The Boiled Owl

Our "Stump The Thumpers" quiz show special 100% puts Don in his favorite place, Big Book trivia - especially the obscure bits. Subject to Don's madness are returning guests, Miranda, Brad, and Angela. Furthering the madness is our incredibly accurate score tabulator and former guest, Tommie. Sam just laughs a lot and practices his gameshow announcer voice. We hope you enjoy the show! (and get stum...

Susan had stopped trying to control her drinking and just gave into it. She drove to a hair appointment, still drunk from the night before. As she sat in the chair, she had to look at herself - her skin color, dead eyes... She heard in her head, "Susan, go to AA.) She got sober in Kansas City, MO. Susan's sobriety date is 21JUN1997 and her home group is Keeping It Green in Greensboro, NC. Original...

Angela was 37 when she got sober. Well-accomplished, she figured she could stop drinking on her own, too. She lost so much, including custody of her daughter. She had lots of restarts until she did what was recommended to her. Angela's sobriety date is 21APR2009 and her home groups are Early Bird and Big Book No Smoke in Greensboro, NC. Originally aired Sep 1, 2020

Jim was in AA for a long time and then moved to NA. His first meeting was in Philadelphia, where he went to NA and AA for 5 years. He moved to NC and NA there didn't fit him, so he went to AA for 31 years. 6 years ago he went back to NA. He has a video in his head of his last moments of using, where he decided it was not for him and he needed to quit. Jim's NA home group is Searching & Fearles...

Melanie started recovery in 1999 at 22 years old. After 10 years, she checked out drinking again because she was older. She wound up being kicked out of bars. Going back to the same treatment center after 20 years helped because people who were there back then were still there and knew her. Melanie's sobriety date is 25SEP2017 and her home group is The Way Out in Greensboro, NC. Originally aired A...

Brad moved to LA, where alcohol, coke, and meth led to isolation and loneliness. "Do I want to live or die?" The drugs hit fast-forward on his life's unmanageability. "The Golden Girls" was critical to his recovery. Brad's sobriety date is 01AUG2005 and his home group is the Southwest Michigan Young People's Group in Stevensville, MI. Originally aired Jul 15, 2020

There was a scheduling situation with a guest, so we caught up with each other and chewed the fat just like we used to do at the coffee shop after the Saturday morning men's meeting. Originally aired Jul 1, 2020

Mat got sober at 19 in High Point, NC. Having OD'ed in 1986, a therapist sent him to AA. He still recalls how welcoming they were. He joined a Young People group where he got his first sponsor. Years later, he found a men's meeting to be intimidating. He joined it as his home group, connecting with a smaller meeting of the group. Mat's sobriety date is 20MAY1987 and his home group is Summit Men's...

Richard hadn't heard of AA until a court "class" suggested he look it up. His first experience of AA was in 1982 in treatment but he went back to drinking. Back in treatment in 1986 and still drank again. He did a lot of the suggested things except enlarging his spiritual life. Four years later, he came back to AA. Richard's sobriety date is 29AUG1992 and his home group is Easy Does It in Greensbo...

Madeline grew up with both parents in recovery. Her last drunk was hilarious. She got sober at 20 and the 3rd Step is big for her right now. Madeline's sobriety date is 17NOV2017 and her home group is Piedmont in Greensboro, NC. Originally aired May 15, 2020

In this special episode on loss, we're joined again by Chris (Owl 011) and Alex (Owl 015 & OMG It's Here Again Holiday Special). Originally planned to be about losing loved ones, the COVID-19 crisis added further depth and weight to this conversation. Though a serious and even painful topic, we talk of our sobriety throughout rough times and, of course, we still find ways to laugh. Originally...

Our own resident, well-behaved, and even housebroken Boiled Owl, Don, was one of the guests on the latest episodes of That Sober Guy Podcast. He was invited by Buddy C., a past guest on The Owl (Owl 038 Buddy). The topic is CORONAVIRUS GROUP DISCUSSION: Dealing with Anger, Fear, Change, and Trying to Surrender To It. We dropped it into our feed also as an extra between our regularly scheduled epis...

Josh (Jazzy) got sober 3 days before he turned 19. He now works in recovery. “Service work keeps me sober.” Jazzy's sobriety date is 31DEC2007 and his home group is Midday Reprieve in Greensboro, NC. Originally aired Apr 15, 2020

Andrea got sober Feb 12, 2016 in Greensboro, NC at a local treatment center. She discovered she wasn’t really asking for help in AA when she came back from court with a harsh sentence. The judge had decided to make an example of her. And she had told no one in AA she was even going to court. Her home group is Piedmont in Greensboro, NC. Originally aired Apr 1, 2020

In this special episode, Don is self-quarantined in his home and Sam is holed up in his home. We decided to test out our new remote recording setup while checking in on each other about our experiences in these strange days. We talk about COVID-19 precautions leading to online recovery meetings, our experiences with them and, well... we laugh. A lot. It's all about moments, folks. Hoping the best...

Dave was in treatment at 15, in & out of AA for 3 years. Drugs were a problem, but alcohol? At 15-20 years old, he was the youngest person in AA in his area. On a road trip to DC with a friend, he got obliterated. "Gratitude first" about 15 years ago changed how he looks at life. Terrific tale of a motorcycle accident in sobriety. Dave's home group is Young People in Greensboro, NC, and his so...

Sharon relives, rethinks, and refeels at her birthday each year. She tried many other ways before AA. Working in the restaurant business back then, she would book people in a blackout. Sharon drums for meditation. At a red light, she chose AA over wine. Sharon's sobriety date is 05DEC1981 and her home group is Big Book, No Smoke in Greensboro, NC. Originally aired Mar 1, 2020

Scott got sober at 24 in Houston, TX. His cocaine use led to his alcoholism. In his last year of college, he dropped all but one course and was failing that. He had a close call with death twice; the second is when he reached out for help. Wonderful discussions of Hot 'n Dry roundup, Crystal Meth Anonymous service, and racial and gender equity in recovery fellowships. Scott's sobriety date is 01AP...

Michelle got a DUI. 6 Months later, her drinking was worse. IOP led to AA. Fun story about a goat dealer! She is agnostic on her best days and atheist on her worst. We chat about mental healthcare and AA. Michelle's sobriety date is 18JUN2018 and her home group is Keeping It Green in Greensboro, NC. Originally aired Feb 1, 2020

Seth started drinking in the 3rd or 4th grade. He was forced into treatment at 16. "Fight Club" was his only understanding of AA at the time. ("The first rule of Fight Club is: You do not talk about Fight Club.") One month before getting sober, he couldn't not drink. He was on a boat for three months... with his 4th Step. Seth is in between home groups and his sobriety date is 08AUG2008. Originall...

Patrick didn't think he was an alcoholic; he just didn't know how to drink. A marriage counselor suggested not drinking and that led to his first 90 days sober. His first AA meeting was in a city an hour away so no one who knew him would see him. At 18 months sober, he divorced and his sponsor had died, leading to anger and anxiety. Patrick got sober on 28SEP1990 and his home group is Midtown in W...

Gabi spent one and a half years picking up white chips. That kept her close to the program for when she was ready. She was in MacArthur Park in LA to buy drugs when her car was impounded. She was homeless and panhandling to get her car back. She stalked her second sponsor. She talks a lot about unmanageability. Here's her spiritual music playlist of unusual songs: 1. Fire and Rain: James Taylor 2....

"My Name is Ebenezer S." is a ghostly 12th-Step call play that's been presented by members of AA in Greensboro, NC, for many years. We've pulled together a cast for this audio version to share with folks who can't join us in person. The script for "My Name is Ebenezer S." is available for free by request at giveahoot@boiledowlaa.org . We encourage you to put together your own production of this fu...

A lot of people wanted Emily to stop drinking. She lost 3 jobs in 1 year. She said, "I need major help" and then thought "Oh God, why did I say that?" She was confident there was a problem and not confident there was a solution. Early on, Emily drank while reading her Big Book. The 10th Step Promises touched her soul. Emily got sober on 28FEB2016 and her home group is The Way Out in Greensboro, NC...

For 2 years, Ric was not convinced he was an alcoholic. He was a pro at being apart from. Tacos tricked him into going to his first 3 meetings! There's the rat poison incident. At 2 years, the obsession to drink returned at a meeting. He then worked the steps quickly. Ric's home group is Young People in Greensboro NC. His sobriety date is 23DEC1995. Originally aired Nov 1, 2019