Boiled Owl Aa Recovery Podcast

Dorisa decided to get dry a week before her wedding and got sober after her honeymoon. She tried AA a year earlier (but not really) and smoked pot during that. Her drinking caused lots of destruction in the lives of those around her. We have a great start-over chip discussion. Steps 4 & 5 were big for her, leading to "I'm not the victim anymore." Dorisa's home group is 16th Street in Greensboro, NC, and her sobriety date is 08AUG2011.

A guy Thomas was making meth with told him about AA. Thomas used lots of drugs but didn't feel connected in NA. He felt connected in AA but read more NA literature at first. When he moved to Washington, DC, the AA members there called him instead of expecting him to call them. For his first 6 months of sobriety, he lived behind a recovery clubhouse and went to the 8AM AA meeting daily. Thomas's sobriety date is 18JUL2009 and his home group is the Summit Men's group in Greensboro, NC.

Alex's sobriety date is also his divorce date. He lost the security of living with his wife and had no job. He came to AA familiar with it from DUIs. Alex downloaded and printed his first copy of the Big Book. We have a good chat about emotional sobriety and how to choose a sponsor. He completed his degree in sobriety and is going back for more. Alex's home group is Young People in Greensboro, NC. His sobriety date is 21JAN2016.

Jody went to AA as a teen because her sister took her. She got rid of her boyfriend and moved, but still drank - though had 1 & 2-week dry spells. She went back to AA in Norfolk, VA, at 21. Jody really hoped alcohol wasn't the problem and she struggled with the "God idea," but worked the steps in her first 6 months. When she got a new sponsor, she did them again. Steps 4 & 5 were powerful for her and 8 & 9 were where she had a spiritual experience, including a powerful 9th Step with her father. Jody's home group is the Serendipity Group in High Point, NC.

Tyler first got sober at 17. He worked the steps and even started an AA meeting in Wilmington, NC. NCCYPAA was an important part of his recovery. He went back out; it got worse. He was homeless and emotionally, mentally, and physically broken. He went to jail and rehab many times. His father, a drug counselor, asked him to give it one year. He did. He moved to High Point, NC, where he joined NA and worked the steps. Tyler's home group is the Awakenings Group of NA in Greensboro, NC. He's been clean & sober since 11JUL2017.

Roberta got sober in Brooklyn, NYC. Being fired led her to the rooms of AA, an organization she'd never heard of. Her neighbor had just started and told her about it. She'd tried to quit on her own and was miserable. Alcohol was the glue that held her life together. She was a drinker from 18 to 38, with a career that allowed her to drink at lunch. Roberta was in the World Trade Center on September 11, 2001. She was 15 years sober then and wanted to get drunk - to not feel. The AA community supported her and she stayed sober. Roberta's home group is the Greene Street Group in Greensboro, NC. Her sobriety date is 17AUG1986.

Alan went to two meetings at 17, but wasn't ready. At age 25, he went to meetings for about 2 weeks before picking up a start chip. His attorney suggested AA. In the second meeting, he got hope. He was 12th-stepped as he was trying to "slide out" at the end of a meeting. The "God thing" was an obstacle. A candlelit meeting was really helpful to him. Alan's sobriety date is 17NOV1983 and his home group is Summit Fellowship Men's in Greensboro, NC.

Chris was ordered to go to AA by the courts, but he didn't need it then; he was just unlucky. 6 DUIs later... He started going to AA again in 2000 and also going out to eat with members after the meetings. He went to AA meetings in a clubhouse and would stay there all day. When he moved, he checked out AA and didn't feel it - didn't get a sponsor or go to meetings. He drank shortly thereafter, started over and got a sponsor. He found it harder to get sober the second time. Chris's sobriety date is 10JUL2002 and his home group is Radiance in Greensboro, NC.

Amber left her husband for an affair with her boss. Her boss said she was too messed up. She got a DUI and woke up in jail. She found herself drinking and calling rehabs - rehab would look good for court. She found more excuses not to go. She had 2 days in detox and then went to rehab. From there, she took suggestions: live in a women's Oxford house, get a sponsor, get a network. She jumped into service in Young People in AA. She has a "super-full life today." Amber got sober on 15NOV2011 and her home group is Easy Does It in Greensboro, NC.

Scott got sober at 40 in treatment. He moved to Los Angeles and his family stayed behind (divorce). It was 2 years before he returned. He called his dealer and asked her not to sell to him, then called her a month later; she didn't call him back. His early sobriety was in LA, where he went to a meeting at the Screen Actors Guild and saw his old bartender... who became his sponsor. His 9th step to his wife was too soon and without his sponsor's knowledge. The feeling of connection with his higher power before sobriety grew solid in sobriety. Scott got sober on 03UL2002 and his homegroup is Summit Men's Group in Greensboro, NC.

Jean started drinking at 15 and stopped at 45. She was home alone often and her body would scream for alcohol. She drank wine from a coffee mug. She was miserable when her husband was home because she had to be sober then. Her last drink wasn't her choice. She went to a 28-day program and then a long-term recovery center for 3 months. She went to a meeting daily for 2 years. Speaker meetings were important in her early recovery - "Identify, don't compare." Jean's sobriety date is 12MAY1983 and her home group is It's In The Book in Greensboro, NC.

John started with drugs at 13. In middle and high school, his friends could just do weekends but John couldn't stop. At 14, he went to his first meeting (NA), did 90 in 90, got 6 months and did some stepwork. He tried many other times to get sober, but it never stuck. At 16, he was in treatment for 6 months and got drunk and high within 2 weeks of leaving. He considered suicide for a year and gave AA one more try. His 4th Step was a particularly powerful experience. John's sobriety date is 22JUN2013 and his home group is Young People in Greensboro, NC.

What?! It's that time of year again?!??! Boiled Owl alumni, Alex and Miranda, join us again to talk about the holidays. Hold on, this one's a hoot!

Reality set in after Karen's husband left, furthering her drinking. Her first chip was a start-over chip. She didn't understand sponsorship at first and then got a sponsor at 6 months. Gratitude was a big part of her early recovery. For Karen, Step 5 was public and painful but allowed self-forgiveness. Karen's home group is Big Book No Smoke in Greensboro, NC, and her sobriety date is 04MAY1997.

Steve came to AA on crutches, having jumped out of a moving car in a blackout. His first sponsor was assigned to him. He started drinking and using drugs at 11. He yelled at God, cursing him and then got a call from an AA member needing jumper cables. He went all-in after his first meeting and started helping newcomers at 2 weeks. He has a beautiful 12th-Step story about taking the train from work. Steve's home group is Serendipity in High Point, NC. His sobriety date is 01APR1989.

Molly just completed another 4th Step and is meeting one of her sponsors to do a 5th Step right after recording this episode. A DUI in 2002 led her to getting sober 2 months later. Years before getting sober, she had a boyfriend in AA and, by living the AA program, he showed her what a sober life in AA can be like. A musician, Molly regained access to her talent at about 2 years sober and now is "performing behind enemy lines" frequently. Step 3 and the St. Francis prayer are very present in her life right now, particularly with the current political happenings. Molly's home groups are the weekly jail meeting and Women’s Experience, Strength & Hope in Greensboro, NC. Her sobriety date is 28OCT2002.

Buddy was in and out of AA for 6 years prior to getting sober. His alcoholic drinking started in his late 20s. Religion prevented earlier drinking. Drinking saved his life. A major health issue threatened his life and he quit drinking but with no program, he resumed. Ultimately, a DUI led to his coming to AA. He didn't know anyone who drank like him; in AA, he heard a guy who did. Making amends to his first wife was a big moment in his recovery. Buddy got sober on 10NOV2008 and his home group is Sunday Morning Sharing & Caring in Cartersville, GA. We know Buddy through www.dailyaaemails.com.

Viki started drinking at 14 and was a round-the-clock drinker the last year and a half of her drinking. Being unemployed gave her time to drink like that. Her daughter left during her drinking and didn't accept Viki's amends; 8 years later, she did. Viki grew up in church and taught Sunday school. Step 2 seemed to have nothing to offer - she thought she had a relationship with a higher power but didn't. Step 2 started her looking at her relationship with her higher power and helped her gain a spiritual awakening of the educational variety. Viki's sobriety date is 10MAR2005 and her home group is Serendipity in High Point, NC.

Hunter got sober in 1996 in NA but wasn't thorough on his 4th step. He started drinking again in 2003. In 2006, he came to AA and did things differently. In 2016, he backed off of his meetings, would arrive at the start of them and leave before the end. He had surgery and didn't take the pain meds as prescribed. He experienced depression, too. He drank for 2 months and came back in 2017. He says he's stubborn but will take suggestions. Hunter listens to 5th steps at a local treatment center. His home group is Summit Fellowship Men's group in Greensboro, NC. His sobriety date is 17JAN2017.

Candy tried going to a psychiatrist to help with her drinking. She was ready to end it all. She stopped for a while and then tried controlled drinking. She hid her drinking evidence from her husband. After going to a treatment center, she followed their suggestions when she left. Step 1 was very powerful for her. She stopped on her 4th Step and was ready to go out. Candy's sobriety date is 14JAN2012 and her home group is Step Lively in Greensboro, NC.