037: "Sex, Drugs and Rock n Roll" Jeff Shane now 4 years clean and sober takes us through 4 decades of drug abuse as a Music Promoter.037: "Sex, Drugs and Rock n Roll" Jeff Shane now 4 years clean and sober takes us through 4 decades of drug abuse as a Music Promoter.
The SHAIR Recovery Podcast
Former rock promoter Jeff Shane recounts four decades of heavy drug use in the music industry and explains how he now builds his life around meetings, service and spiritual commitment. The conversation highlights his shift from cocaine-fuelled record conventions to a structured, giving life in Santa Barbara while staying honest about ongoing challenges.
50:52•27 Oct 2015
Sex, Drugs, Rock ’n’ Roll and a Second Chance: Jeff Shane’s 40-Year Addiction Story
Episode Overview
- Long-term drug and alcohol use can coexist with high-achieving careers, but the crash eventually comes.
- Honesty with oneself is presented as the starting point for any meaningful recovery.
- A consistent daily routine of meetings, reading, writing and reflection helps maintain sobriety.
- Service work—supporting disabled clients, students and parents—becomes Jeff’s new “high” in recovery.
- Recovery is framed as a 100% commitment; “99% is a failure” becomes a guiding principle.
“My spiritual awakening was that, again, it was up to me to decide if I was really honestly committed to this for the rest of my life.”
What remarkable journeys have people faced head-on against addiction? This episode of The SHAIR Recovery Podcast follows one of the wildest: Jeff Shane’s four-decade ride through sex, drugs and rock ’n’ roll, and his life now as a sober grandfather and service junkie. Hosted by recovery coach Omar Pinto, the conversation has an easygoing, story-sharing feel that’ll appeal to anyone who loves rock music, long-term drug stories, or is curious about life after heavy using.
From the CBS mailroom to Vice President of Rock Promotions at Capitol Records, he explains how a job built around radio, artists and backstage access became a licence to stay wasted: “I was just eating Vicodin like they were jelly beans… up to 20 a day and I was working.” He shares outrageous yet matter-of-fact tales of all-night cocaine binges at record conventions, partying with unnamed TV and rock stars, and the bizarre normality of living on pills, weed and vodka for years.
Jeff starts at 16, getting blackout drunk on rum and cokes, then shifts into the late-60s drug scene, calling himself a “human sampler” of mescaline, peyote and THC. But the tone shifts when he talks about falling to his knees, calling his brother and sister, and entering treatment completely clueless about recovery.
The heart of the episode is Jeff’s current life in Santa Barbara: early-morning meetings, daily service, studying for a drug and alcohol counselling degree, volunteering with disabled clients, kids at school and the Boys and Girls Club.
His spiritual turning point is summed up in one line: “It was up to me to decide if I was really honestly committed to this for the rest of my life.” For anyone in or considering recovery, this mix of rock-era excess and present-day routine shows what long-term addiction can look like—and how a service-led, honest life can follow. Which parts of Jeff’s story sound uncomfortably familiar to you?
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