Mike S. from Parker, CO Top of Texas Conference Amarillo, TX 9/29/2019Mike S. from Parker, CO Top of Texas Conference Amarillo, TX 9/29/2019
Mad Dog Recovery AA Speakers
Mike S. from Parker, Colorado shares a gritty, humorous and deeply honest account of his journey from violent, alcohol-fuelled chaos to decades of sobriety in AA. He talks about powerlessness, step work, tough amends and surviving the loss of his daughter while staying rooted in the 12 steps.
54:55•1 Apr 2026
From Strip Clubs to Spiritual Freedom: Mike S. on 44 Years Sober
Episode Overview
- Alcoholics Anonymous, through the 12 steps, removed Mike’s desire to drink rather than just helping him resist alcohol.
- True powerlessness showed up when he couldn’t control his drinking, whether he wanted to get drunk or stay sober.
- Sustained recovery involved working the steps repeatedly, not as a one-off task but as regular spiritual maintenance.
- Making direct amends, even to dangerous people and legal authorities, brought a sense of freedom and being “clean” for the first time since childhood.
- Long-term sobriety and a relationship with a higher power gave him strength to survive devastating loss, including his daughter’s death from an overdose.
“The miracle of Alcoholics Anonymous is not that I don't drink. The miracle of Alcoholics Anonymous is that I don't want to drink.”
Get ready to be moved by real-life accounts of what long-term sobriety can look like. At the Top of Texas Conference in Amarillo, Mike S. from Parker, Colorado shares a raw, funny and deeply honest story that stretches from strip clubs and motorcycle gangs to spiritual freedom and decades without a drink.
Mike talks about growing up in an alcoholic home where booze was “one of the four basic food groups,” blacking out at 13, losing a football scholarship to drinking, and ending up working in violent strip clubs fuelled by alcohol and speed. He doesn’t glamorise any of it; instead, he shows how that lifestyle slowly killed his soul long before it threatened his body.
The turning point comes after his partner knocks him out with a rolling pin and leaves with their young daughter. Lying in a pool of blood, he sees “pictures” of his life and realises he’s on a slow path to death.
The next day, he rings Alcoholics Anonymous and is eventually met by a sponsor who tells him straight: “You’re screwed,” then quietly slides him a glass of orange juice and honey with a straw because he can’t lift it himself. From there, you’ll hear how working the 12 steps again and again changed him from the inside out. Mike describes powerful amends, including walking into a San Francisco police station and even approaching mob-connected former employers.
He also shares how AA helped him survive the death of his daughter from an overdose after nine and a half years sober, leaning on a God he says “is my strength.” This talk is aimed at people who want AA with “depth and weight” rather than slogans alone — whether you’re brand new, struggling with long-term sobriety, or worried about someone you love.
It might leave you asking: what kind of freedom could be possible for you if you really leaned into the steps?
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