#90 – Matthew Bauersachs: Learn to Live Recovery#90 – Matthew Bauersachs: Learn to Live Recovery
Recovery Survey
Brett Morris talks with recovery activist Matthew Bauersachs about his journey from adolescent substance use and near-fatal accidents to long-term sobriety. Matthew shares how community, structure and his Learn to Live Recovery sober living programme became central to building a new way of life.
39:12•24 Nov 2021
Learning to Live Again: Matthew Bauersachs on Sobriety and Sober Living
Episode Overview
- Feeling like an outsider from a young age can fuel addiction, but that same story can change once real connection is found in recovery communities.
- Near-fatal consequences, such as serious car accidents, do not always create instant change; honest engagement with treatment and support is crucial.
- Structured sober living, meetings and step work helped Matthew build a stable foundation and a sense of belonging he never had before.
- Education and service, including social work training and sponsoring others, became key parts of sustaining his long-term sobriety.
- Learn to Live Recovery focuses on teaching people how to live differently, using tools like mindfulness, therapy and accountability rather than just focusing on abstinence.
“It's not about just not drinking. It's not about just not using drugs. You have to learn how to live a different way than you were living.”
What are the common struggles and victories in addiction recovery? This conversation on Recovery Survey follows Matthew Bauersachs as he shares how alcohol and drugs once felt like the only way to quiet his racing mind, and how that belief almost killed him. He talks through a childhood of ADHD, anxiety and a constant sense of not fitting in, then walks through car wrecks, expulsions and failed college attempts that still weren’t enough to stop his using.
One of the most striking moments comes when he recalls an early accident: paramedics told him they had no idea how he was alive, yet, as he puts it, “I wish I could say that that was the point where I decided that I'd had enough… but that's not the truth.” The episode slowly shifts from chaos to structure as Matthew describes going from multiple treatment centres to finally engaging with AA, sober living and step work.
He explains how finding a room full of “misfits” who understood his pain gave him the sense of belonging he’d been chasing since adolescence. You’ll hear how he moved into long-term sobriety, earned both a bachelor’s and master’s degree in social work, and eventually founded Learn to Live Recovery, a highly structured sober living programme in Missouri.
Matthew stresses that it’s “not about just not drinking,” but about learning how to live differently, build relationships, and handle loss, stress and everyday life without picking up. This episode suits anyone curious about young sobriety, long-term recovery, or what a well-run sober living home can look like. If you’ve ever wondered whether you’ll ever feel like you belong anywhere, Matthew’s story offers a grounded, relatable example of how connection, structure and honesty can change a life.
What might your version of “learning to live” look like?
Do you want to link to this podcast?
Get the buttons here!
More From This Show
The latest episodes from the same podcast.
Related Episodes
Similar episodes from other shows in the catalogue.