168 Living Sober with Forrest Ferguson168 Living Sober with Forrest Ferguson
You're Sober! Now What?
Forrest Ferguson shares how a lonely childhood led to decades of addiction and how admitting he was an alcoholic opened the door to sobriety. He talks about rebuilding his idea of God, finding a loving recovery tribe and using service to others to keep his sober life meaningful.
49:16•3 Jan 2022
Love, Faith and a Batshit Crazy Tribe: Forrest Ferguson on Living Sober
Episode Overview
- Admitting "I am an alcoholic" can bring unexpected relief and be a powerful starting point for recovery.
- Rewriting personal beliefs about God or a higher power helps many people build a spiritual foundation for sobriety.
- Strong, loving recovery communities and 24/7 support are crucial for long-term sobriety.
- Helping others in recovery often teaches as much to the helper as it does to the person being helped.
- Relapse, if it happens, can become another chapter in a person's story rather than a reason for shame.
“"Hi, my name is Forrest and I am an alcoholic."”
How do individuals turn their lives around after addiction? This conversation with Forrest Ferguson offers a raw, honest look at what long-term sobriety can actually feel like day to day. Born in Austin, Texas, Forrest shares how his drinking started at just 12 years old in what he calls "a house, not a home" where love and nurturing felt absent. Alcohol quickly became his security blanket, giving him the relaxation and escape he couldn’t find anywhere else.
Over 36 years, his addiction expanded to other substances, damaged relationships, and left him feeling stuck at rock bottom for more than a decade. Everything shifted in an AA meeting when Forrest unexpectedly heard himself say, "Hi, my name is Forrest and I am an alcoholic." He describes the instant relief as needing "a seatbelt on that chair" because of the weight that lifted.
From there, sobriety became about two things: his relationship with a higher power and deep connection with others in recovery. You’ll hear Forrest talk about how he rebuilt his understanding of God by wiping the old fear-based ideas clean and forming a personal relationship that no one else gets to define. Prayer, humility and staying "out of the way" are now core parts of his daily life. The episode also highlights the power of fellowship.
Forrest explains how finding a loving, slightly "batshit crazy" recovery tribe transformed his sobriety from just staying dry into a fun, connected, 24/7 way of living. Helping others is central to his recovery; as he says, every person he works with holds "a piece to my puzzle" and teaches him as much as he teaches them.
If you’re sober and asking "now what?", Forrest’s story might have you wondering: what kind of love, faith and community could keep you going for the long haul?
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