Recovered: Interviews with Alcoholics | Mickey Corona

Recovered: Interviews with Alcoholics | Mickey Corona

What drives someone to seek a life without alcohol? For Mickey Corona, it started at 32 with a seemingly harmless idea: making Long Island iced teas at home. Within a month, eight bottles were empty and something in his body and mind had clearly changed. He went from a successful financial adviser with a house, cars and status to someone who couldn’t stop drinking, even when his life was falling apart.

This conversation paints a clear picture of late-onset alcoholism in someone who never grew up around heavy drinking. Mickey talks about hiding bottles, missing million‑dollar client meetings, and watching his life slowly unravel while still telling himself that "alcoholism is for other people." By the time he reached homelessness, delirium tremens and a suicide attempt, he describes feeling utterly trapped and out of options.

You’ll hear how a brief hospital stay and one staff member’s question – “Have you ever heard of The Magdalen House?” – became the turning point. Mickey explains what it was like to arrive at Maggie’s convinced nothing could help, then to gain education about alcoholism and a practical solution through the 12 steps and community support.

His line, "If an alcoholic as bad as me can do it, they can too," sums up the hope he’s trying to pass on. Now working in recovery and sponsoring others, Mickey shares honestly about the hard bits too: dragging his feet on Step Four, slowly making amends, and realising through the steps why he drank in the first place. The episode speaks directly to anyone who feels “too far gone,” as well as loved ones trying to understand.

It asks a simple question: if everything you’ve tried hasn’t worked, what have you got to lose by trying something different?