Recovery is the Space Between Morning & Midnight with Ezra Vancil | Episode 511Recovery is the Space Between Morning & Midnight with Ezra Vancil | Episode 511
The Way Out | A Sobriety & Recovery Podcast
Ezra Vancil shares how alcoholism took him from rising indie musician to legal trouble and shattered family life, and how a moment of surrender on Valentine’s Day 2013 led to long-term recovery. He talks about rebuilding relationships, deepening his spiritual life and finding greater creativity in sobriety through music and service.
1:31:17•20 Jul 2026
From Morning to Midnight: Ezra Vancil on Sobriety, Music and Family
Episode Overview
- Surrender often begins with a single honest moment, such as Ezra reading his son’s desperate texts and admitting he could not control his drinking.
- Working the 12 steps with a sponsor, including redefining a higher power, helped transform long-held resentments and self-centred thinking.
- Simple daily practices—prayer, meditation, meetings and nightly reflection—form the backbone of Ezra’s long-term recovery.
- Quiet acts of service, like showing up to meetings, making coffee and doing good deeds without seeking praise, can build genuine self-esteem.
- Creativity does not depend on substances; Ezra has produced far more and better music in sobriety, including multiple albums and *Morning & Midnight*.
“"If you want self-esteem, do esteemable acts."”
How do people find strength in their journey to sobriety? This conversation with musician and author Ezra Vancil shows how recovery can reshape everything from family life to creative work. Across the episode, you'll hear Ezra share his history with alcohol, starting from his first drink at 13 through music industry success, blackouts, felonies and multiple suicide attempts.
He describes alcohol as once feeling like "the nectar of the gods" and later becoming pure devastation, especially as he drank through mental health crises and drove drunk with his children in the car. The turning point arrived on Valentine’s Day 2013, when Ezra woke from a blackout to texts from his son saying, "Dad, please stop.
Why are you doing this to me?" That moment of surrender led him to a 12-step meeting, where for the first time he listened and admitted, "I lie so much." From there, his life began to change from the inside out.
Ezra talks candidly about working the steps, wrestling with the "God thing", and rewriting his idea of a higher power into simply "my friend." He explains how daily prayer, meditation, meetings and sponsorship keep him in what he calls "the middle of the bed" of recovery, instead of sliding towards relapse. Service is central: showing up to meetings, making coffee, cleaning bathrooms, and doing good deeds without telling anyone.
As he puts it, "If you want self-esteem, do esteemable acts." The episode will especially resonate if you’re juggling recovery with family responsibilities and creative ambitions. Ezra now has over 13 years without alcohol, a rebuilt marriage with a sober partner, healed relationships with his children, a business, and a flourishing music career including his double album and book, *Morning & Midnight*.
If you’ve ever wondered whether you can stay sober and still be creative, or repair damage with the people you love, this story might be the reminder you need that change can start between morning and midnight. What "esteemable act" could you take today?
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