ESH: Sandy B (37 Years)

ESH: Sandy B (37 Years)

What makes a recovery story truly inspiring? For many people in AA, Sandy B’s (Andy Bich) share from Las Vegas in 2001 lands right near the top. With 37 years of sobriety behind him, he looks back on a life that went from decorated Marine Corps fighter pilot to locked ward patient, and then into long-term recovery through Alcoholics Anonymous.

You’ll hear how Sandy was misdiagnosed with a “childhood fear of flying” instead of alcoholism, even while he was shaking, sweating and reeking of booze in the cockpit. His account of going through DTs in a military hospital is raw and funny at the same time, as he recalls believing the CIA was moving the walls of his room. It’s in that psychiatric ward that AA members push their way back in and change the course of his life.

Sandy’s story really lights up when he meets his sponsor, Bill, on Pearl Harbor Day 1964. Bill’s no-nonsense approach — “Hi, my name is Bill. This is a 12‑step call. I talk. You listen.” — becomes the start of a decades-long sponsorship that Sandy calls the core of his recovery.

From there, he talks about endless meetings, early service work, and hilarious misadventures like inviting a speaker who stands up and says, “I’m here tonight to resign from Alcoholics Anonymous.” Underneath the humour, Sandy keeps bringing it back to AA basics: sponsorship, meetings, working with newcomers and spiritual growth.

He explains how, before AA, alcohol was his one answer to every problem — and how the programme replaced that with a different single answer: more spiritual growth, one day at a time. If you’ve ever wondered whether long-term sobriety can still feel fresh, funny and honest, Sandy’s story might be exactly what you need to hear today.