, and a heart open to God’s will and to others.
Music: Deep by KaizanBlu

Wes H. from Denver, CO speaking at the Colorado State CA Convention in Denver, CO - September 2006
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Wes shares his journey with humor and honesty, reflecting on his years lost to alcohol and drugs, and how ego and fear nearly destroyed him. From early music career highs to homelessness and despair, he confused temporary relief from drugs with real spirituality until the gift of recovery showed him a different path. Sobriety brought him teachers, deep spiritual experiences, and lessons on surrender, clarity, power, and walking in beauty. He spoke of marriage sustained by the Twelve Traditions, the danger of “too many years and not enough days,” and the daily reprieve found in service and connection. His story highlighted the transformation from loneliness and self-will to a life of balance, gratitude, and spiritual growth.
Music: Deep by KaizanBlu

Mike W. from Wilmington, NC speaking about steps 4, 5, 6 and 7 at the 25th Brazos Conference - October 19th 2002
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Mike shares his story with warmth and humor, grounding it in nearly five decades of sobriety since July 1970. He reflected on how love—not something to be earned, but freely given—became central to his recovery, alongside honesty and acceptance. Drawing from the Big Book and 12 & 12, he emphasized that the root problem is self—resentments, fear, and pride—and that the solution is surrendering to a loving Higher Power. He broke down steps four through seven, explaining how inventories, confession, and willingness lead to transformation, courage, and freedom. His message underscored that true change comes not from willpower but from reliance on God and fellowship, turning a life once ruled by fear and resentment into one of spiritual growth, connection, and joy.
Music: Deep by KaizanBlu

Peter M. from Union, NJ speaking about steps 1 to 7 at the Primary Purpose Group in Long Island, NY - August 3rd 2006
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Peter shared that simply putting down the drink is not recovery—true freedom comes from ongoing spiritual growth through the Steps. He warned against worshipping knowledge or intellect in AA, saying we must seek experience with the Big Book and God’s power, not just quotes and soundbites. He stressed the importance of continually revisiting the first nine steps, using 10 and 11 daily to smash ego, and remembering that alcoholism shows up in many forms if left untreated. His message was clear: recovery is about surrender, action, and relying on God, which transforms life from restless misery into peace and usefulness.
Music: Deep by KaizanBlu

Bart R. from Sedona, AZ speaking at the 68th Duluth roundup in Duluth, MN - September 22nd 2013
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From sneaking alcohol in grade school to repeated detentions and juvenile jails, Bart describes how alcohol ruled every decision—costing him freedom, trust, and dignity. Even as an adult, he tried jobs, relationships, and sheer willpower, but the craving always returned. What changed was finding the Big Book and a sponsor who walked him through the steps: learning about the physical craving, mental obsession, and spiritual malady gave him clarity on why he drank and what to do about it. He spoke of hitting a true bottom—not measured by arrests or losses, but by admitting deep inside that he was alcoholic. Through surrender, inventories, amends, and daily step work, he rebuilt his life: reconciling with family, finding freedom from rage through Step Ten, and even becoming a father active in service. Today he describes himself as a “recovered alcoholic,” living proof that with God, the steps, and service, anyone can move from despair to usefulness and joy.
Music: Deep by KaizanBlu

Mary L. from Great Falls, MT at Inland Empire AA Convention - October 21st 2001
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Mary shares a tender, funny, and fearless arc from lifelong fear and people-pleasing to deep recovery and service: sober since January 15, 1972, she survived blackouts, repeated treatments, and a six-month institution, then spent 14 more months in a women’s halfway house where she began living the Steps for real. She described learning to accept herself unconditionally (Step One), to act into faith before she felt it, and to let God—not self-will—be the change agent (Six–Seven). Her life’s biggest “wins” weren’t trophies but transformations: moving from resentment to forgiveness with her father, from crisis-seeking to quiet presence, from bulimia to healing during a dark night of the soul, and from isolation to love—marrying in sobriety and adopting four hard-to-place children with complex needs. Today she lives “one God, many faces; one day at a time,” staying active in two home groups, sponsoring, practicing gratitude and amends, and measuring success as the flow of love through her—proof that everything good came by saying yes to a spiritual way of life.
Music: Deep by KaizanBlu