Boiled Owl Aa Recovery Podcast

Andrew had multiple relapses before recovery. Crystal meth led him to Crystal Meth Anonymous and then Alcoholics Anonymous. A doctor told him, "you always have an excuse." Andrew thought the future seemed so bleak without substances. Andrew's sobriety date is 13OCT2009 and his home group is the Gay Men's Stag Meeting at 9:30AM on Sundays in San Francisco.

Here's our 2020 take on the "OMG It's Here Again Holiday Special" of old. We bring back Brad and Miranda for a festive chat on how to stay sober and sane during the holidays, particularly in the midst of a pandemic. All our best to you in this special extra episode!

"Night of the Living Dead" was me at the end of my drinking. Tried everything to stop - organs failing - bad DTs to blackouts. Decided to take her life, but didn't want to leave a mess for her children. Katy's sobriety date is 05DEC2005 and her home group is Morning Meditation in Durham, NC.

It took Katharine 20 years to get 4 years. For the first time, she seriously thought she'd die. She crawled into AA and asked for help for the first time. Before that, she'd gone to get her driver's license or thought she was hopeless. Kindness kept her coming back. Katharine's sobriety date is 14JUL2016 and her home group is Atheists, Agnostics, and Free Thinkers in Greensboro, NC.

Program gave Doc a structure to live life: Steps on one side of his spine and Traditions on the other. When hospitalized, his doctor said, "I saved your life this time - don't know I can again." Doc knew he was an addict from age 19. He could not imagine a life without intoxicants. Doc's sobriety date is 20MAY1988 and his AA home group is the Living Sober group in Palm Springs, CA.

Our "Stump The Thumpers" quiz show special 100% puts Don in his favorite place, Big Book trivia - especially the obscure bits. Subject to Don's madness are returning guests, Miranda, Brad, and Angela. Furthering the madness is our incredibly accurate score tabulator and former guest, Tommie. Sam just laughs a lot and practices his gameshow announcer voice. We hope you enjoy the show! (and get stumped!)

Susan had stopped trying to control her drinking and just gave into it. She drove to a hair appointment, still drunk from the night before. As she sat in the chair, she had to look at herself - her skin color, dead eyes... She heard in her head, "Susan, go to AA.) She got sober in Kansas City, MO. Susan's sobriety date is 21JUN1997 and her home group is Keeping It Green in Greensboro, NC.

Angela was 37 when she got sober. Well-accomplished, she figured she could stop drinking on her own, too. She lost so much, including custody of her daughter. She had lots of restarts until she did what was recommended to her. Angela's sobriety date is 21APR2009 and her home groups are Early Bird and Big Book No Smoke in Greensboro, NC.

Jim was in AA for a long time and then moved to NA. His first meeting was in Philadelphia, where he went to NA and AA for 5 years. He moved to NC and NA there didn't fit him, so he went to AA for 31 years. 6 years ago he went back to NA. He has a video in his head of his last moments of using, where he decided it was not for him and he needed to quit. Jim's NA home group is Searching & Fearless in Greensboro, NC. His sobriety/clean date is 22JAN1979.

Melanie started recovery in 1999 at 22 years old. After 10 years, she checked out drinking again because she was older. She wound up being kicked out of bars. Going back to the same treatment center after 20 years helped because people who were there back then were still there and knew her. Melanie's sobriety date is 25SEP2017 and her home group is The Way Out in Greensboro, NC.

Brad moved to LA, where alcohol, coke, and meth led to isolation and loneliness. "Do I want to live or die?" The drugs hit fast-forward on his life's unmanageability. "The Golden Girls" was critical to his recovery. Brad's sobriety date is 01AUG2005 and his home group is the Southwest Michigan Young People's Group in Stevensville, MI.

There was a scheduling situation with a guest, so we caught up with each other and chewed the fat just like we used to do at the coffee shop after the Saturday morning men's meeting.

Mat got sober at 19 in High Point, NC. Having OD'ed in 1986, a therapist sent him to AA. He still recalls how welcoming they were. He joined a Young People group where he got his first sponsor. Years later, he found a men's meeting to be intimidating. He joined it as his home group, connecting with a smaller meeting of the group. Mat's sobriety date is 20MAY1987 and his home group is Summit Men's Group in Greensboro, NC.

Richard hadn't heard of AA until a court "class" suggested he look it up. His first experience of AA was in 1982 in treatment but he went back to drinking. Back in treatment in 1986 and still drank again. He did a lot of the suggested things except enlarging his spiritual life. Four years later, he came back to AA. Richard's sobriety date is 29AUG1992 and his home group is Easy Does It in Greensboro, NC.

Madeline grew up with both parents in recovery. Her last drunk was hilarious. She got sober at 20 and the 3rd Step is big for her right now. Madeline's sobriety date is 17NOV2017 and her home group is Piedmont in Greensboro, NC.

In this special episode on loss, we're joined again by Chris (Owl 011) and Alex (Owl 015 & OMG It's Here Again Holiday Special). Originally planned to be about losing loved ones, the COVID-19 crisis added further depth and weight to this conversation. Though a serious and even painful topic, we talk of our sobriety throughout rough times and, of course, we still find ways to laugh.

Our own resident, well-behaved, and even housebroken Boiled Owl, Don, was one of the guests on the latest episodes of That Sober Guy Podcast. He was invited by Buddy C., a past guest on The Owl (Owl 038 Buddy). The topic is CORONAVIRUS GROUP DISCUSSION: Dealing with Anger, Fear, Change, and Trying to Surrender To It. We dropped it into our feed also as an extra between our regularly scheduled episodes. You can find That Sober Guy Podcast and Buddy’s podcast, The Tao of Our Understanding, in your favorite podcatcher.

Josh (Jazzy) got sober 3 days before he turned 19. He now works in recovery. “Service work keeps me sober.” Jazzy's sobriety date is 31DEC2007 and his home group is Midday Reprieve in Greensboro, NC.

Andrea got sober Feb 12, 2016 in Greensboro, NC at a local treatment center. She discovered she wasn’t really asking for help in AA when she came back from court with a harsh sentence. The judge had decided to make an example of her. And she had told no one in AA she was even going to court. Her home group is Piedmont in Greensboro, NC.

In this special episode, Don is self-quarantined in his home and Sam is holed up in his home. We decided to test out our new remote recording setup while checking in on each other about our experiences in these strange days. We talk about COVID-19 precautions leading to online recovery meetings, our experiences with them and, well... we laugh. A lot. It's all about moments, folks. Hoping the best for all of us.