051: Hope and Addiction with JR Hamel – Celebrates 1 Year Clean and Sober and shares his horrific 23 Year battle with Alcoholism!051: Hope and Addiction with JR Hamel – Celebrates 1 Year Clean and Sober and shares his horrific 23 Year battle with Alcoholism!
The SHAIR Recovery Podcast
JR Hamel reflects on his 23‑year struggle with alcoholism, a near‑fatal low point, and the structured recovery that led to one year sober. The conversation also highlights online community support, sponsorship challenges and how service, family and routine keep him moving forward.
59:40•2 Feb 2016
Breaking the Family Cycle: JR Hamel’s 23‑Year Fight with Alcoholism and One Year Sober
Episode Overview
- A suicide attempt and week in a psychiatric unit pushed JR to accept treatment and commit fully to recovery.
- Inpatient and extended outpatient care gave him a new “toolbox” for living sober instead of cycling between binges and control.
- Simple daily structure — meditation, readings, meetings and the promise to “go to bed sober” — helps keep him stable.
- Service work through his Hope and Addiction blog, mentoring and speaking at his old treatment centre supports both his recovery and others’.
- Online accountability groups and sponsorship support show that a Higher Power and community can turn painful setbacks into new beginnings.
“The change stops here with the alcoholism in my family. You know, I'm breaking it.”
How do people find strength in their journey to sobriety? This conversation on The SHAIR Recovery Podcast follows JR Hamel as he marks one year clean and sober after a 23‑year battle with alcoholism, mental health struggles, and a family history steeped in drinking. JR talks about growing up in his parents’ bar, first stealing Southern Comfort at 12, and spending years cycling between heavy binges and short bursts of “controlled” drinking.
He describes reaching a terrifying low point: a suicide attempt fuelled by alcohol, pills and weed that ended in the psychiatric ward and, in his words, waking up thinking he was dead. A simple message from his mum in a dream – “No” – became his turning point. From there, JR commits fully to recovery: inpatient treatment as the very first patient at a new facility, extended outpatient care, daily routines, AA meetings and leaning hard on his wife’s support.
He explains how he rebuilt life as a stay‑at‑home dad, started his blog Hope and Addiction to “use my negative experiences” to help others, and now speaks regularly at his old treatment centre. His mantra is beautifully simple: “No matter what happens today, I'm going to bed sober.” The episode also spotlights SHAIR’s Facebook accountability group, where members rally around a woman whose sponsor has just “fired” her.
Their comments show how community, Higher Power and perspective can turn rejection into growth, with reminders like “A sponsor is not God. They're like streetcars. Another one will come around.” JR closes by claiming his new role in his family line: “The change stops here with the alcoholism in my family.
You know, I'm breaking it.” If you’ve ever wondered whether long‑term chaos can really shift into stability, routine and purpose, this story might be the nudge you’ve been waiting for.
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