010: "The White Boy"- Alan B. shares his 8 yr story of addiction, drug abuse and alcoholism until he finds recovery!010: "The White Boy"- Alan B. shares his 8 yr story of addiction, drug abuse and alcoholism until he finds recovery!
The SHAIR Recovery Podcast
Alan B. recounts eight years of escalating addiction, a brutal vodka bottom and near-fatal withdrawal, followed by treatment in Costa Rica and a Christmas Eve clean date. He shares how step work, sponsors, service and honesty have helped him rebuild his life and relationships in recovery.
59:38•21 Apr 2015
From Drain-Cleaner Vodka to Costa Rica Recovery: Alan B.’s Turnaround
Episode Overview
- Daily structure with exercise, meetings and sponsor contact helps Alan manage his "squirrely" thinking and stay stable in recovery.
- His lowest point came at 22, drinking 1.75 litres of cheap vodka a day, vomiting blood and realising he might die without help.
- Detoxing in Costa Rica involved seizures and intense fear, but also became the foundation for his clean date and ongoing recovery.
- Working the steps honestly with sponsors and doing service for others are central to how he maintains his sobriety today.
- Rebuilding family relationships, especially with his dad, has been one of the most meaningful outcomes of getting clean.
“At the heart of it, most of us are good people. They're just waiting for you to come back.”
What makes a recovery story truly inspiring? Alan B., nicknamed "The White Boy", shares an eight‑year spiral through alcohol, cocaine and crystal meth, and how a desperate call to his dad eventually landed him in a Costa Rican clinic and, later, lasting recovery. The episode opens with how Alan lives today: self‑confessed gym rat, solid routine, good food, work, meetings, sponsor contact and plenty of honesty about being a "pretty sick guy" if he drifts from his programme.
From there, Omar Pinto invites him to rewind to childhood sips of alcohol, family alcoholism, a shock move to Atlanta where he was "the only white kid for about 10 miles", and the emotional fallout of waking up at ten years old to find his mum and sister gone. Things escalate quickly: selling weed at 15, a DUI at 18, cocaine and ecstasy at 19, and then the big slide into crystal meth and crushing paranoia.
The darkest part comes with his early‑20s vodka dependence, sleeping on a filthy mattress and drinking through a straw because his hands shook too much. Lying on the floor, vomiting blood and out of money, he realises, "I'm going to die" unless something changes. From there, the tone shifts to hard‑won hope: detox seizures in Costa Rica, his first key tag, a relapse on a mojito, and the shame of going back for another white key tag on Christmas Eve.
That moment becomes his clean date and the start of serious step work with tough, straight‑talking sponsors like "Texas John" and Bobby. Alan talks about service, sponsoring others, and the relief of finally being trusted by his dad again. You’ll hear raw honesty, gallows humour, and plenty of practical suggestions for newcomers, all wrapped around one clear message: "At the heart of it, most of us are good people.
They're just waiting for you to come back." If you’re wondering whether you’re too young, too far gone, or too scared to stop, could Alan’s story be the nudge you need?
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