Howie H. AA Male
Howie H. AA Male

Recovery Radio Network

AA member Howie H shares a candid, often funny account of his drinking, trauma and repeated DUIs, and how AA, service and a higher power transformed his life. The talk focuses on hope, practical step work, and finding real fun and purpose in long-term sobriety.

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44:42•27 May 2026

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Howie H: From Seven DUIs to Fun, Faith and Service in Sobriety

Episode Overview

Sobriety becomes more sustainable when it includes laughter, fun and connection, not just avoiding alcohol.
Writing a “power list” can reveal how relying on external things for self-worth leads to collapse when those things are lost.
True change in AA came when Howie fully committed: getting a sponsor, following direction and doing service without arguing.
Facing Step Nine amends, even when it seems risky or expensive, can lift long-standing guilt and bring unexpected positive outcomes.
AA offers hope to the seemingly hopeless by providing fellowship, purpose and a chance to learn to love yourself through being loved by others.

“"This is a program of hope. You people gave me a lot of hope when I came here because I was hopeless."”

Curious about how others navigate their sobriety journey? This talk from the Recovery Radio Network shares the raw, funny and deeply honest story of Howie H, an Alcoholics Anonymous member with long-term sobriety who’s anything but dull at the mic.

You’ll hear Howie mix sharp humour with painful honesty, whether he’s joking that “he may not wash my car, but I got his watch” or describing the night he accidentally shot his best friend and watched him die in his arms. He talks about losing his eye in a bar fight, seven DUIs, and a head-on collision with a lorry he somehow walked away from.

Rather than turning these into war stories, he uses them to show how denial, self-pity and a craving to “feel like I belong” kept him trapped for years. For anyone wondering if sobriety means a boring life, Howie is clear: he was taught how to have fun in recovery, and he treats AA conferences as “the icing on the cake”.

He shares how sponsorship, service (yes, even emptying ashtrays), and laughing with others in AA helped him finally get out of his own head. A standout moment is his “power list” exercise from Step Two, where he wrote down everything he’d ever relied on to feel good – sport, image, alcohol – and realised that anything external can disappear overnight.

That shift towards a steady higher power runs through his whole story, from getting on his knees after the last DUI to making tough financial amends, like paying back years of stolen cable. This talk is especially helpful if you’re feeling hopeless, stuck on the Steps, or scared of making amends. Howie’s journey shows that AA can offer real friendship, a sense of purpose, and even a new way to enjoy life.

What could change for you if you let people in and let them love you until you can love yourself?

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