EPISODE 071026EPISODE 071026
Clean and Sober Radio
Mike T shares how the deaths of his brother and father, escalating alcohol use, a DUI and severe depression pushed him towards AA, treatment and medication. The hosts and guest talk openly about grief, ego, mental health and finding strength in asking for help, highlighting the resources and hope available in recovery.
56:00•11 Jul 2026
Grief, a DUI and a Second Chance: Mike T’s Road to Being Clean and Sober
Episode Overview
- A DUI can reveal how unmanageable life has become and act as a catalyst for seeking help.
- Daily AA meetings and step work can provide structure and support, especially in the early years of sobriety.
- Letting go of ego and the idea that asking for help is weakness is key, particularly for men who feel they must cope alone.
- Addressing underlying mental health issues like depression with professional support and medication can be essential alongside staying sober.
- Maintaining honest communication and presence in family life is a powerful outcome of recovery that can repair damaged relationships.
“Every day is a hard day, but every day sober is a better day.”
How do people find strength in their journey to sobriety? This episode of Clean and Sober Radio zooms in on Mike T, a truck driver whose story pulls together grief, alcoholism, depression and hard-won recovery. You’ll hear how the deaths of Mike’s brother Sean from a drug overdose in 2015 and his father from cancer in 2017 sent his drinking into overdrive.
He describes years of heavy alcohol use, insisting he was “just an alcohol guy” and a functioning worker, right up until a DUI threatened the licence his career depends on. That crisis pushed him towards help and eventually to an intensive outpatient programme and daily AA meetings, many on Zoom. Mike talks candidly about ego, masculinity and shame, admitting he once saw asking for help as weakness.
Now he calls it strength, stressing that “every day is a hard day, but every day sober is a better day.” He also shares his recent experience of being sectioned (302) for nine days because of depression, and how starting medication and seeking therapy have become vital pieces of his recovery, alongside AA.
Hosts Gary Hendler and Mark Sigmund keep things light with banter, music breaks and shout-outs to listeners, while still tackling serious issues like co-occurring trauma and addiction, the impact on families, and the evolving support offered by employers and the courts. They repeatedly remind listeners that resources are available, including the national substance abuse and mental health hotline.
If you’re balancing grief, mental health struggles and alcohol use—or you care about someone who is—this episode offers honest conversation, practical hope and a reminder that you don’t have to do any of it on your own. What step towards help could you take today, even if it’s just talking to someone you trust?
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