Sober Sunrise - AA Speaker Podcast I Bought a Horse to Stay Sober: AA Speaker - Erna G. - Sacramento, CA
Mar 3, 2026
01:02:56
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
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