Ousmane D. NA SpeakerOusmane D. NA Speaker
The SHAIR Recovery Podcast
Ousmane D. shares a humorous yet hard-hitting NA convention talk about how addiction broke his spirit and how recovery helped rebuild it. He focuses on spirituality, the Twelve Steps, and staying honest about the disease while keeping a sense of humour.
1:20:28•26 May 2015
Keeping the Spirit Alive: Ousmane D.’s Funny, Fierce NA Message
Episode Overview
- Addiction is framed as a disease that attacks the spirit first, long before drugs enter the picture.
- Powerlessness does not excuse irresponsibility; recovery means accepting consequences and changing behaviour.
- The Twelve Steps are presented as a practical way to gain consequential thinking and a spiritual foundation, not just an exercise in guilt.
- Real recovery involves meetings, a sponsor, a home group and carrying a clear NA message rather than mixing in other agendas.
- Avoiding personal responsibilities in the name of recovery can become a new form of self-destruction; showing up for family and life is part of staying clean.
“Recovery is like sex. If you're not enjoying it, you ain't doing something right.”
Curious about how others navigate their sobriety journey? This episode drops you straight into a raw, funny and deeply honest NA convention talk from Ousmane D., recorded at FRCNA XXV under the theme “Keeping the Spirit Alive.” Ousmane speaks directly to people living with addiction and those trying to stay clean, mixing street-level humour with straight-up truth.
He looks back at early childhood moments that shattered his sense of being “enough”, linking that loss of spirit to the roots of his addiction. From there, he talks through fantasy, chasing a rush and worshipping drugs, money and relationships as substitutes for a higher power. Using vivid stories – from Popeye and Snow White to a shockingly memorable “gorilla dilemma” – Ousmane shows how cunning and persistent the disease of addiction can be.
He keeps it real about being an “undiagnosed addict”, baffling his family, and the madness of trying geographical cures in places like France and Jamaica. For those interested in 12-step recovery, he breaks down key steps in plain language: what powerlessness really means (and what it doesn’t), why guilt and shame nearly break people, and how the Fourth and Fifth Steps are about finding who you are now rather than drowning in the past.
He hammers home the need for meetings, sponsorship, home groups and clear NA messages, not watered-down “thirsty club” versions. This talk suits anyone wrestling with drugs, alcohol or addictive behaviours, as well as people already in recovery who need a spiritual kick-start and a good laugh. Ousmane’s blend of humour and honesty asks a simple question: are you keeping your spirit ahead of your disease, or are you sliding back into the forest for “sport” again?
Do you want to link to this podcast?
Get the buttons here!
More From This Show
The latest episodes from the same podcast.