10 Years, 10 Lessons10 Years, 10 Lessons
Sober Sense
Brent celebrates ten years sober by sharing the first five lessons he learned in each year of recovery, while Todd adds perspective from eighteen years. The conversation blends humour with practical guidance on support, fear, ego, and the unexpected joys of a sober life.
1:00:29•2 Nov 2026
Ten Years Sober: Brent’s First Five Lessons That Changed Everything
Episode Overview
- Accepting that you can't and don't have to do recovery alone opens the door to real support and progress.
- Fear and discomfort in sobriety are temporary, and learning to sit with them reduces the urge to drink or use.
- Focusing on similarities rather than differences with others in AA strengthens connection and growth.
- Staying teachable by admitting you don’t know as much as you think you do keeps recovery moving forward.
- Pausing to “shut the fuck up” before reacting helps avoid ego-driven conflicts and unnecessary amends.
“I can't do this alone and I don't have to.”
What drives someone to seek a life without alcohol? In this candid chat from **Sober Sense**, Brent marks his 10-year sober birthday by breaking down the first five lessons that shaped each year of his recovery, with Todd chiming in from the vantage point of 18 years sober.
You’ll hear Brent contrast entering detox in a wheelchair, “mentally, emotionally, and spiritually broken,” with the calm, hopeful life he has now, and how his sponsor’s advice to "double down on what got you here" led him to capture one key lesson per year. Year one is about admitting "I can't do this alone and I don't have to," swapping stubborn self-reliance for genuine connection with sponsors, counsellors, and meeting friends.
Year two centres on the idea that fear and discomfort are temporary, with both men talking about learning to "sit in it" rather than running back to drink and drugs. By year three, Brent realises that people in recovery are more similar than different, and Todd highlights how AA levels the playing field: job titles, politics, and backgrounds fade when everyone shares the same goal of staying sober.
Year four hits the ego directly: "I never know as much as I think I do," a reminder to stay teachable whether you’ve got 10 days or 10 years. Year five is classic Todd: "Shut the fuck up"—hold back that first ego-driven reaction, listen, and avoid the amends you’ll otherwise be writing later.
Along the way, they sneak in humour about fantasy football, NASCAR pit crews, and wearing the Rule 62 Foundation shirt at the track, all framed as unexpected examples of a "life beyond my wildest dreams" that sobriety made possible. If you’re sober curious, early in recovery, or sitting on a few years and feeling stuck, these first five lessons might prompt you to ask: what would your own year-by-year list look like?
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