Happy Joyous and Free episode 6 with EdHappy Joyous and Free episode 6 with Ed
Recovery Radio Network
Ed shares how alcohol wrecked his marriages and family life, and how a desperate prayer in a car led him back to AA. He talks about rebuilding relationships, serving in prisons, and finding a new life grounded in sobriety and service.
43:37•30 Sept 2026
From West Point to Twelve Kids: Ed’s Road to Happy, Joyous and Free
Episode Overview
- Stopping drinking alone was not enough for Ed; real change began when he followed AA suggestions, got a sponsor and worked the Twelve Steps.
- Success, status and a big house hid deep chaos, showing that outward achievements can mask serious alcoholism and family harm.
- Service work in prisons and jails became a key part of his recovery, helping him see incarcerated people as "just like me" and reinforcing humility.
- Detailed, honest amends to his children helped start their healing and allowed some relationships to grow into mutual respect and forgiveness.
- Ed’s story highlights that even after severe harm and self-hatred, a new life based on love, service and daily sobriety is still possible.
“"I was selling my soul for seven minutes of oblivion so I don’t have to think about what I’m doing to my own children."”
Get ready to be moved by real-life accounts of recovery, as Ed shares how alcohol took him from the discipline of West Point to three divorces, 12 children, and a life he could barely recognise. Speaking at the Happy Joyous and Free AA group, he talks plainly, often with humour, about just how far things went before he asked for help.
Ed describes early success – a congressional appointment to West Point, law school, seminary, Peace Corps work in Liberia, church leadership – and how a simple belief that he "earned" his right to drink slowly wrecked marriages, careers and family life. His story turns especially raw when he recalls abusing his children while drunk and hiding behind the picture of a successful man.
From there, Ed talks about becoming active in corrections work, taking meetings into prisons and jails, and discovering that the people behind bars are "just like me." Some of the most touching moments come from the amends he makes to his children, including the daughter he once slapped, and the one who later writes her medical school essay about how her dad found a Twelve Step programme and "just tries to help people." His story will likely resonate with anyone who has hurt the people they love and wonders if it’s too late to make things right.
As he puts it, he reached the point where he was "selling my soul for seven minutes of oblivion." A moment of clarity comes driving through a red light, when he silently prays, "God help me." That memory of AA – and seeing it work in his father’s life – pulls him back into the rooms, this time ready to get a sponsor, work the steps, and show up every day.
If you recognise yourself in Ed’s mix of success, secrecy and shame, could his journey towards being happy, joyous and free offer a path you’d like to try?
Do you want to link to this podcast?
Get the buttons here!
More From This Show
The latest episodes from the same podcast.