Out of Gas - now what?Out of Gas - now what?
Sober.Coffee Podcast
Mike and Glenn talk openly about feeling worn out in long-term sobriety and what it means to have an “empty tank”. They share practical tools, honest struggles and the importance of connection when emotional relapse signs start to show.
38:19•17 Jun 2026
Running on Empty in Sobriety: What to Do When Your Tank Feels Dry
Episode Overview
- Feeling exhausted or low does not automatically mean sobriety is failing; “not feeling good” can still be part of doing well.
- Build strong self-awareness so you can see when your tank is empty and call it what it is: stress, grief, lack of sleep or over-commitment.
- Use a practical toolbox of actions – meetings, prayer, music, rest, service and simple responsibilities – and keep doing the next right thing.
- Don’t do recovery or life alone; lean on spouses, sponsors, friends and sober peers to “read the label on your jar” when you can’t see clearly.
- Accept that hard seasons will come in long-term sobriety and focus on suffering better rather than reaching for a drink to escape.
“Just because you’re not feeling good doesn’t mean you’re not doing good.”
What drives someone to seek a life without alcohol? For Mike and Glenn from Sober.Coffee, it’s not Maseratis and picture-perfect “Facebook sobriety”, it’s real life, hard seasons, and staying sober even when the tank feels completely empty. Across their combined 18½ years of sobriety, they admit that things are far from perfect. Glenn shares that he’s in a particularly draining stretch: grieving his mum’s death, managing her estate, juggling a demanding business, helping with grandkids, and recovering from surgery.
He says he’s “in an emotional relapse zone” and running on fumes, while Mike gently presses: is this a problem with sobriety, or with life being heavy? You’ll hear them break down what “empty tank” really looks like: poor sleep, stress, over-commitment, and that classic alcoholic tendency to overdo anything – even jawbreakers, in Glenn’s case, which literally cost him a tooth.
Instead of hiding it, they talk through the messy reality: “Just because you’re not feeling good doesn’t mean you’re not doing good.” The conversation keeps circling back to tools and connection. Glenn talks about throwing his whole “toolbox” at bad mornings: prayer, music, meetings, commitments, and doing “the next right thing” even when he doesn’t want to.
Mike adds the idea of hard resets and reminds him that he doesn’t have to decide alone what’s next; people like his wife, sponsor and sober brothers can “read the label on his jar” when he can’t. If you’ve ever been sober yet utterly worn out, this chat shows that feeling low doesn’t mean you’ve failed – it just means it’s time to check your fuel, use your tools and ask, who’s helping you carry the load today?
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