Episode 67: Finding Gratitude in the Journey: Rich's Four-Year Check-InEpisode 67: Finding Gratitude in the Journey: Rich's Four-Year Check-In
Stairway to Redemption
Rich checks in at four years sober with Benyi, sharing how gratitude, service, faith practices and small daily improvements help him face adversity without drinking. The conversation also touches on relapse, resentment, social media and why progress matters more than perfection in long-term recovery.
59:26•2 Sept 2026
Four Years Sober: Rich on Gratitude, Service and Staying Spiritually Fit
Episode Overview
- Gratitude needs to cover both the good and the bad days, not just the easy wins.
- Regular AA work, including redoing the steps, meetings, prayer and meditation, helps prevent complacency in long-term sobriety.
- Service work, such as supporting food pantries, can strengthen both purpose and spiritual health.
- Relapse often starts in thinking and behaviour long before a drink, with issues like resentment, dishonesty or lack of spirituality.
- Letting go of resentment, practising forgiveness and limiting social media or anger triggers can reduce the risk of slipping back.
“You have to give gratitude in both good and bad times.”
Curious about how others keep sobriety fresh year after year? This check-in with Rich at his four-year milestone gives a real-life look at what long-term recovery actually feels like once the pink cloud has floated off. After a ten-month break from recording, host Benyi Johnson reconnects with recurring guest Rich, who marks his anniversary on 25 July with a mix of humour, honesty and a lot of reflection.
Rich talks about being hit by a car after his two-year mark, a serious shoulder injury, and a sudden halt to his boxing and gym routine. Instead of turning back to drink, he frames it as “maybe… a sign from God to slow down”, and explains how that setback deepened his sense of gratitude. The chat digs into how “life can be crazy” even when you’re sober, and why gratitude can’t just be for the good days.
Rich insists, “you have to give gratitude in both good and bad times,” and links that attitude to staying present, doing the AA steps every year, more meetings, prayer, meditation and reflection. Service comes up as a big theme too. Rich shares his involvement with the Third Order Franciscans, “begging” for food at supermarkets to stock local food pantries, and how that meshes with AA’s emphasis on helping others.
Benyi and Rich also talk candidly about relapse, chronic relapsers, and how the real issue is often “the thinking” and underlying behaviours rather than the bottle itself. They round things off with some honest talk on resentment, forgiveness, road rage, social media overload and the simple power of progress over perfection.
If you’re further along in sobriety and wondering how to stay spiritually fit without burning out, this conversation might be just the nudge you need to check your own “spiritual fuel tank”. What small step could you take today to be, as Rich puts it, “better than yesterday”?
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