I Drank The Day I Got Out Of Treatment | Pondoff's Anonymous S3 E36 with Kris GlickertI Drank The Day I Got Out Of Treatment | Pondoff's Anonymous S3 E36 with Kris Glickert
Pondoff's Anonymous
Kris Glickert talks about going from high school drinking and restaurant-fuelled dependence to relapsing straight after treatment, then finally committing to long-term sobriety. His story highlights the power of friends, medication, and a firm decision to be done with alcohol for good.
1:58:10•12 Oct 2026
From Pint After Treatment to 5,000 Sober Days: Kris Glickert’s Winding Road
Episode Overview
- Trusted friends and family can act as a personal "board of directors", stepping in and even physically taking someone to treatment when self-will fails.
- Residential treatment provides structure and education, but lasting sobriety often depends on what happens after discharge, not just the 30 days inside.
- Medication such as Vivitrol can significantly reduce cravings and help stabilise early recovery while someone rebuilds routines and support networks.
- Stopping alcohol can turn daily life from constant crisis-management into something manageable, making work, relationships and decisions far easier.
- Meetings aren’t the only route to change; some people find their footing through honest conversation, podcasts, and supportive communities instead.
“Life is so much better. It's not even comparable. It's night and day. Every day was a nightmare waking up… now everything in life is better.”
What drives someone to seek a life without alcohol? For Kris Glickert, it was years of drinking himself into physical dependence, two brutal bouts of pancreatitis, and finally reaching a point of being "defeated" and "hopeless". On Pondoff's Anonymous, Kris sits down with Chris Pondoff and Jeff Allen to talk through a recovery story that zig-zags more than it glides.
He shares how teenage house parties and fitting in at a Catholic boys' school morphed into fifth-a-day drinking while working his way up the St. Louis restaurant scene. Even a 30-day stay at Harris House didn’t magically fix things: Kris admits he bought a pint on the way to play golf the very day he left treatment, secretly drinking while his friends celebrated his graduation.
You’ll hear how his closest mates literally turned up at his door and drove him to treatment, becoming the "board of directors" he now credits with his life. Kris explains using Vivitrol injections for several months to kill cravings, moving back in with his parents, and how boring early sobriety pushed him toward blackjack rather than the bar.
He’s open that AA-style meetings never really fit him, yet he respects how vital they are for others and sees this kind of podcast as another way to share stories that make people feel less alone. Now sitting at nearly 5,000 days alcohol-free, still managing a busy barbecue operation and raising two young daughters, Kris talks about how everything feels easier without booze.
The daily dread is gone, work is manageable, relationships are stronger, and he can enjoy mocktails or an alcohol-free beer without any urge to go back. His message is simple: if you truly want to stop, there are friends, family, doctors, treatment centres and conversations like this ready to help. If you’re stuck in that "nightmare every morning" phase, what would it take for you to say you’re done and reach out for your own support team?
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