Sober Sunrise - AA Speaker Podcast

Chris S. from Pottersville, NJ speaking on step 1 at the Fellowship of the Spirit in Toronto, Ontario, Canada - June 23rd 2023 Visit our website - Sober-Sunrise.com Chris shares a gripping, deeply human story of addiction, surrender, and redemption centered around the First Step of Alcoholics Anonymous. His journey began with anxiety and unease even before his first drink at age 13, followed by a fast descent into blackout drinking, wrecked cars, violent outbursts, and a progressively unmanageable life. He powerfully explains the concepts of physical allergy and mental obsession, showing how his mind always justified the next drink, even when his body and soul were crumbling. After numerous failed attempts to control or quit drinking, a moment of clarity in 1989 led him to rehab and ultimately to AA, where he began to understand the spiritual nature of the disease and his powerlessness over alcohol. Today, Chris embraces service, connection, and a Higher Power, finding purpose in his work at a hospice and sharing the message of hope. His story is a testament to how broken spirits can be restored through honesty, humility, and spiritual awakening. Music: Deep by KaizanBlu

Rósa Á. from Tønsberg, Norway speaking at the Primary Purpose convention in Oslo, Norway - November 6th 2022 Visit our website - Sober-Sunrise.com Growing up largely unsupervised in a small Icelandic fishing village, Rosa endured trauma, early addiction, and mental health challenges that led to repeated institutionalization and a diagnosis of paranoid schizophrenia. Despite 13 rehabs, relapses, and a chaotic path, her surrender to a higher power on September 16, 2001, marked a turning point. Rosa’s life transformed through the 12-step program—becoming a devoted mother, sponsor, and even a police officer—while remaining deeply grounded in spiritual service. Music: Deep by KaizanBlu

Searcy W. from Dallas, TX speaking at the Houston Roundup in Houston, TX - November 11th 2002 Visit our website - Sober-Sunrise.com With warmth, wit, and deep reverence for AA’s legacy, Searcy shares a remarkable 54-year journey of sobriety rooted in humility, service, and faith. Raised in rural West Texas and shaped by a Baptist upbringing, his drinking began in semi-pro baseball and escalated through corporate life until it became a compulsion. After finding AA in 1946, he played a foundational role in spreading the program across Texas and forming lasting ties with AA co-founders, including being personally sponsored by Bill Wilson. Through humor and history, he underscores the spiritual heart of AA—“trust God, clean house, and help others”—and passionately urges both old-timers and newcomers to preserve the fellowship's traditions. Searcy's life is a testament to the power of surrender, laughter, and unwavering dedication to carrying the message forward. Music: Deep by KaizanBlu

Karl M. from speaking at the Brentwood Beginners Workshop in Los Angeles, CA - August 6th 2015 Visit our website - Sober-Sunrise.com Carl shares a powerful, heartfelt, and often hilarious account of over three decades of sobriety, reflecting on a life transformed by the program of Alcoholics Anonymous. Sober since January 21, 1987, Carl emphasizes that his alcoholism is the defining force that shaped every major turn in his life—before and after recovery. He vividly explains the physical craving and mental obsession that make up his illness, and how those two forces kept him trapped until the fellowship and spiritual path of AA offered freedom. From drinking on Antabuse in desperation to being lovingly sponsored and guided by pillars of AA, Carl’s life evolved from chaos and near ruin to one rooted in service, fatherhood, and deep gratitude. Today, he runs recovery houses, stays grounded by working with newcomers, and continues to learn from his character defects. Through it all, he remains clear: the solution lies in connection, humility, and staying in the center of Alcoholics Anonymous—where he has found meaning, love, and the true “music of life.” Music: Deep by KaizanBlu

Happy 4th of July Weekend from your friends at Sober Sunrise! Scott R. from Van Nuys, CA speaking at the South Bay Roundup in Torrance, CA - July 3rd 2004 Visit our website - Sober-Sunrise.com Scott recounts growing up in a chaotic Bronx household and later spiraling into heroin use, he details the ways alcoholism silently hollowed him out, despite 18 years of psychotherapy and various attempts to outrun the disease. With remarkable honesty, he shares how he and his wife Nancy—both shattered by addiction—found new life through the 12 steps, fellowship, and spiritual awakening in Alcoholics Anonymous and Al-Anon. Scott’s story is rich with wit, pain, humility, and redemption, showing how he rebuilt broken family ties, embraced sponsorship, found new ways to serve others (even when flipping burgers for those who once hired him), and grew to cherish a God of mystery—not miracles. Through his vulnerability, humor, and fierce dedication, Scott embodies the life-saving power of surrender, service, and the shared journey of recovery. Music: Deep by KaizanBlu

Matt K. from Hartford, CT speaking at the Brentwood Beginners Workshop in Los Angeles, CA - June 1st 2017 Visit our website - Sober-Sunrise.com From a troubled youth marked by arrests, addiction, and suicidal despair, Matt found hope and healing in Alcoholics Anonymous. With guidance from sponsors like Clancy, Bob H., and Howard P., he embraced the 12 steps, repaired broken relationships—including profound amends to his mother and old friends—and learned to live with purpose, humility, and deep spiritual connection. Now a house painter and devoted father, Matt spoke of the gift of forgiveness, the power of service, and how staying close to his higher power continues to bring him peace, clarity, and a quiet mind. His story is a moving testament to resilience, redemption, and the miracle of long-term sobriety. Music: Deep by KaizanBlu

Bill C. from Torrance, CA speaking at the Heart of the Ozarks convention in Springfield, MO - November 11th 2009 Visit our website - Sober-Sunrise.com Bill C. shares on his decades of experience in Alcoholics Anonymous, reflecting on the foundational role of sponsorship and the transformative power of service to others. Framed by emotional stories of caregiving and loss, he underscores that true sobriety and growth come not from passive meeting attendance but from action, vulnerability, and genuine connection—especially through sponsoring and being sponsored. Drawing on AA history, including the Akron Manual and Gresham’s Law, he challenges complacency in the fellowship and calls for authentic commitment. Bill’s journey—from a self-seeking newcomer to a compassionate leader—reminds us that healing comes not through isolation but through courageous service and showing up when it matters most. Music: Deep by KaizanBlu

Happy Monday! Hope you all have a great, rewarding week!  Chris S. from Pottersville, NJ speaking as the Friday night speaker at the CPH12 v9 convention in Copenhagen, Denmark - October 13th 2007 Visit our website - sober-sunrise.com Chris shares a powerful and deeply personal journey of recovery, marked by chaos, desperation, and ultimately profound transformation. From his first blackout at age 13 to violent car wrecks, lost relationships, and near-death experiences, his story reflects the devastating grip of alcoholism. Yet through surrender, the guidance of Joe and Charlie’s tapes, and a commitment to the 12 steps—not just attending meetings—he found real recovery. Today, Chris is a trusted AA sponsor, respected maintenance director overseeing 100 NYC schools, and even hosts a national recovery-focused radio show. His life, once unmanageable and filled with self-loathing, is now purposeful, spiritual, and deeply connected to helping others heal.

Bob B. from St. Paul, MN speaking about steps 10 and 11 at the Stateline Retreat in Primm, NV - December 9th - 12th 2010 Visit our website - sober-sunrise.com Bob, sober since December 10, 1967, speaks with the kind of warmth, humor, and deep honesty that only comes from walking the long road of recovery. He shares openly about his journey—from early privilege and ego-driven success, to painful collapse, and the grace-filled rebuilding that followed. He reminds us that real growth in sobriety doesn’t stop at a certain year count, and that Steps 10 and 11 aren’t just tasks—we grow into them until they become part of who we are. Bob speaks to the walls we rebuild, the resistance we carry, and the stubborn parts of us that cling to the illusion of control. With humility and love, he encourages us to keep removing the junk that blocks us from God and from our true selves. He reminds us that the journey is one of spiritual removal, not addition, and that through pain, practice, and God’s grace, we don’t just get better—we find out who we really are.

Happy Friday! We hope you have had a great week and weekend ahead.  Cliff R. from Oceanside, CA speaking at the 5th Yosemite Summit Conference in Yosemite, CA - November 12th 2006 Visit our website - sober-sunrise.com Cliff R. delivers a moving, humorous, and deeply vulnerable account of his alcoholic descent and the redemption he found through Alcoholics Anonymous. Once a high-achieving, fiery, and combative high school teacher and debate coach, Cliff recounts how alcoholism devastated his family, fueled his rage, and masked a deep sense of inadequacy that only AA’s spiritual principles could heal. With wit and raw honesty, he shares his moment of clarity—a sunset-tinged spiritual awakening—leading to his first sincere reading of the Third Step Prayer and his lifelong commitment to recovery. Now sober nearly 37 years, Cliff exemplifies how service, laughter, and the 12 Steps can transform even the most stubborn, self-destructive lives into ones of purpose, love, and peace.