Sober Sunrise - AA Speaker Podcast

Steven V. from Honolulu, HI speaking at the Hawaii State Convention in Honolulu, HI - November 6th 2010 Visit our website - Sober-Sunrise.com Steven talks on the theme of responsibility by reflecting on his 24 years of sobriety since getting sober at age 22 in Honolulu. He described his early struggle with alcoholism—drinking heavily through high school and into his early 20s—until professional help brought him into AA, where he immediately felt a weight lift. His long journey emphasized two key responsibilities: carrying AA’s message of hope and recovery, and pursuing a daily relationship with a Higher Power. Through sponsors, service, and spiritual practice, he learned to “err on the side of compassion,” smile through adversity, and integrate all parts of his life under faith. He spoke of overcoming compartmentalization, surviving personal losses, and moving from grudging service to genuine service from the heart. Ultimately, Stephen found that sobriety is about expression through action—choosing compassion, living the steps, and trusting a loving universe—so he can be useful, grateful, and truly free. Music: Deep by KaizanBlu

Tom I. from Southern Pines, NC speaking at the 22nd Annual Mens Fall Retreat in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada - September 17th-19th 2010 Visit our website - Sober-Sunrise.com Tom shares his story of redemption, walking into his first AA meeting in 1957 at just 24 years old. At first unable to identify, he slowly came alive through the steps, sponsorship, and service, transforming from a broken young man into one of dignity, integrity, and leadership. He went on to build a 39-year career in corrections—rising improbably from inmate to prison warden—while also helping countless alcoholics. Alongside his wife of 42 years, he raised two children who went on to professional success, and he emphasized that genuine recovery requires more than just not drinking—it’s about unity, service, and living fully in the spiritual dimension of life, where freedom and joy endure as long as we practice the principles. Music: Deep by KaizanBlu

Bob D. from Las Vegas, NV speaking the topic of "Ending Loneliness using the 12 Traditions" at the Unity and Service conference in Concord, CA - August 19th 2017 Visit our website - Sober-Sunrise.com Bob D. from Las Vegas shares with raw honesty how his journey from a broken man in 1978 to nearly four decades of sobriety was shaped by stubborn resistance, painful relapses, and eventually deep surrender to AA’s principles. He highlights the critical role of action—showing up for his home group, honoring his sponsor, embracing service, and learning to apply both the Steps and the Traditions not only in meetings but in his personal life and business. Through humility, amends, and prioritizing unity over ego, Bob explains how the 12 Traditions became a path out of loneliness and into real connection, reminding us that sobriety is sustained not by abstinence alone but by living in service, brotherhood, and surrender to a higher power. Music: Deep by KaizanBlu

Deandre M. from Lancaster, CA speaking in Simi Valley, CA - April 20th 2008 Visit our website - Sober-Sunrise.com Deandre shares his powerful recovery story, sober since May 29, 1991. Growing up in Watts, he found early escape in alcohol, which led to dishonesty, chaos, and self-destruction. Rehab introduced him to AA, where through painful resistance he began working the steps, especially the Fourth and Fifth, uncovering resentments, fears, and secrets that blocked him from connection. Guided by sponsors, he learned that amends meant change, not just apology, and that true sobriety requires ongoing commitment, not just looking good or “feeling better.” He warns that many relapse not at their lowest but when life improves, stressing the daily need for inventory, prayer, sponsorship, and service. Despite hardships, including family pain and personal struggles, he testifies that his life today is built on being properly armed with AA’s principles and carrying the message. His story highlights resilience, accountability, and the importance of staying grounded in the program to maintain long-term sobriety. Music: Deep by KaizanBlu

Mike S. from Riverside, CA speaking at the 25th San Diego Spring Roundup in San Diego, CA - March 30th 2002 Visit our website - Sober-Sunrise.com Mike shares his experience & journey from chaos to recovery. Marked by alcoholism, drug use, and repeated relapses until surrendering to AA in 1980. Growing up in a turbulent alcoholic household, his drinking quickly spiraled into blackouts, violence, and despair, leaving him broken despite outward successes. His turning point came through a series of “coincidences” he later recognized as divine intervention, leading him into treatment, AA sponsorship, and disciplined service that transformed his life. Through step work, commitments, and faith, Mike rebuilt his family relationships, pursued law school, and ultimately became a district attorney—proof that honesty, surrender, and action could bring serenity and purpose. His story is one of resilience, showing how embracing humility, spiritual reliance, and service allowed him to move from pitiful demoralization to a life filled with meaning, responsibility, and hope. Music: Deep by KaizanBlu

Dustin B. from Saint Paul, MN and Kelly B. from Saint Paul, MN doing a workshop on "Questions and Answers on Sponsorship" for Area 36, District 23 in St. Peter, MN - October 25th 2008 Visit our website - Sober-Sunrise.com Dustin and Kelly share a heartfelt story of recovery, rooted in gratitude, accountability, and the power of sponsorship. Dustin, after being dragged back by a state commitment, admits his early struggles with relapse, atheism, and anger, but found freedom by fully working the steps and learning through strong sponsorship that real change comes from action, honesty, and service. Kelly, sober since July 22, 2006, entered treatment homeless and broken, but discovered hope in the Big Book and later through powerful women sponsors who showed her love, discipline, and the full circle of AA’s three legacies. Together, they emphasize that sponsorship is not therapy or friendship alone, but one alcoholic showing another “the way out of the ditch” through lived example, accountability, and the 12 steps. Their lives today—with restored relationships, joy in service, and gratitude for God’s grace—stand as proof that what once was punishment has become privilege: they don’t have to do this work, they get to. Music: Deep by KaizanBlu

Kenny L. from Houston, TX speaking at the Outpost's quarterly speaker event in Ingram, TX - March 2nd 2011 Visit our website - Sober-Sunrise.com Kenny shares a powerful story of transformation, beginning with chaos, constant moves, and early drinking that quickly spiraled into addiction, fights, drugs, and a double life between college and outlaw motorcycle clubs. Despite achieving outward success—an accounting degree, a CPA license, a family, and material stability—he remained restless, chasing fulfillment on “the next hill” and ultimately losing everything to alcoholism. After years of failed attempts in AA, relapses, and self-reliance, he finally surrendered through a desperate prayer, experiencing a spiritual awakening that lifted the obsession to drink. Embracing the steps fully, he learned humility, service, and honesty, making amends and finding peace even when stripped of everything. Sobriety allowed him to rebuild a meaningful life, become a sponsor, find joy in service, and even retire early to open a halfway house in Houston. His journey testifies that true freedom and purpose come not from managing life, but from surrendering to a higher power and helping others. Music: Deep by KaizanBlu

Matt C. from Long Island, NY speaking at the Radiance group in Greensboro, NC - April 26th 2020 Visit our website - Sober-Sunrise.com Matt C. shares his journey from growing up in an Irish alcoholic family, experiencing childhood abuse, and starting drinking in high school, to finding lasting sobriety at age 19. Early on, he resisted being labeled an alcoholic, tried controlling his drinking, and faced legal trouble, but consequences never stopped him. Initially involved in AA without working the 12 steps, his recovery deepened after moving to North Carolina, where a sponsor guided him through the Big Book, steps, and service work. He describes building a life with a wife and two children, buying the same house he almost lost to drinking, and actively showing love to his kids—breaking the cycle from his own upbringing. Over the years, he’s had to re-work the steps to address “spiritual plaque,” faced depression after his daughter’s birth, and recommitted to AA after drifting away. Today, he sponsors others, practices daily spiritual disciplines, and lives in gratitude for the transformation from a hopeless alcoholic to a loving father and useful member of society. Music: Deep by KaizanBlu

Sigrún H. from Reykjavik, Iceland speaking at the Spirtual progress rather than spiritual perfection convention in Oslo, Norway - November 1st 2015 Visit our website - Sober-Sunrise.com Sigrún shares her journey from a wild, self-raised childhood in Iceland to a life rebuilt through AA, describing early alcohol and morphine abuse, years of untreated sobriety filled with rage and despair, and the breaking point that led her to seek sponsorship and fully work the 12 steps. She recounts confronting past trauma, making amends that risked her reputation, learning humility through daily practice, and transforming destructive impulses into service, humor, and connection. Through losses, parenting challenges, and life changes, she maintains a deep spiritual practice, attends multiple meetings weekly, sponsors actively, and lives in gratitude for a life that has expanded from a “field of destruction” to a “field of possibilities,” grounded in freedom, love, and helping others find recovery. Music: Deep by KaizanBlu

Arthur D. from Dallas, TX speaking at the Whiskey & Milk group in Dallas, TX - September 28th 2018 Visit our website - Sober-Sunrise.com Arthur D. shares a powerful journey from a chaotic, addictive life—marked by abandonment, crime,  and repeated failed attempts at sobriety—to a deep spiritual awakening grounded in trust and reliance on a Higher Power. Despite 11 years in AA without true freedom, his turning point came in a moment of utter defeat when he admitted he had no connection to God, began working with a sponsor, and later surrendered again—this time letting go of even the recovery process as his “power source” to seek a direct connection with that Power. Through intense self-examination, meditation, and removing inner blockages, he transformed from self-centered fear into someone guided by intuition and service. Today, retired and living in a place of spiritual dependence rather than self-will, Arthur’s purpose is to fully give away what he’s been given, offering hope that deep freedom is possible for anyone willing to let go and trust. Music: Deep by KaizanBlu