Sober Sunrise - AA Speaker Podcast

Sober Sunrise
  • 4.6 (74)
  • 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.

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  1. 1h ago

    A Beautiful Flower, a Garden Variety Drunk - AA Speaker - Roz B.

    Roz's sponsor called her a beautiful flower and a garden variety drunk. After years of wanting to be anybody but herself, AA helped her find both self-respect and the freedom to be one member among many. ☀️ 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 Roz recalls growing up in an Orthodox Jewish family, losing her father before she was six, and facing antisemitic bullying after her family moved to England. Long before her first drink, she desperately wanted to be anybody but herself. Alcohol seemed to offer a way to run away while standing still, but blackouts, changing identities, moves around New York, and increasingly dangerous circumstances followed. Her first AA meeting was an accidental encounter on Christmas Eve: she thought she had found choir practice before midnight Mass, only to hear someone introduce herself as an alcoholic. Years later, with nowhere else to go, she began attending the Mustard Seed group across from her apartment. Her last drink was on Christmas Eve 1975. Early sobriety was slow and awkward: she brought expensive cookies so nobody could say she had received something for nothing, struggled to choose a dish drainer, and filled her apartment with 174 plants. A sponsor gave her a T-shirt reading "My Sponsor Says No," helping her set boundaries before she could say no for herself. Meetings and fellowship gave her somewhere to be, while step meetings became the place where she learned to change. Service grew to include Intergroup phones, prison meetings, detox work, sponsorship, and Young People's AA, but eventually another member challenged her to remember that AA was a bridge back to life. Roz describes the Twelve Steps as chiseling away everything that was not really her, including the fear that kept her from coming out as a lesbian. She shares the happiness and work of a 15-year sober partnership, with separate sponsors and meetings, and a move to Denver to be closer to her brother's children. There, away from her old AA reputation, she began learning to be a worker among workers and a member among members. This frank, funny AA talk connects sponsorship, the Steps, service, and humility with learning to live comfortably as herself. Roz B. from Denver, CO speaking at the Sacramento gay/lesbian "River City Roundup" - November 7th 1998 Music: Deep by KaizanBlu

  2. 2d ago

    I Slept on the Big Book Like a Pillow - AA Speaker - Patti L.

    Patti slept on the Big Book like a pillow in prison. The AA members who brought it never treated her like scum, and a sponsor later helped her build a sober life one honest action at a time. ☀️ 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 Patti first came to Alcoholics Anonymous in 1959, convinced she was too young, too pretty, and too rich to need what the people in the room had. Her sobriety began on February 8, 1977, after years of drinking, repeated marriages, prison, and a physical collapse that left her needing months of hospital care. She describes a childhood spent feeling unwanted in both her mother's and her father's worlds, and a first drink at North Beach, Maryland, that seemed to give her beauty, confidence, and a place to belong. For the next 22 years, she tried to recapture that feeling, playing whatever role would get her accepted and eventually losing track of the difference between her own lies and the truth. In prison in 1972, visiting AA members gave her a Big Book of her own, which she slept on like a pillow. She remembers their coffee and donuts, but especially the fact that they never treated her like scum. When she finally got sober, members sat beside her hospital bed around the clock, and a tough, loving sponsor took her home and helped her begin again. Patti talks about honest prayer, taking the Twelve Steps before reporting on them, washing dishes at the Waffle House, working a weekly budget, and repaying debts one dollar at a time. That beginning leads to a real college degree, passing her CPA exam, and learning to make amends without demanding a response. Six years of unanswered letters to her father eventually lead to a final visit shortly before his death; later, her son proudly introduces her as his mother. Throughout this funny, frank AA talk, Patti returns to the people who lived the Big Book in front of her and helped her become someone she could like and respect. Patti L. from Largo, FL speaking at the Lubbock Conference in Lubbock, TX - July 16th-19th 1987 Music: Deep by KaizanBlu

  3. 3d ago

    God, Human Folly, and Laughter - AA Speaker - Jay S.

    Jay once lived in a Pinto and called it his "outdoorsman phase." In AA, inventory, amends, sponsorship, and laughter helped him become a man people call when they need someone to show up. ☀️ 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 Jay came to Alcoholics Anonymous on May 2, 1979, after drinking from age 12, losing jobs, collecting arrests, and living in his car while insisting he was simply going through an outdoorsman phase. Alcoholism had touched nearly every branch of his family, but at his first meeting he heard people describe a freedom he had never known and was invited to join them at the beach afterward. Almost drinking on his third day brought him back to the club asking someone to "talk program to me," and a copy of the Big Book gave him language for the problem and actions he could take. He describes an awkward but sincere prayer, a sponsor and his wife who welcomed him into their home, a first inventory at 22 days sober that amounted to his greatest hits, and amends and sponsorship before his first month was over. Paying back his grandmother brought an unexpected response: she wanted to tell the women at church that the grandson they had been praying for had been restored. Jay connects those early actions with the life he has today: a sober household, daily Step Eleven practice, a daughter who has never had to fear her father, and the ability to be present for other people's joy and grief. A later Third Step leads him to help build a church in Belize, where he finds another alcoholic and exchanges stories with him in the jungle. Throughout this funny, direct AA talk, Jay returns to taking the Steps, making things right, staying available, and helping others. His closing quote about God, human folly, and laughter leaves room for mystery while reminding him to make good use of the part he can share. Jay S. from Redondo Beach, CA speaking at The Way of Life Speakers Meeting in Goleta, CA - March 28th 2008 Music: Deep by KaizanBlu

  4. 4d ago

    The Job, the Girl, and the Car Are an Illusion - AA Speaker - Myers R.

    Seven years without a drink hadn't made Myers comfortable in his own life. His AA talk follows the Big Book work that changed everything while his wife, children, job, and even the garden stayed the same. ☀️ 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 Myers came into AA at 34 after watching his brother's life change through recovery, and he loved the fellowship from his first meeting. He had known he was alcoholic at 19, but years of fear, bar fights, and harm at home had continued before he finally asked for help. For a few sober years, the meetings felt like the best experience of his life. Then, without really working the Steps, he became increasingly frightened, resentful, and uncomfortable in his own skin. At seven years sober, his brother connected him with a sponsor whose first 45 minutes explaining the Big Book showed Myers a program he had barely understood. He describes discovering the spiritual malady, taking inventory, accepting accountability, and learning the difference between repeating opinions and carrying a message grounded in the book. Even after that change, Myers found himself struggling again when he treated Twelfth Step work as something to do only when convenient. Regular visits to the Salvation Army and other places where alcoholics needed help brought a deeper change. Kneeling in his garden a year apart, he sees the contrast: the wife, children, house, and job he once hated are now the same people and circumstances he cannot wait to return to. A badly injured newcomer he initially hoped to avoid becomes a man who works the Steps, rebuilds his life, and starts AA groups along his long-haul truck route with only months of sobriety. Myers uses that example to challenge waiting for the job, the relationship, and the car to fall into place before being useful. His message is to stay accountable, take the actions, and carry the solution to another alcoholic. Myers R. from Dallas, TX speaking at the first London Primary Purpose Workshop at the Tivoli Ballroom in Brockley, South-East London - December 9th-11th 2005 Music: Deep by KaizanBlu

  5. 6d ago

    I Couldn't Even Manage a Fishbowl - AA Speaker - Jerry J.

    Jerry thought he managed his law practice, his family, and his drinking. In AA, an aquarium full of fish that refused to follow his rules helped him see what he had been missing. ☀️ 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 Jerry got sober on January 1, 1973, after spending a year and a half secretly trying to pass his own controlled-drinking test. He had a successful Dallas law practice, a wife and children, a comfortable home, and money in the bank, yet nothing seemed to mean anything anymore. Alcohol had become a vacation from responsibility that he could no longer end when he wanted. His wife's involvement in Al-Anon threatened the control he thought he had, until her suggestion to try limiting his drinks forced him to confront a test he never passed. After another lost New Year's Eve, he decided to quit, refused help, threw the recovery books against the wall, and discovered that not drinking left him shaking, sleepless, and thinking about alcohol constantly. A tentative prayer and a call to AA's central office led him toward help, although he first wanted a meeting full of college graduates near a country club. He eventually found a group above a 7-Eleven, parked in the alley, and climbed the fire escape to keep his attendance discreet. There, laughter, sponsorship, the Big Book, the Twelve Steps, and small acts of service began changing how he saw himself. Jerry illustrates the mental obsession with a bulldog that repeatedly returns to a hog it cannot handle, then recognizes his own self-centeredness in an aquarium whose fish refuse to follow his plans. The deeper evidence of recovery comes through his mother's illness: while drinking, he fled into alcohol; five years sober, he could stay present, support his family, and face grief without wanting a drink. Speaking on freedom through action, Jerry connects surrender, inventory, amends, and working with newcomers to a life with purpose, trust, and room to be himself. Jerry J. from Dallas, TX speaking at the Rocky Point Roundup in Puerto Peñasco, Mexico - October 13th 2000 Music: Deep by KaizanBlu

  6. Oct 5

    From Armed Robbery to a Purple Schwinn - AA Speaker - Jim B.

    At 1 a.m., Jim rode his little sister's purple Schwinn to an AA member's house because meetings alone weren't quieting his head. A sandwich and an exchange of drinking stories opened a door he had kept shut for years. ☀️ 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 Jim got sober on November 19, 1987, after years of trying to control drinking that made him feel confident, connected, and finally part of the human race. He traces that need back to first grade, when every conversation felt like an audition and being judged seemed unbearable. His first night drunk at 16 offered relief, but craving brought escalating consequences: arrests, evictions, wrecked cars, dangerous behavior, and serious legal trouble. A friend paid him $20 to attend his first AA meeting in 1985, and for two years Jim visited the fellowship during the week while continuing to drink on weekends. Treatment finally introduced him to the possibility of praying to a God he did not yet believe in. Afterward, an AA member drove him to meetings every day, but attention and fellowship could not settle the fear and unfinished business waiting at home. One desperate night, Jim called that man and rode over on his sister's little purple bicycle. Instead of questioning him, the man made a sandwich and shared his own stories until Jim could laugh, lower his guard, and tell the truth. Years later, Jim recognized that sponsoring others while refusing to be an accountable sponsee had left him following his own direction. A new sponsor helped him put the Big Book, the Steps, and working with others at the center of his life. His closing hospital story brings the lesson full circle: sharing an embarrassing memory helps another alcoholic emerge from hopelessness, while giving Jim the change in perspective he needed himself. For Jim, recovery means connection, honesty, useful action, and finding a life in Alcoholics Anonymous that gives him more than drinking ever could. Jim B. from Chatham, NJ speaking at the Port Fishington speakers meeting in Philadelphia, PA - April 20th 2009 Music: Deep by KaizanBlu

  7. Oct 4

    I Didn't Know the Problem Was in My Hand - AA Speaker - Bob C.

    Bob was holding a beer and asking what was wrong with his life. His AA story follows the answer through a family intervention, a sponsor who challenged "my program," and a phone call that changed two alcoholics' lives. ☀️ 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 Bob got sober on November 8, 1989, after agreeing to family counseling and discovering that his whole family had gathered for an intervention. He grew up in a loving Akron home, found acceptance and relief through drinking as a teenager, and built a marriage, a family, and a career while alcoholism quietly took over. Missed school events, unpaid utility bills, two lost homes, and the hurt in his children's eyes became problems he tried to wash away with another drink. At the intervention, his ten-year-old daughter's poem finally reached him, and four days in treatment introduced him to AA through people who brought coffee, shared their own stories, and read from the Big Book. The death of a beloved neighborhood father brought grief and the first real permission to cry, an experience Bob connects with the lifting of his compulsion to drink. Sobriety still required more than putting down the bottle. Nearly two years in, his sponsor challenged him to stop relying on "my program" and begin living the Twelve Steps as a way of life. Years later, after that sponsor died, Bob found himself isolated and struggling despite meetings, sponsorship, and service commitments. A phone call from a mountainside in California restored his connection with another alcoholic who was struggling too, giving him his own AA arithmetic: one plus one equals three when God enters the relationship. He closes with a child praying for a suffering drinker at Dr. Bob's house and a reminder that working with others means reaching out, staying accountable, and carrying the message. Bob C. from Akron, OH speaking at the Aberdeen Wednesday Night Group's Quarterly Meeting in Aberdeen, SD - 2007 Music: Deep by KaizanBlu

  8. Oct 2

    I Needed a Drink Long Before I Ever Got One - AA Speaker - Dustin B.

    Dustin stayed sober on fear and meetings for more than a year, then relapsed harder than before. His AA recovery changed when a sponsor took him through the Big Book and put him to work helping other alcoholics before he felt ready. ☀️ 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 Dustin grew up in an alcoholic home in Cambridge, Minnesota, feeling uncomfortable in nearly every situation long before his first drink at 14 gave him temporary relief. Childhood trauma, the loss of his father, drugs, overdose, hospitals, and treatment followed. He once spent nearly a year moving through institutions, outpatient care, and as many as a dozen AA meetings a week, then remained sober for just over a year on fellowship and fear without taking the Steps. When that fear stopped holding him, the relapse was immediate and severe. Dustin spent the next five years pointing to the house, cars, job, marriage, and children as proof that he could not be alcoholic, until those outward markers began falling away and a violent, self-destructive bottom brought him back to treatment. This time, the Big Book gave him a practical solution. He wrote inventory, completed a Fifth Step, met a sponsor who insisted on real amends instead of vague promises, began daily inventory and prayer, and started taking other alcoholics through the book at barely two months sober. Dustin’s central message is the paradox he learned through the Twelfth Step: if he waits until he gets better before helping others, he will never get better. Recovery came when the Steps connected him to a power greater than himself and made it possible to be present as a father, employee, friend, and sober member of Alcoholics Anonymous. Dustin B. from Cambridge, MN speaking at the Isanti Saturday Night Live Group in Isanti, MN - October 21st 2006 Music: Deep by KaizanBlu

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4.6
out of 5
74 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
    481
  • Rating
    Explicit
  • Copyright
    © Copyright 2026 Sober Sunrise
  • Show Website
    Sober Sunrise - AA Speaker Podcast
  • Provider
    Benjamin Shepherd

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