Keep Coming Back Podcast

Approaching her 20th anniversary of sobriety, Jan gets real as she walks us through her journey to the rooms of Alcoholics Anonymous—where she is happy, joyous and free. Quotes “The only place I was finding recovery was in the rooms of AA.” “I have reached a level of contentment I never thought was possible.” Instagram Facebook

26 yrs. old, gay, homeless and new to sobriety, during the AIDS epidemic, Paul found his way into Alcoholics Anonymous and a life of sobriety and joy. Quotes “I was struck sober, I didn’t want to get sober, I didn’t plan to get sober . . . I didn’t believe I belonged here . . . the message of Alcoholics Anonymous hit me and it stuck.” “I got a life that was so much better than I could have envisio...

The progression of her disease went from food to cutting to alcohol to drugs to really serious drugs. Not everyone will relate to Sarah’s past, but absolutely every person in recovery needs the wisdom and insight she beautifully presents. Quotes “My thoughts no longer dictate my actions, my actions in fact, dictate my thoughts.” “I had the incentive to do the things I didn’t want to do because I k...

The program of Alcoholics Anonymous brought out the genuine Adrienne; when you listen to her whole story, you get to hear Adrienne transform into a beautiful butterfly of sobriety and motherhood. Quotes “It’s a we program, not an  I program, you’re gonna need that extra person to give you a boost.” “I just kept coming back regardless; I didn’t have a drink no matter what, because it wasn’t worth i...

Bipolar, depression and alcoholism, Stephan shares his honest story from pain and a 6 yrs. relapse with 4 brain surgeries—to a life of joy, love and a growing family. Quotes “I have had a spiritual awakening as a result of these steps in AA, and I am no longer the person that I was before.”  “This is a very experiential program . . . once you experience something, you have Sober Reference .”  Inst...

Henry shares a calm and gentle story of recovery. A medical doctor with 3 years of sobriety, he’s not completely ready to forgive or love himself, but the Principles and the people of this Program are showing Henry the way there. Quotes “I have a certain kind of peace, a certain kind of acceptance, a certain kind of serenity.”  “I know that I want to believe . . . and I want to live my life in a w...

At only 21 yrs. of age, Jamie was arrested for murder; that was 20 yrs. ago, and she has been sober since. Despite alcoholism, addiction and a painful past, Jamie embraced the program of Alcoholics Anonymous and completely turned her life around. Quotes “I got on my knees one night . . . God, I can’t stop, help me want to stop, please help me want to stop drinking, because I don’t want to stop, bu...

Eddie has spent most of his life sober, though he drifted from the rooms more than once, about 20 yrs ago he found his way back and has since gotten into the middle of the fellowship. The joy Eddie has today is palpable—for this old timer, the promises have and continue, to come true. Quotes “Life is really, really good for me . . . things are good, and they’re only good because those kids back in...

W.B. takes a look at her life from growing up feeling alone, through to today, having just celebrated 18 yrs. of sobriety, surrounded by love and fellowship. W.B. is a life-long learner that brings a sense of calm with her wisdom.  Quotes “Everything good in my life comes from my being in this program; my ability to keep good things in my life comes from my being in this program.” “The gifts I’ve...

Unemployed and unemployable, with felony charges hanging over Brian’s head, he dove into the program—and from his first day in jail through to today, Brian has accepted help, developed a life of recovery and has found happy, joyous and free in sobriety. Quotes “A brand-new way of life was opened up for me, where I didn’t have to do it on my own, where I didn’t have to be all by myself.” “The furth...

Lilly just celebrated 3 years of sobriety, at only 26 years old she has her entire sober life in front of her with all the miracles this program has to offer. No longer afraid, nor seeking a fake happiness, Lilly is comfortable and happy in her own skin and has true serenity, peace and joy. Quotes “Don’t let the life AA gave you take away your AA life.” “I love myself today, and that’s the biggest...

Seth shares his relentless pursuit to fit in and connect with others as he walks us through a beautiful journey from lonely brokenness to a life of healing, love and joy. Quotes “The person who makes a decision to take the first drink doesn’t exist once I take that first drink.”   "Meetings saved my life, but they didn't transform me . . . the steps break the spell of my own mind."...

Jeanna shares her story of recovery; from drugs, alcohol, bulimia and drama, to a beautiful life of peace, serenity, and a son in sobriety.  Quotes “I felt like a lost soul.” “I was always trying to get away with something.” “The life I have today is unbelievable, I feel blessed and lucky and normal.” Instagram Facebook

Ahmad shares the crazy times he enjoyed drinking through to the day he planned his death and said goodbye to his son.   Being a dry drunk is both dangerous and lonely. Being a part of Alcoholics Anonymous is both a right and a privilege—to anyone that wants to quit drinking.  Ahmad’s Experience, Strength and Hope will touch the newcomer and the old-timer with just the same amounts of wisdom. Quote...

Judy shares her Experience, Strength and Hope on her 32nd sobriety birthday. Sober at 33 yrs. old, Judy shares what it was like adulting while using and drinking and then she walks us through adulting while sober in Alcoholics Anonymous. Judy accidently found her way into the rooms and surprised herself when she raised her hand to introduced herself as an alcoholic. Today, Judy is an active member...

Anna shares her Experience, Strength and Hope from a strong place in her program. Anna is a great storyteller with lots of cringeworthy moments that describe the craziness of addiction and alcoholism—and the beauty of recovery and sobriety. Anna was born in the Philippines and moved to San Fran in the late 80’s. She grew up with a chaotic childhood, which included rage, alcohol and inconsistency....

Ben shares his Experience, Strength and Hope with humility, more than 3 decades into sobriety. Ben has lived an exciting life which included top secret Navy clearance, gambling addiction, spy ships, black-market smuggling, Hollywood, drugs and alcoholism—not in that order. At the height of his career success, Ben was in the top 1% of his field working at Universal Studios . . . and two years later...

Titus shares his Experience, Strength and Hope as a young member of AA; before he could legally drink, he found sobriety. Now with 26 years, he shares the truth of being sober in and out of the rooms of Alcoholics Anonymous. Titus describes himself as extremely sensitive to life, feeling emotions more intensely than most. So, when he lost his mother at 16 yrs. old, escape was almost necessary. Lik...

Mike shares his Experience, Strength and Hope, bravely setting aside his speech impediment in order to share with the newcomer what a decade in sobriety looks like. Born and raised in Boston, in a family of 10 children, Mike had a lot of freedom to roam and party. At 18 he joined the military where he really learned about life, hard work and having a good time. Fast forward and you'll see Mik...

John shares his Experience, Strength and Hope in this funny and honest share of his journey to sobriety and happiness.  John was a classic latchkey kid, growing up in Kansas. He began drinking at 13 yrs. old and had that magical response to alcohol that many of us have had – he finally found his place in the world. Alcohol gave him confidence and made him whole, until it tore him apart. John had a...

Sydney shares her Experience, Strength and Hope 3 years into her life of sobriety. Sydney grew up with a Martha Stewart mom, was a good student, even a teacher’s pet. But she felt a bit different and had relentless voices in her head that were loud and constantly arguing; by the time she came to her first drink she was exhausted.  As Sydney’s stable life began to unravel so did her emotions. She b...

Marilyn shares her Experience, Strength and Hope as both a humble and confident member of AA. Marilyn always felt like something wasn’t quite right; one of her earliest memories is a feeling of shame at only 2 yrs old. She grew up in New York within a family of dysfunction—mom of 17 and dad 32 yrs old. Marilyn had a lot of pressure from her mother to make everything look good on the outside with l...

Shirley shares her Experience, Strength and Hope as she approaches 8 yrs. of sobriety. Shirley was born in London to a dysfunctional family, with an alcoholic mother and workaholic father. There were lots of rules and expectations, which involved abuse and emotional neglect. The pain of childhood seeped into her teenage years which were extremely difficult for Shirley, specifically due to her dang...

Ais shares her Experience, Strength and Hope as a young member of AA, not sure what part of her growth is recovery and which part is simply growing up. Ais is from a small town in Ireland, where she loved escaping in books and relating more to adults than children. She was an obsessive, neurotic and opinionated kid, but not one her parents had to worry about. Until Ais found alcohol at 14 yrs old,...

Raelynn shares her Experience, Strength and Hope as she approaches 10 months of sobriety . . . after a couple relapses she’s able to see now that this is “a way better life.” Raelynn grew up as a very involved student, with strong grades, lots of extracurricular activities, and supportive parents. After quitting softball 2 years into college Raelynn lost herself and slowly began her drinking caree...