Chris S.- Sober Since June 2009Chris S.- Sober Since June 2009
AA Recovery Interviews
Chris S. recounts how he went from barely drinking until his 40s to full-blown alcohol and cocaine addiction, repeated relapses, and a near-fatal fall. He shares how a powerful inner shift, committed step work, and service in AA led to lasting sobriety and a calmer, more meaningful life.
1:12:25•1 Jul 2026
From Late Starter to Lifelong Service: Chris S.’s Journey to Lasting Sobriety
Episode Overview
- Late-onset addiction can be just as destructive, especially when it plugs into long-standing loneliness and self-hatred.
- Multiple relapses do not mean failure; they can lead to a final surrender when someone is truly ready to stop.
- Thorough, patient step work with a firm sponsor can uncover deeper emotional wounds behind the drinking.
- Service work, such as taking AA meetings into prisons, helps maintain sobriety and passes recovery on to others.
- Cultivating a daily spiritual connection and valuing peace and serenity can transform how life feels in sobriety.
“I set that drink down, and it was like a warm wave came over me, and I had a feeling that was my last drink.”
What drives someone to seek a life without alcohol? This conversation with Chris S., sober since June 2009, traces how a seemingly “late-blooming” alcoholic nearly lost everything to alcohol and cocaine, then rebuilt a rich, peaceful life through AA. Chris barely drank until his early 40s, despite a childhood clouded by loneliness, perfectionism, and self-hatred. He describes growing up as “normal”, then slowly realising through the steps that, inside, he’d disliked himself for as long as he could remember.
When cocaine finally appeared – “this is the way I've wanted to feel my whole life” – the trap was sprung. Partying with his second wife turned into daily use, isolation, and near-fatal incidents, including falling head-first off a second-floor balcony while high. Relapse is a big part of this episode.
Chris talks frankly about multiple desire chips, two years of slipping, and feeling utterly hopeless even while going to meetings: “I pretty much just lost all hope… I just couldn’t stop. I didn’t want to.” His turning point came in a bar in St. Lucia, drink in hand, when “a warm wave” of certainty hit that this was his last drink. He flew home, asked a tough sponsor to take him on, and slowly worked the AA programme in depth.
You’ll hear how methodical step work, sponsorship, and service – especially taking meetings into a Texas prison – changed everything. Chris now sponsors others the way he was sponsored, watching men inside prison “change right in front of my eyes” and seeing his sponsor’s influence passed down the line. This episode suits anyone who’s relapsed, feels “not done yet”, or worries they started drinking “too late” to be a “real” alcoholic.
It’s honest, often funny, and quietly reassuring: if Chris can find peace and purpose after decades of self-loathing and late-stage chaos, what might be possible for you?
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