In Jail, Out of Jail, Back in Jail - With a Powerful Message of HopeIn Jail, Out of Jail, Back in Jail - With a Powerful Message of Hope
Recovery Coast to Coast
Neil Scott talks with Ed Pru about his journey from childhood drinking, jail and relapse to nearly 17 years of continuous sobriety and dedicated service. Rock guitarist Joe Walsh adds his perspective on asking for help and the reality of life after addiction.
29:21•9 Aug 2026
From Jail Cells to Grandkids: Ed Pru’s Honest Journey Back to Recovery
Episode Overview
- Asking for help and entering detox can be a turning point when alcohol and drugs have taken over.
- Service work, such as carrying AA meetings into jail, helps maintain sobriety and gives back "what's freely been given".
- Long-term sobriety does not mean being cured; staying honest about pain, medication and secrets is vital to avoid relapse.
- Deep relationships in recovery communities provide love and support, especially when returning after a relapse.
- Focusing on character, showing up for family, and total abstinence can create a life "beyond my wildest dreams".
“"Because there's life after addiction, and it's good."”
How do individuals turn their lives around after addiction? This episode of Recovery Coast to Coast shares a raw, hopeful conversation with Ed Pru, a grateful man in long-term recovery whose story runs from childhood blackout drinking to jail cells, relapse, and back to nearly 17 years sober.
You’ll hear how Ed’s drinking started shockingly early, with his first blackout at nine: "I remember thinking, you know, I can't wait to do that again." Growing up in a violent, alcohol-soaked home in St Paul, he slid into drugs, crime and repeated incarceration, calling himself a "poor, dirty white kid" and wearing the label "alcoholic" like a badge without wanting change.
His bottom came after a high-speed crash that put six people in hospital and finally pushed him to ask for help. Ed talks about his first serious attempt at recovery in the early ’90s, a spiritual jolt in detox when he prayed for someone else for the first time, and how Alcoholics Anonymous "saved my life". Life became good: career, house, family, service work.
Then, after 15 years sober, prescribed pain pills and secrecy opened the door to relapse and two and a half more years lost. What makes this episode especially powerful is Ed’s honesty about coming back: sitting in meetings without 30 days while men he once sponsored celebrated over a decade sober, and being "loved until I could love myself".
Today, he carries AA meetings into the same Kootenai County jail where he once arrived in handcuffs, focuses on total abstinence ("It is not an option for me to drink, take pills"), and sees the real payoff of recovery in his granddaughters, his son’s sobriety, and deep relationships in his men’s group. Rock legend Joe Walsh closes the show with a blunt reminder about asking for help: "The hardest thing to do, the phone can weigh 30 pounds...
Because there's life after addiction, and it's good." If you’re wondering whether long-term recovery is possible even after relapse, this candid story might be exactly what you need to hear.
Do you want to link to this podcast?
Get the buttons here!
More From This Show
The latest episodes from the same podcast.