Sober Sunrise - AA Speaker Podcast

"Blind" Dave A. from Austin, TX speaking at the Frisco Group in Frisco, TX - December 8th 2008 Check out our merch and help support the channel🧡 Sober Sunrise Merch Visit our website - Sober-Sunrise.com In this powerful talk, Dave shares how true recovery in Alcoholics Anonymous is not found behind a podium but in living the Steps daily—especially Step Three—by turning one’s entire life over to God through service to others, illustrating through deeply personal stories how fear, financial insecurity, and life’s “dismal afternoons” were repeatedly relieved when he resolutely helped another alcoholic, kept close to his Higher Power, and cleaned up the past, leading to sobriety, spiritual growth, restored serenity, strengthened marriage with Norma, and a lived experience of the Big Book promise that when we prioritize our primary purpose, we are “in tow” and our lives are managed in remarkable ways beyond our own planning Music: Deep by KaizanBlu

Kevin H. from New York, NY speaking at the CPH 12 conference in Copenhagen, Denmark - May 20th 2006 Visit our merch and help support the channel🧡 Sober Sunrise Merch Visit our website - Sober-Sunrise.com Kevin delivers a raw, funny, and deeply honest AA talk about being a “doomed and hopeless” alcoholic whose life was ruled by fear, shame, and drinking against his own will, and how true surrender, honesty, sponsorship, and working the program—not image, intellect, or willpower—finally brought him peace; his story powerfully shows that Alcoholics Anonymous doesn’t just help us stop drinking, it teaches us how to live, feel, and be present in life one day at a time. Music: Deep by KaizanBlu

Nancy M. from Minneapolis, MN speaking at the Northern Plains Group Second Anniversary Celebration in Fargo, ND - May 5th 2001 Visit our merch and help support the channel🧡 Sober Sunrise Merch Visit our website - Sober-Sunrise.com Nancy shares a powerful, deeply honest recovery story that spans decades, reminding us that lasting sobriety is built on humility, service, and unwavering commitment to the basics of Alcoholics Anonymous; sober since May 23, 1971, she recounts a life once ruled by alcoholism, fear, self-pity, and shame—marked by neglect, broken relationships, and emotional despair—and contrasts it with the extraordinary life AA gave her: raising three sons, sustaining long-term sponsorship, walking through fears she never thought possible, building lifelong friendships across the world, starting meetings, sponsoring countless women, rebuilding self-worth, and finding a career that allowed freedom and balance, all while learning to trust God one day at a time; her story underscores that recovery isn’t about perfection or avoiding pain, but about showing up, staying accountable, serving others, and doing the simple work repeatedly—proof that even the most broken beginnings can grow into a full, meaningful, and grace-filled life. Music: Deep by KaizanBlu

Mack B. from West Covina, CA speaking at the 14th annual Crested Butte Mountain Conference in Mt. Crested Butte, CA - July 13th-18th 1997 Visit our merch and help support the channel🧡 Sober Sunrise Merch Visit our website - Sober-Sunrise.com 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

Kerry C. from Harrison, NJ speaking at the Into Action Big Book Group's 10th anniversary in Berkeley Heights, NJ - August 31st 2004 Visit our merch and help support the channel🧡 Sober Sunrise Merch Visit our website - Sober-Sunrise.com 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

Noel S. from Brookline, NH speaking at the sixth New Hampshire State Conference of Young People in AA in Nashua, NH - March 6th 2005 Visit our merch and help support the channel🧡 Sober Sunrise Merch Visit our website - Sober-Sunrise.com 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

Leroy Y. from Van Nuys, CA speaking at Toluca Lake, CA - February 11th 2007 Visit our merch and help support the channel🧡 Sober Sunrise Merch Visit our website - Sober-Sunrise.com 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

Hollis D. from Staunton, VA speaking at The Summerfest 1999 in Eugene, OR - July 7th-10th 1999 Check out our new sober/AA inspired merch & support the channel 🧡 Sober Sunrise Merch Visit our website - Sober-Sunrise.com 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

Kenny L. from Houston, TX speaking at the Hong Kong International Convention in Hong Kong - November 4th 2012 Check out our new sober/AA inspired merch & support the channel 🧡 Sober Sunrise Merch Visit our website - Sober-Sunrise.com 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

Robbie W. from Vineland, NJ speaking at the Aberdeen Wednesday Night Group's Quarterly Meeting in Aberdeen, SD - 2007 Check out our new sober/AA inspired merch & support the channel 🧡 Sober Sunrise Merch Visit our website - Sober-Sunrise.com 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