Ken D. AA Male
Ken D. AA Male

Recovery Radio Network

Ken D. shares a long, often funny yet deeply moving AA story centred on the Big Book, sponsorship, loss, and learning to live in the present. His talk mixes raw anecdotes with spiritual reflections on what really keeps an alcoholic sober over the long haul.

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1:03:49•4 Jun 2026

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Ken D. on Big Book AA, Black Eyes, and Finding God in the “Now”

Episode Overview

Rely on the Big Book and the actual AA programme, rather than myths or add‑ons, to build a solid foundation for sobriety.
Stay close to a sponsor and follow simple directions, even when they cut across your instincts or anger.
Work the Twelve Steps as written to be “evicted” from hiding places and face who you really are.
Focus on living in the present moment instead of rehearsing the past or fearing the future; “when you’ve learned to live in the now, you’ve won.”
Cultivate an inner spiritual life so that when outer circumstances change or collapse, you still have something that sustains you.

“If you’re an alcoholic and you’re in this room tonight and you’re in a seat and you’re sober today, you are a winner.”

What can we learn from those who have battled addiction? Ken D., a long‑time member of Alcoholics Anonymous, shares decades of sobriety with a mix of sharp humour, hard‑won wisdom and very real emotion. If you like your recovery stories honest and a bit cheeky, you’ll feel right at home here.

Ken opens by holding up the AA “owner’s manual” – the Big Book – insisting, “if it’s not in here, it’s not AA.” From there, he keeps circling back to the twin pillars that saved his life: the AA programme and the AA fellowship. You’ll hear how a no‑nonsense sponsor, meetings, and working the steps “just like they’re outlined” in the book slowly stripped away his anger and self‑deception.

He keeps things light with stories about bizarre 12‑step ‘misfires’ (including one involving a rubbish‑bin lid), early misunderstandings about sex, and daft alcoholic thinking – “we scratch shit that don’t itch.” But the humour sits alongside some very heavy chapters: a grand jury indictment and 20 years of repayments, rebuilding marriage and family, the death of his son in the hospice where he served, and walking a friend through Lou Gehrig’s disease. Spiritual growth runs through everything.

Ken talks about learning to live in the present, seeing God in everyday coincidences (“Bill Wilson” the priest and “Bob Smith Realty”), and the inner life that keeps someone sober when the outside world falls apart.

He sums up his approach with a simple test: “When I’m doing God’s will, I can feel the pull of it… I don’t have to see it.” This talk suits anyone in recovery (or supporting someone who is) who wants straight talk about AA, spirituality, grief, service and staying sober one day – one moment – at a time. You might come for the laughs, but you’ll likely stay for the depth beneath them.

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