Sober Sunrise - AA Speaker Podcast

Sober Sunrise
  • 4.6 (67)
  • Mental Health
  • Updated Daily

Sober Sunrise brings you AA Speaker Tapes from around the world. Rather than an AA discussion podcast, Sober Sunrise brings you speakers who share step-work, workshops, and general fellowship discussion points. We are not affiliated with AA in anyway.

SHOW SPONSOR

Help "Keep The Lights On" And become a Sponsor

$3.99/month

  1. 7h ago

    From Dirty Snow to Happy Destiny - AA Speaker - Ernie R.

    A veteran AA speaker shares how one desperate morning beneath the U.S. Capitol led him from broken promises and financial chaos into sponsorship, the Steps, service, and a life he genuinely wanted sober. ☀️ Sober Sunrise App Listen to Sober Sunrise AA speaker talks anytime, track your sober time, take a daily pledge, and keep recovery support close throughout the day. 📱 https://sober-sunrise.com/app If you enjoy the app or find it useful in your recovery, a quick rating or review on the App Store would mean a lot and helps more people find Sober Sunrise. ☀️ Sober Sunrise Episode Archive Hundreds of AA speaker tapes and recovery stories: https://sober-sunrise.com/episodes 🧡 Sober Sunrise Merch https://sober-sunrise.com/merch 🌴 Sober Sunrise Newsletter https://sober-sunrise.com/newsletter Ernie delivers a warm and hilarious AA speaker talk about the respectable professional life he used to prove that he could not possibly be an alcoholic. Behind that appearance were repeated arrests, all-night drinking, punishing hangovers, broken promises, overwhelming debt, and a family preparing to leave. After a bleak morning beneath the U.S. Capitol, a chance conversation with another alcoholic brings Ernie to an AA luncheon, his first meeting, and a demanding sponsor who teaches him to follow directions. Ernie also explains how rapid material success allowed him to run past the Steps—and why pain eventually brought him back to the daily spiritual work of the program. His message is filled with Big Book wisdom, AA history, sponsorship, humor, service, and gratitude for the fellowship that taught him he was worth getting sober. Ernie R. from Potomac, MD speaking at the Sandlapper Roundup VII in Myrtle Beach, SC - December 1998 Music: Deep by KaizanBlu

  2. 2d ago

    Stop Trying to Be So Cool - AA Speakers - Lindsey & Nate F.

    Lindsey and Nate each came into AA trying to look cool and remain in control; recovery began when they became vulnerable enough to admit they were falling apart and ask another alcoholic for help. ☀️ Sober Sunrise App Listen to Sober Sunrise AA speaker talks anytime, track your sober time, take a daily pledge, and keep recovery support close throughout the day. 📱 https://sober-sunrise.com/app If you enjoy the app or find it useful in your recovery, a quick rating or review on the App Store would mean a lot and helps more people find Sober Sunrise. ☀️ Sober Sunrise Episode Archive Hundreds of AA speaker tapes and recovery stories: https://sober-sunrise.com/episodes 🧡 Sober Sunrise Merch https://sober-sunrise.com/merch 🌴 Sober Sunrise Newsletter https://sober-sunrise.com/newsletter Lindsey and Nate share two candid Alcoholics Anonymous stories about pride, powerlessness, vulnerability, and the spiritual solution they found through the Twelve Steps. Lindsey was introduced to AA at 16 but remained convinced that she was different, eventually reaching an emotional bottom after blackouts, destructive behavior, broken relationships, and repeated attempts to control her drinking. A call to the woman she least wanted to contact opened the first small door to hope, and a sponsor helped her examine the fear, selfishness, secrets, and need for control beneath her alcoholism. Nate describes using alcohol, drugs, relationships, and excitement to escape the discomfort of being human until withdrawal, homelessness, detox, and isolation left him unable to continue. Even after entering AA, he tried meetings without honestly working the program and blamed the fellowship when his life failed to improve. Both found relief when they stopped pretending to have everything together, accepted guidance, worked through the Big Book, and became accountable for the harm they caused. Together, their stories show how honesty replaces delusion, vulnerability breaks through pride, and God becomes real through love, repaired relationships, sponsorship, and helping another person. Lindsey F. from Portland, ME and Nate F. from Portland, ME speaking at the Portland Harbor Group in Portland, ME - November 28th 2012 Music: Deep by KaizanBlu

  3. 3d ago

    They Said Don’t Come Back. You Said Keep Coming Back - AA Speaker - Don C.

    Don’s family once took him to the edge of the reservation and told him never to return; years later, Alcoholics Anonymous said “keep coming back,” and he knew he had found his tribe. ☀️ Sober Sunrise App Listen to Sober Sunrise AA speaker talks anytime, track your sober time, take a daily pledge, and keep recovery support close throughout the day. 📱 https://sober-sunrise.com/app If you enjoy the app or find it useful in your recovery, a quick rating or review on the App Store would mean a lot and helps more people find Sober Sunrise. ☀️ Sober Sunrise Episode Archive Hundreds of AA speaker tapes and recovery stories: https://sober-sunrise.com/episodes 🧡 Sober Sunrise Merch https://sober-sunrise.com/merch 🌴 Sober Sunrise Newsletter https://sober-sunrise.com/newsletter Don, a member of the Mohican Nation and sober since August 10, 1978, uses the story of a boxing match to describe his long contest with alcohol. Every round brought more pain, his family eventually left the arena, and each attempt to return with a new strategy ended with alcohol putting him back on his knees. At his first AA meeting, Don found himself surrounded by white people who openly admitted their weaknesses and laughed about their lives, two things he could not understand. Still, he felt a connection that made him return. A demanding sponsor used Don’s anger to break through his resistance, introduced him to the first 164 pages of the Big Book, and offered to remain his friend whether Don liked him or not. Through the Twelve Steps, Don confronted childhood trauma, disclosed the secrets that had controlled his relationships, learned the difference between apology and forgiveness, and began repairing the harm he caused. A later sponsor helped him place the Steps within the four directions, reconnecting Alcoholics Anonymous with the Native spirituality and culture he had lost. After 32 passes through the Steps, Don describes a sober family, grandchildren growing up outside the cycle of addiction, and a fellowship that welcomed him home when he believed he no longer belonged anywhere. Don C. from Colorado Springs, CO speaking at the 53rd ICYPAA in San Francisco, CA - September 3rd 2011 Music: Deep by KaizanBlu

  4. 4d ago

    The Woman I Didn’t Like Became My Sponsor - AA Speaker - Liz Y.

    At ten months sober, Liz hated AA meetings, hated the happy people in them, and was close to giving up; then the woman she couldn’t stand became the sponsor who led her through the Big Book and Twelve Steps. ☀️ Sober Sunrise App Listen to Sober Sunrise AA speaker talks anytime, track your sober time, take a daily pledge, and keep recovery support close throughout the day. 📱 https://sober-sunrise.com/app If you enjoy the app or find it useful in your recovery, a quick rating or review on the App Store would mean a lot and helps more people find Sober Sunrise. ☀️ Sober Sunrise Episode Archive Hundreds of AA speaker tapes and recovery stories: https://sober-sunrise.com/episodes 🧡 Sober Sunrise Merch https://sober-sunrise.com/merch 🌴 Sober Sunrise Newsletter https://sober-sunrise.com/newsletter Liz, sober since July 20, 1993, shares how a painfully shy and self-conscious child discovered at 13 that alcohol could immediately provide the ease and confidence she could not find on her own. What began with a few beers grew into drugs, legal trouble, repeated DUIs, unstable living, broken promises, and a pattern of changing jobs before her drinking could catch up with her. At her final law firm, Liz entered a conference room expecting to help select a copy machine and instead found the partners and an intervention professional waiting for her. Treatment removed the alcohol, but after ten months of meetings without working the program, her mind still felt like silverware spinning in a blender and she could no longer keep living that way. The woman whose honesty made Liz uncomfortable became her sponsor, led her into the Big Book, and took her through the Twelve Steps. Through inventory, confession, amends, daily maintenance, prayer, sponsorship, and service, Liz discovered the peace that abstinence alone had never produced. Fourteen years later, she describes a life of marriage, motherhood, restored family relationships, freedom from other compulsions, and continued dependence on the actions that keep her connected to God and recovery. Liz Y. from Atlanta, GA speaking at the New Year’s Eve party at the Northside Alcoholics Benevolent Association - December 31st 2007 Music: Deep by KaizanBlu

  5. 5d ago

    Bottom Is a Feeling, Not a Place - AA Speaker - Frank M.

    In this AA workshop, Frank says bottom is not a jail cell, divorce court, treatment center, or empty bank account - it is the moment an alcoholic realizes, “I can’t live drinking, and I can’t live not drinking.” ☀️ Sober Sunrise App Listen to Sober Sunrise AA speaker talks anytime, track your sober time, take a daily pledge, and keep recovery support close throughout the day. 📱 https://sober-sunrise.com/app If you enjoy the app or find it useful in your recovery, a quick rating or review on the App Store would mean a lot and helps more people find Sober Sunrise. ☀️ Sober Sunrise Episode Archive Hundreds of AA speaker tapes and recovery stories: https://sober-sunrise.com/episodes 🧡 Sober Sunrise Merch https://sober-sunrise.com/merch 🌴 Sober Sunrise Newsletter https://sober-sunrise.com/newsletter Frank, nearly 18 years sober, brings courtroom energy, blunt humor, and years of beginners-meeting experience to this two-part workshop on spirituality through the Twelve Steps. He challenges the idea that the purpose of Alcoholics Anonymous is merely to stop drinking, arguing that fellowship, meetings, slogans, and sober time can support recovery but cannot replace the actions in the Big Book. Through his imaginary test-tube exercise, Frank shows how alcohol initially appeared to dilute fear, shame, anger, loneliness, and the feeling of never being enough, before eventually intensifying everything it once seemed to relieve. From there, he describes bottom as a feeling rather than a location, explains why willingness must precede surrender, and presents the first three Steps as simple movements from honest recognition to accepting help. Frank also shares how outward success concealed family damage, secrets, and a deeply punitive idea of God, and how belief gradually moved from the AA group to a sponsor and finally toward a loving Higher Power. His central message is that whether someone has avoided the Steps for three days or 30 years, the grace to begin remains available. Frank M. speaking on “Spirituality Through the Steps” at the Cajun Conference in Lafayette, LA - 1989 Music: Deep by KaizanBlu

  6. 6d ago

    What AA Gave My Mother Was Half a Quart of Milk - AA Speaker - Billy N.

    Billy was told at 17 that he might be too cool to get sober; AA eventually carried him through jail and homelessness into Big Book service, family repair, and a life his mother could finally discuss with pride. ☀️ Sober Sunrise App Listen to Sober Sunrise AA speaker talks anytime, track your sober time, take a daily pledge, and keep recovery support close throughout the day. 📱 https://sober-sunrise.com/app If you enjoy the app or find it useful in your recovery, a quick rating or review on the App Store would mean a lot and helps more people find Sober Sunrise. ☀️ Sober Sunrise Episode Archive Hundreds of AA speaker tapes and recovery stories: https://sober-sunrise.com/episodes 🧡 Sober Sunrise Merch https://sober-sunrise.com/merch 🌴 Sober Sunrise Newsletter https://sober-sunrise.com/newsletter Billy, sober since January 5, 1990, grew up in a large Irish Catholic family where alcoholism, fear, and keeping up appearances were woven into ordinary life. His first serious drunk at 13 made him feel comfortable in his own skin, beginning years of violent drinking, repeated visits to Alcoholics Anonymous, legal consequences, a fatal impaired-driving crash, incarceration, and homelessness. Billy describes being the teenager who was too cool for AA, learning recovery language without taking the actions, and nearly walking away after hearing that sobriety earned in jail did not count. A speaker tape inside the correctional facility gave him enough hope to continue. Still an atheist or agnostic during his first five years sober, Billy gradually found a life in the Big Book, the Twelve Steps, corrections work, young people’s AA, and general service. He explains that recovery required more than learning a new way to live - it required unlearning nearly everything he had been taught about manhood, prejudice, pride, and asking for help. Ultimately, it was not the consequences that kept him sober, but the good life that returned a little at a time and allowed his family to heal. Billy N. from Spring Lake Heights, NJ speaking at the 70th "Old Grandad" Conference in Hot Springs, AR - August 20th 2010 Music: Deep by KaizanBlu

  7. Aug 7

    God Wrote Himself Into My Story - AA Speaker - Norma A.

    Norma says God wrote Himself into her AA story, turning three years of abstinence without the Steps into a life of surrender, service, and faith strong enough to meet devastating grief. ☀️ Sober Sunrise App Listen to Sober Sunrise AA speaker talks anytime, track your sober time, take a daily pledge, and keep recovery support close throughout the day. 📱 https://sober-sunrise.com/app If you enjoy the app or find it useful in your recovery, a quick rating or review on the App Store would mean a lot and helps more people find Sober Sunrise. ☀️ Sober Sunrise Episode Archive Hundreds of AA speaker tapes and recovery stories: https://sober-sunrise.com/episodes 🧡 Sober Sunrise Merch https://sober-sunrise.com/merch 🌴 Sober Sunrise Newsletter https://sober-sunrise.com/newsletter Norma, 24 years sober, shares how growing up with an alcoholic mother and a rage-filled father carried fear, loneliness, and despair into her adult life. A sober woman she met in a bar led her to Alcoholics Anonymous, but after three years of meetings without a sponsor, the Steps, or a spiritual foundation, Norma discovered that she had found relief rather than recovery. Following a relapse and an abusive marriage, she left with her baby and began rebuilding her life while moving from couch to couch, doing odd jobs, and trusting that the next right action would be enough for that day. The years that followed brought a loving marriage, family addiction, incarceration, her son’s serious head injury and time in foster care, painful estrangement, and repeated lessons in letting go. Speaking only days after the sudden death of her stepson, Norma describes how prayer, service, the Twelve Steps, and the arms of the AA fellowship carried her through circumstances she could never control. This is a moving talk about the difference between abstinence and recovery, surrender without resignation, and finding purpose, power, and peace even when life does not turn out as hoped. Norma A. from Austin, TX speaking at the monthly Austin Citywide AA group in Austin, TX - September 22nd 2007 Music: Deep by KaizanBlu

  8. Aug 6

    The Captain Who Had to Start From the Ground Up - AA Speaker - Lyle P.

    Lyle’s last drunk became national news, but the more remarkable AA story is what followed: treatment, federal prison, a repaired family, and an impossible return to the cockpit. ☀️ Sober Sunrise App Listen to Sober Sunrise AA speaker talks anytime, track your sober time, take a daily pledge, and keep recovery support close throughout the day. 📱 https://sober-sunrise.com/app If you enjoy the app or find it useful in your recovery, a quick rating or review on the App Store would mean a lot and helps more people find Sober Sunrise. ☀️ Sober Sunrise Episode Archive Hundreds of AA speaker tapes and recovery stories: https://sober-sunrise.com/episodes 🧡 Sober Sunrise Merch https://sober-sunrise.com/merch 🌴 Sober Sunrise Newsletter https://sober-sunrise.com/newsletter Lyle grew up Irish and Comanche in an alcoholic home, determined never to become like his parents. He built a distinguished career as a Marine Corps aviator and airline captain, but in March 1990 an alcohol-related flight ended with his arrest, national headlines, termination, revoked licenses, a federal conviction, and 424 days in prison. Treatment also forced Lyle to confront the pain hidden beneath years of anger, especially the rage that had separated him from his daughter and son. Through honesty, willingness, reconciliation, and the practical discipline of Alcoholics Anonymous, he began putting his family back together before facing prison one day at a time. After his release, Lyle started with a private pilot’s license and rebuilt every qualification from the ground up. He was eventually reinstated with full seniority, completed his career as a Boeing 747 captain, received a presidential pardon, and learned that his recovery story had been selected for the Big Book. This is an exceptional AA talk about accountability, acceptance, and watching the impossible become possible one step at a time. Lyle P. from Conyers, GA speaking at the 19th Annual Man-to-Man Conference in Lake Brownwood, TX - May 18th 2002 Lyle is the author of “Grounded” on page 522 of the Fourth Edition of the Big Book of Alcoholics Anonymous. Music: Deep by KaizanBlu

See All (436)

Hosts & Guests

4.6
out of 5
67 Ratings

About

Sober Sunrise brings you AA Speaker Tapes from around the world. Rather than an AA discussion podcast, Sober Sunrise brings you speakers who share step-work, workshops, and general fellowship discussion points. We are not affiliated with AA in anyway.

Information

  • Creator
    Sober Sunrise
  • Years Active
    2025 - 2026
  • Episodes
    436
  • Rating
    Explicit
  • Copyright
    © Copyright 2026 Sober Sunrise
  • Show Website
    Sober Sunrise - AA Speaker Podcast
  • Provider
    Benjamin Shepherd

You Might Also Like