EPISODE 101626EPISODE 101626
Clean and Sober Radio
A Vietnam veteran and businessman shares how health scares, honesty and support helped him stay sober for 43 years while rebuilding his life. The hosts and guest also chat about anonymity, family, overdose responses and the power of second chances in recovery.
55:30•17 Oct 2026
From Vietnam to 43 Years Sober: Gary Buchert’s Second Chance
Episode Overview
- Health problems triggered by alcohol can be a powerful warning sign and a turning point.
- Being open about rehab and addiction at work can clear the air, even if some people judge.
- Long-term sobriety is possible, even through divorce, business failure and serious illness.
- Support systems such as hotlines, social workers and rapid response teams can save lives.
- Speaking publicly about recovery can help others who still feel they must keep it secret.
“With my luck the cancer would have went away and I'd be a drunk again.”
How do people turn their lives around after addiction? Clean and Sober Radio shines a light on that question through the story of guest Gary Buchert, a Vietnam veteran with 43 years of continuous sobriety, alongside stand‑in cohost Lewis De Santo and regular host Gary Hendler.
You’ll hear how Gary’s drinking escalated after his time in the infantry, including combat in Vietnam, and how frightening health scares – his entire right side going numb several times – finally pushed him into treatment. He later learned those episodes stopped the moment he quit alcohol.
His line, when asked by a doctor if he’d drink again with six months to live, sums up his attitude: “With my luck the cancer would have went away and I'd be a drunk again.” The conversation is honest and down‑to‑earth, with plenty of laughs mixed into the heavy stuff. Gary talks about choosing to be open about rehab at work rather than hiding behind a vague medical excuse, and how some colleagues supported him while others judged him.
That moment set the tone for a lifetime of straight talking about addiction instead of keeping it in the shadows. The episode also touches on Lewis’s six years of sobriety, his young family, and a mum who’s clean and sober too. The crew chat about anonymity, why many people now speak openly about recovery, and how police departments and local services are starting to treat addiction differently, with social workers, rapid response overdose teams and take‑back days for unused medication.
If you’re wondering whether long‑term recovery is worth the effort, or if honesty about addiction might actually help rather than hurt, this conversation might get you thinking – what kind of second chance do you want for yourself or the person you care about?
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