Dave B. AA Male

Dave B. AA Male

Curious about how others manage their sobriety journey? This AA speaker talk from Dave B. offers a raw, honest look at alcoholism, early sobriety, and long-term recovery, shared with a mix of humour, humility, and straight-talking truth. Dave, sober since 2 January 1981, speaks as an Alcoholics Anonymous member who started drinking as a teenager, lost a promising golf career, wrecked his parents’ home, and became, in his own words, a liar, thief, and violent drunk.

He doesn't soften the damage: his alcoholism fell hardest on his parents, especially his father, who once told him, “With a son like you, I don’t need any enemies. You make me sick.” You’ll hear about his early AA days, sitting angry at the back of meetings, convinced “AA don’t work” after a friend relapsed. A pivotal moment comes when someone in the meeting tells him there are “good examples and bad examples of Alcoholics Anonymous.

Now pick the one you want to be and shut up.” From there, the talk focuses on sponsorship, structure, and working the AA programme as it’s written. Dave shares how his sponsor Jim Shaw had him read the Big Book, the Twelve and Twelve, and a dictionary, leading to his three favourite descriptions from the doctor’s opinion: “restless” (perpetual agitation), “irritable” (abnormally sensitive), and “discontent” (a relentless craving for something he currently doesn’t have).

Over time, these shift from pure torment into a doorway towards peace through the steps. The later part of the talk highlights long-term repair: making amends to his parents, his father eventually saying he’d been “called to a higher order”, and years later choosing to move near Dave so he can care for him. A touching story about his granddaughter then opens into a spiritual reflection on how much a loving God might care for him.

This is a strong fit if you’re interested in AA-style recovery, sponsorship, amends, and what decades of sobriety can look like. Who in your life might be waiting for your “what happened” and “what it’s like now” story?