464- Glen H - Part 1 - Embracing The Suck464- Glen H - Part 1 - Embracing The Suck
Sober Speak- Alcoholics Anonymous Recovery Interviews
John M talks with Glenn H about early opioid use, long-term sobriety, relapse, and a near-suicidal plan before treatment and AA brought him back. Glenn explains how “embracing the suck” and giving back through sponsorship became central to his current recovery.
43:57•4 Sept 2026
Embracing the Suck: Glenn H on Relapse, Pain and Giving It Away
Episode Overview
- Early use of opioids and alcohol can create a powerful sense of relief that masks deep anxiety and tension.
- Treating meetings as primary and steps as secondary can leave alcoholism effectively untreated over time.
- Reliance on medications like Xanax may, for some, block spiritual growth and dependence on a higher power.
- Resentments and legal stress without spiritual tools can drive a return to drinking even after long-term sobriety.
- Actively giving back through sponsorship and speaking can spark a genuine spiritual awakening and more stable sobriety.
“It’s not going to feel good. You just got to get comfortable being uncomfortable for a little while.”
What drives someone to seek a life without alcohol? This conversation between host John M and guest Glenn H from Aiken, South Carolina, digs into that question with raw honesty and plenty of humour.
You’ll hear Glenn talk about starting opioids at 15 and drinking as soon as he felt that “magic” relief where “the weight of the world melted off of me.” He describes 16 years sober in AA, a five-year relapse, and what untreated alcoholism looked like when meetings became secondary and money and validation took centre stage. At one point he was so mentally overloaded he was arguing out loud with people who weren’t even there at a stoplight.
Glenn shares how a Xanax prescription became, for him, “one of the biggest blocks to a spiritual experience,” and how resentment from a lawsuit and depositions fed his return to drinking. The story turns very dark as he admits his plan to sell the family farm to secure his wife’s future and then kill himself.
The turning point comes with treatment, pain, and a mantra he lifted from a novel about soldiers in Afghanistan: “embracing the suck.” As he puts it, “It’s not going to feel good.
You just got to get comfortable being uncomfortable for a little while.” The real shift, though, came when he started speaking at treatment centres and sponsoring others: “You got to give it away to get it.” Giving back becomes the catalyst for a completely different relationship with AA and with God. This episode suits anyone who’s in relapse, struggling with obsession, or wondering why meetings alone aren’t enough. It’s big-book heavy, AA-centred, and still manages to stay light and conversational.
If you’ve ever felt stuck between wanting to quit and being unable to, Glenn’s story might prompt you to ask: what could happen if you started "embracing the suck" and giving it away instead of trying to hang on alone?
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