Richard K. AA MaleRichard K. AA Male
Recovery Radio Network
Richard shares his journey from childhood exposure to bootleg whiskey and a violent alcoholic home to finding sobriety through Alcoholics Anonymous. He recounts how sponsorship, meetings, and helping other alcoholics changed his life, restored his family relationships, and removed his compulsion to drink.
1:01:17•3 Sept 2026
From Bootleg Whiskey to AA: Richard’s Long Road Back to His Family
Episode Overview
- Alcohol initially gave Richard a powerful sense of confidence and belonging, but over time it led to daily blackouts, constant fear at home, and severe dependence.
- Growing up with an alcoholic father, Richard swore never to repeat that pattern, yet he eventually created the same chaos and pain for his own family.
- An intervention from his boss and a phone call to Alcoholics Anonymous marked the start of his sobriety, despite strong resistance and shame.
- His sponsor’s strict but simple instructions – such as calling before drinking juice or going to the bathroom – helped him become willing to follow directions and work the AA programme.
- Helping another alcoholic in Lumberton, Mississippi reinforced the message he’d been hearing in meetings and coincided with the disappearance of his desire to drink.
“Richard, you don’t ever have to live like this again if you don’t want to, if you’re willing to do certain things.”
What can we learn from those who have battled addiction? This recording from the Recovery Radio Network centres on Richard, an AA member who shares a long, honest account of his drinking and recovery, from a bootlegging childhood in Silas, Alabama, to rebuilding his life and family through Alcoholics Anonymous. You’ll hear him chart how alcohol first felt like a miracle cure: “One day I took two drinks of alcohol… I grew five inches. I got beautiful.
I got smart.” That brief feeling of confidence slowly turned into daily blackouts, constant fear at home, and the same chaos he once swore he’d never inflict on his own family after growing up with an alcoholic father. The episode is rich in story rather than theory. Richard talks about hiding vodka in his car’s washer bottle, the family’s desperate attempts to shock him into stopping, and the sheer terror of calling AA for the first time.
There’s humour too, like his misadventures with prune juice, but it’s always grounded in the reality of physical withdrawal, shame, and denial. A big part of the recording focuses on sponsorship and the early discipline that made him “teachable” – phoning his sponsor before drinking juice or even going to the loo. He explains how these simple acts led him to follow suggestions, work the steps, and eventually pass the message on to others.
This talk fits anyone who wants a long-form, old-school AA story: people in early recovery, those living with active alcoholism, or anyone curious about what a serious drinking problem can look like behind closed doors.
It’s raw, funny in places, and deeply human, with a clear message: “You don’t ever have to live like this again… if you’re willing to do certain things.” If you’re feeling stuck, could this be the kind of story that helps you see your own drinking a bit more clearly?
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