Sober Sunrise - AA Speaker Podcast

Tom I. found Alcoholics Anonymous inside a Michigan penitentiary and built a recovery so powerful that the prison system hired him back — 44 years later he says this was his finest year yet. We just launched our new Episodes page — search hundreds of AA speaker meetings by topic, speaker, or step ☀️  Sober-Sunrise.com Tom I. started drinking at 16 and tore through eight years of escalating chaos — demotions, firings, jails, blackouts, and a trail of overrated first impressions followed by spectacular self-destruction. It all came to a head when he struck and killed two people while driving in a blackout and woke up in jail not knowing what he'd done. Sentenced to 5 to 15 years in Michigan State Penitentiary, he walked in believing he'd never come out alive. A rookie social worker pointed him to the prison AA group, and a speaker named Shy Walker gave off something Tom had never encountered — a signal of life from a man who'd been where he was. Over three and a half years behind bars, Tom found the first power he ever believed in inside that group of 300 convicts, wrote his first inventory on the edge of his bunk, and conceded to his innermost self that he was an alcoholic. Two months after release he was back inside as a volunteer sponsor, then hired into the prison rehab system, and eventually offered the warden's chair — an ex-con running the institution. Now in his 44th year of sobriety, Tom says without a trace of cheerleader talk that this has been his finest year in AA. Tom I. from Southern Pines, NC speaking at the Edisto Roundup - April 7th 2001 Music: Deep by KaizanBlu

After three and a half years without a single drink, one sip at a party lit the fuse — and a football coach's long losing streak against alcohol finally brought him to Alcoholics Anonymous. We just launched our new Episodes page — search hundreds of AA speaker meetings by topic, speaker, or step ☀️  Sober-Sunrise.com Larry V. spent 41 years in the football business while alcohol quietly destroyed everything on the other side of the scoreboard. After white-knuckling three and a half years of sobriety on pure willpower, one sip of a friend's drink at a party set off a phenomenon of craving that sent him into the worst stretch of his life — fired three times, a double hit and run, a shotgun in the family room, and total isolation in an apartment with a barf bucket by the bed. A random picture of a former Brooklyn Dodger in the sports section of a newspaper led him to make a phone call that connected him to a rehab in small-town Wisconsin, where he surrendered for the first time and hasn't had a drink since November 1975. Today Larry stays close to his home group, keeps in weekly contact with his sponsor, and carries AA meeting guides from all over the world — because the same energy he used to find the nearest bar, he now uses to find the nearest meeting. Larry V. from Cleveland, OH speaking at the Newburgh Group in Cleveland, OH - January 24th 2009 Music: Deep by KaizanBlu

Joe grew up hitchhiking to a criminally insane ward to visit his alcoholic father — and left those visits having decided he didn't need God, people, or anyone's help. We just launched our new Episodes page — search hundreds of AA speaker meetings by topic, speaker, or step ☀️  Sober-Sunrise.com Years of drinking, fighting, and four rounds of divorce later, he hit his knees on a couch Sunday morning and made a deal. What followed — a resentment prayer, a traffic light, and tulips he'd never really seen before — changed everything. One of the great old-timer talks on Big Book history, soul sickness, and what it actually means to let God run the show. Joe McC. from Tulsa, OK at the 19th Traditional Winter Holiday in Joplin, MO - December 10th-12th 1999 Music: Deep by KaizanBlu We spend a lot of time coming up with these descriptions & summaries, if you read these every day, drop a comment, or give it a thumbs up so we know these are being enjoyed! 🧡

Tom came to Alcoholics Anonymous at twenty-three, but it took a painful relapse years later for him to finally understand the real solution described in the Big Book. Tom P. from Primary Purpose Group, Dallas, TX speaking at The Legacy Group in Plano, TX - July 14, 2007 Visit our merch and help support the channel🧡 Sober Sunrise Merch Visit our website - Sober-Sunrise.com Tom shares a powerful and honest story about coming to Alcoholics Anonymous at twenty-three after years of heavy drinking that began in childhood and spiraled into chaos by his early twenties. Although he stayed sober for many years through meetings and fellowship, he eventually discovered that he had never truly understood the real problem described in the Big Book of Alcoholics Anonymous. After relapsing following seventeen years of sobriety, Tom found himself desperate and convinced he might die from alcoholism. It was only when he was introduced to the program of recovery as outlined directly in the Big Book that things began to change. By understanding the mental obsession, the physical allergy, and the need for a spiritual solution through the Twelve Steps, Tom finally experienced the transformation he had been searching for. Today he carries the message that real recovery comes not just from meetings or fellowship, but from working the program of Alcoholics Anonymous and helping other alcoholics find the same freedom. Music: Deep by KaizanBlu

Jeanette arrived in Alcoholics Anonymous convinced her life was manageable, but the steps showed her the truth and led her to a freedom she never thought possible. Jeanette S. from Naches, WA speaking at the Waitsburg speakers meeting in Waitsburg, WA - February 28th 2009 Visit our merch and help support the channel🧡 Sober Sunrise Merch Visit our website - Sober-Sunrise.com Jeanette shares a candid and often funny story about growing up spiritually confused, drinking in blackouts from the age of twelve, and eventually losing control of her life despite believing she had everything under control. After multiple overdoses, treatment centers, and losing custody of her son, she was dragged into Alcoholics Anonymous where a strong Big Book sponsor guided her through the Twelve Steps. What began with very little willingness slowly turned into real change as she learned that recovery required action, not just thinking. Through inventory, amends, prayer, meditation, and helping others, Jeanette discovered a spiritual life and a freedom she had never known before. Today she carries the message of Alcoholics Anonymous and practices those principles in every part of her life. Music: Deep by KaizanBlu

After his teenage son told him exactly where every dollar went — up his nose, in his arm, or down his throat — George S. walked into Alcoholics Anonymous and met an old-timer who handed him a spiral notebook and two weeks to fill it. George S. from Freehold, NJ talking about steps 3, 4 and 5 at the Carry This Message group in West Orange, NJ - June 13th 2002 Visit our merch and help support the channel🧡 Sober Sunrise Merch Visit our website - Sober-Sunrise.com George S. came into AA after his teenage son laid out the truth about his using and walked out of his life. His sponsor was old-school to the bone — charging him for every excuse, making him kneel in mud puddles for step prayers, and handing him a thick spiral notebook with strict instructions: two weeks for the Fourth Step, any shorter you're lying, any longer you're drinking. George filled five of those notebooks. The Fifth Step brought a relief he'd never felt from any substance, and he's been dragging sponsees through the same process ever since — because every time he takes someone through the steps, he goes through them too. The talk closes with a quiet gut-punch: his granddaughter just kissed him before he walked in the door, and she has never seen him drunk. Music: Deep by KaizanBlu

After years of flying drunk, Scott L. found sobriety through Alcoholics Anonymous and the Twelve Steps. Scott L. from Nashville, Tennessee at Specific Group - August 24th 2000 Visit our merch and help support the channel🧡 Sober Sunrise Merch Visit our website - Sober-Sunrise.com Scott L. shares his journey from discovering alcohol in college to years of drinking through a successful career as an Air Force pilot, where the illusion of confidence and belonging alcohol gave him slowly turned into a cycle of craving, shame, and loss of control. Though his life appeared successful on the outside, he eventually reached a breaking point and entered treatment, where a deeply personal moment of surrender and a cry for forgiveness became the beginning of a real spiritual awakening. Through Alcoholics Anonymous, sponsorship, and working the Twelve Steps, Scott discovered that alcohol had only been his temporary solution to a deeper spiritual problem, and that lasting freedom came from spiritual growth, service, and learning to live life one day at a time. Music: Deep by KaizanBlu

At eighteen years old, Kellie L. walked into Alcoholics Anonymous broken, homeless, and convinced she had no future — and discovered a life she never imagined possible. Kellie L. from Chicago, IL speaking at the Georgia State Convention in Athens, GA - 25 Oct 2002 Visit our merch and help support the channel🧡 Sober Sunrise Merch Visit our website - Sober-Sunrise.com Kellie L. shares a remarkable journey from a chaotic childhood in a Florida trailer park to finding sobriety at just eighteen years old through Alcoholics Anonymous. Raised by a mother struggling with addiction, she spent her teenage years living alone, dropping out of school, committing felonies, and spiraling deeper into drugs and alcohol while chasing relief from a constant feeling of being restless, irritable, and discontent. After arriving in Chicago sick, malnourished, and spiritually empty, a group of AA members who met regularly at the restaurant where she worked reached out and invited her to a meeting. Though she continued drinking for several weeks, their persistence and kindness kept her coming back long enough to hear a simple suggestion: pray for help in the morning and say thank you at night. From that moment forward she began building a new life through sponsorship, service work, and the Twelve Steps, eventually helping start a thriving home group and dedicating herself to carrying the message of recovery. Kelly’s story is a powerful reminder that Alcoholics Anonymous can transform even the most hopeless circumstances into a life of purpose, connection, and gratitude. Music: Deep by KaizanBlu

Joe A. shares how alcoholism took him from a promising young life to a roach-infested room on skid row—and how Alcoholics Anonymous gave him a new way to live. Joe A. from Cincinnati, OH speaking at ICYPAA in Louisville, KY - May 24th 2002 Visit our merch and help support the channel🧡 Sober Sunrise Merch Visit our website - Sober-Sunrise.com Joe A. tells a powerful and often humorous story of how alcoholism slowly unraveled a life that once showed enormous promise. As a young man he was an Eagle Scout with a college opportunity ahead of him, but drinking and drugs gradually scrambled his judgment, destroyed relationships, and left him living in a filthy skid-row room with nothing but a mattress on the floor. When he finally walked into Alcoholics Anonymous at twenty-two years old, he didn’t understand what alcoholism really was or why he couldn’t stop drinking once he started. Through the guidance of a sponsor, honest work through the Twelve Steps, and a growing commitment to service, Joe began to experience the spiritual change the Big Book promises. Over time the obsession to drink was replaced with purpose, responsibility, and gratitude—allowing him to build a stable life with a family, meaningful work, and decades of sobriety. His message reminds us that AA doesn’t just stop the drinking; it teaches alcoholics how to live, grow, and find happiness right where they are on the side of the mountain. Music: Deep by KaizanBlu

David T. shares how losing the power of choice in drink led him to fully rely on the Twelve Steps of Alcoholics Anonymous. David T. from Spartanburg, SC speaking at YANA on Hilton Head Island, SC - May 15th 2004 Visit our merch and help support the channel🧡 Sober Sunrise Merch Visit our website - Sober-Sunrise.com David T. shares a powerful and deeply honest journey from a frightened, insecure young man who found instant relief in alcohol to an alcoholic who discovered he had completely lost the power of choice in drink. Despite scholarships, graduate school, marriage, therapy, Antabuse, counseling, and even sheer willpower, nothing could stop the mental obsession that always led him back to alcohol. His turning point came not from fear of consequences but from a moment of surrender when something inside finally broke, opening him to the possibility of a Higher Power he did not yet believe in. Through sponsorship, a clear understanding of the Big Book, and a willingness to work all Twelve Steps thoroughly — especially Steps Three through Nine — David experienced the removal of the obsession and a transformation that reshaped his relationships with his parents, restored integrity to his life, and grounded him in consistent service. From cleaning clubhouses to carrying meetings into detox centers and helping build a Primary Purpose group centered on the solution, he discovered that real recovery is not about trying harder but about following a clear program of action that replaces self-will with faith, responsibility, and service to others. Music: Deep by KaizanBlu

She tried meetings, therapy, willpower — even buying a horse to stay sober. Nothing worked until she finally did the Steps completely. Erna G. from Walnut Creek, CA speaking at Hope and Serenity Meeting in Sacramento - April 7th 2012 Visit our merch and help support the channel🧡 Sober Sunrise Merch Visit our website - Sober-Sunrise.com Erna's journey from early drinking in Iceland to years of restless, irritable sobriety in Alcoholics Anonymous where she believed meetings alone would save her. After cycling through treatment, sponsorship, self-help ideas, and even buying a horse on the advice of a well-meaning sponsor, she discovered that activity without full surrender to the Twelve Steps left her spiritually blocked and emotionally miserable. Though she accumulated time, she was still driven by self-will, jealousy, fear, and unfinished amends until she finally committed to a complete Third Step decision, a searching Fourth Step, and thorough amends through Steps Eight and Nine. What followed was not just relief from alcohol, but real freedom — the obsession lifted, relationships restored, motherhood embraced, and a growing life of service grounded in daily practice of Steps Ten, Eleven, and Twelve. Through marriage, homelessness, and even a stroke at thirty-five, Erna learned that recovery is not about managing life better, but about trusting God fully and carrying the message with joy and conviction. Music: Deep by KaizanBlu

After years of rebellion, ego, and nearly walking away from AA, Cecil discovered that the Twelve Steps weren’t suggestions — they were the only path back to peace. Cecil C. from Prince Albert, Saskatchewan, Canada speaking at The Blackstone Retreat - 1970 Visit our merch and help support the channel🧡 Sober Sunrise Merch Visit our website - Sober-Sunrise.com Cecil C. shares a powerful journey from early rebellion and military drinking to ego-driven sobriety and eventual spiritual renewal through the Twelve Steps of Alcoholics Anonymous. After losing jobs, fighting in bars, nearly losing his family, and almost walking away from AA because he thought he “wasn’t bad enough,” he finally found real recovery when a group committed to working the Steps in order. Step One revealed not just powerlessness over alcohol but the unmanageability of his sober life; Step Four and Five exposed his ego and dishonesty; Step Eight and Nine taught him humility through even the smallest amends; and Step Ten brought him back when success and material ambition began to replace spiritual growth. Through prayer, meditation, sponsorship, and carrying the message, Cease learned that AA is not about activity or applause but about practicing spiritual principles in all affairs. His closing challenge remains simple and direct: we may look good on the outside at conferences and meetings, but the real question of recovery is how we are on the inside. Music: Deep by KaizanBlu

After four DWIs, a shattered arm, and a truck fire, he still couldn’t quit drinking — until Alcoholics Anonymous changed everything. Troy N. from Austin, TX speaking at the 6th annual Fellowship in Elgin, TX - June 2nd 2007 Visit our merch and help support the channel🧡 Sober Sunrise Merch Visit our website - Sober-Sunrise.com Troy N. shares a powerful story of progression—from early drinking in Houston and escalating legal trouble, to shattered bones, burned bridges, four DWIs, jail time, divorce, and a literal truck fire—before finally surrendering on January 27, 1999. He describes the insanity of near-death accidents that didn’t stop him, treatment attempts that didn’t stick, and the crushing spiritual emptiness that alcohol could no longer fill. What ultimately changed was not fear, but willingness: working the Steps quickly and thoroughly, carrying the message, and building a real relationship with God. Today, Troy lives in freedom—remarried to the same woman he once devastated, traveling the world, attending meetings even on dirt roads in Mexico, and experiencing the “peace that passes understanding.” His message is clear: recovery is not about barely surviving—it’s about living in harmony, usefulness, and spiritual connection, one day at a time. Music: Deep by KaizanBlu

After a fatal accident and a prison sentence, Tom discovered that consequences don’t stop alcoholism — surrender does. Tom I. from Aberdeen, NC speaking at Illinois State Conference - August 30th 2002 Visit our merch and help support the channel🧡 Sober Sunrise Merch Visit our website - Sober-Sunrise.com Tom shares the journey from blackout drinking and a fatal accident to a five-to-fifteen-year prison sentence where he first encountered Alcoholics Anonymous. Even after devastating consequences, he discovered that fear and guilt were not enough to stop drinking — only a full surrender in Step One and a searching Step Four inventory changed him at a cellular level. Inside prison, he experienced real freedom through the Twelve Steps, making amends, confronting defects of character, and learning that Alcoholics Anonymous is not a hiding place for broken people but a design for living. After his release, he built a life of service that eventually led him back into the correctional system — this time as a leader — proving that spiritual principles, consistently practiced, can restore dignity, purpose, and enthusiasm even decades into sobriety. Music: Deep by KaizanBlu

Jerry explains what it really means to become entirely ready for change — confronting self-centeredness, character defects, and the amends that bring lasting freedom. Jerry J. from Lake Whitney, TX doing the steps at the Space Coast Roundup 2005 in Melbourne Beach, FL - February 2005 Visit our merch and help support the channel🧡 Sober Sunrise Merch Visit our website - Sober-Sunrise.com Continuing through Steps Six through Nine, Jerry examines how resentment, fear, ego, and victim thinking dominate an alcoholic’s life. He unpacks humility in practical terms, describes how character defects quietly shape our behavior, and explains why cleaning our side of the street restores dignity and peace. With humor and clarity, Jerry reminds us that freedom comes when we stop rehearsing the past and start living by spiritual principles one day at a time. Music: Deep by KaizanBlu

In this AA traditions workshop, Richard E. explains why unity, sponsorship, and the primary purpose of Alcoholics Anonymous determine whether a group survives or dies. Richard E. from London, UK speaking about the traditions at Hatfield group in Hatfield, UK - May 12th 2011 Visit our merch and help support the channel🧡 Sober Sunrise Merch Visit our website - Sober-Sunrise.com Richard E. shares a direct and often humorous workshop on the 12 Traditions of Alcoholics Anonymous, explaining why AA survived while groups like the Washingtonians and the Oxford Group disappeared. He walks through unity, group conscience, sponsorship, anonymity, and the dangers of money, prestige, and outside influence. With stories about Bill Wilson, early AA history, and modern meetings, Richard reminds us that the common welfare must come first and that AA’s primary purpose is to carry a clear message of recovery through the 12 Steps. Music: Deep by KaizanBlu

Don P. explains why simply not drinking isn’t enough — and how real recovery begins with complete surrender, spiritual action, and helping others. Don P. from Aurora, CO at the 6th Annual Big Book Weekend at Tanglewood in Camden, ME - June 14th 2003 Visit our merch and help support the channel🧡 Sober Sunrise Merch Visit our website - Sober-Sunrise.com Don P. delivers a direct and deeply grounded Alcoholics Anonymous message on the difference between being sober and truly recovering. Drawing from the Big Book and decades of experience, he shares why the Twelve Steps are preparation for the real work of helping others, why half-measures fail, and how lasting freedom comes through full surrender to a Higher Power. With humor, clarity, and spiritual depth, Don reminds us that alcoholism centers in the mind, that we are powerless over the first drink, and that real transformation happens when we stop managing life ourselves and allow God to work through us. His message calls for courage, humility, and a willingness to be changed — not just abstinent. Music: Deep by KaizanBlu

In this powerful AA speaker meeting, Scott shares how working the 12 Steps from the Big Book of Alcoholics Anonymous removed his obsession to drink and gave him a new and wonderful life. Scott P. from Dallas, TX speaking at the Primary Purpose Group in Dallas, TX - August 10th 2007 Visit our merch and help support the channel🧡 Sober Sunrise Merch Visit our website - Sober-Sunrise.com Scott shares how alcohol felt like the solution from the age of five, carried him through years of failed attempts at control, resentment, and restless misery, and ultimately stopped working altogether. After countless experiments with controlled drinking and repeated relapses, Scott finally conceded to his innermost self that he was an alcoholic and fully committed to the 12 Steps as outlined in the Big Book of Alcoholics Anonymous. Through inventory, amends, daily prayer and meditation, and carrying the message, the obsession to drink was removed. His story is a clear and powerful reminder that freedom comes not from quitting alcohol alone, but from spiritual action and living the AA program. Music: Deep by KaizanBlu

After choosing alcohol over love, losing his marriage, and living in his sister’s basement, Dave hit a bottom he could no longer deny. Dave B. from Saco, ME speaking at the Tuesday night Surrender Group of Alcoholics Anonymous in Portland, ME - March 17th 2009 Visit our merch and help support the channel🧡 Sober Sunrise Merch Visit our website - Sober-Sunrise.com Dave’s story is one of ego, denial, and repeated collapse—marrying drinking buddies, choosing alcohol over love, bouncing checks, and living in his sister’s basement at 32 years old. After a failed attempt to control his drinking on a business trip to Denver, he woke up in a hotel room and fully conceded to his innermost self that he was an alcoholic. That moment of surrender marked the beginning of true recovery. Through the Twelve Steps, honest inventory, and difficult amends—especially with his family—Dave discovered that sobriety is not just about not drinking, but about spiritual transformation and living under new management. His message is clear: there is a way out, and it begins with complete surrender. Music: Deep by KaizanBlu

From living in his car and baffled by his drinking to decades of joyful sobriety, Jay shares how immediate surrender and spiritual action changed everything. Jay S. from Sedona, AZ speaking at the 48th Annual Big Deep South Convention in New Orleans, LA - June 19th 2016 Visit our merch and help support the channel🧡 Sober Sunrise Merch Visit our website - Sober-Sunrise.com Jay's story is a powerful testament to what happens when desperation meets willingness. After years of blackout drinking, arrests, and self-loathing, Jay found Alcoholics Anonymous on May 2, 1979, and made a decision that very day to fully commit to sobriety. Through fearless inventory, amends, sponsorship, meditation, and unwavering spiritual practice, he transformed from a restless and confused young alcoholic into a man living with purpose, creativity, and deep connection. Jay reminds us that AA is not merely about putting down the drink — it is about learning how to change, how to love, and how to live on a higher plane of inspiration. His message is clear: you never have to feel the way you once felt again if you are willing to do the work. Music: Deep by KaizanBlu