Rick J. AFG MaleRick J. AFG Male
Recovery Radio Network
Rick J. shares his long journey through Al-Anon, showing how alcoholism as a family disease shaped his behaviour and relationships. Through humour and vivid stories, he explains how fully committing to the Twelve Steps shifted him from blame and control towards faith, responsibility and connection.
1:14:17•15 Oct 2026
Rick J. on Faith, Family Alcoholism and Getting in the Wheelbarrow
Episode Overview
- Alcoholism in the family can deeply affect non-drinkers, regardless of how much they themselves consume.
- Fellowship alone is not enough; working all Twelve Steps with a sponsor is presented as essential for real change.
- Belief in a higher power becomes meaningful when translated into action, rather than staying as observation or theory.
- Patterns like control, rage, people-pleasing and victimhood are described as symptoms of the family disease, not signs of virtue.
- Letting go of the idea that the alcoholic is the problem opens the door to personal responsibility and genuine peace of mind.
“Now the difference between belief and faith is that belief, you stand there and watch him do it. Faith is you get in the wheelbarrow.”
What drives someone to seek a life without alcohol? In this talk for the Recovery Radio Network, longtime Al-Anon member Rick J. shares how the family side of alcoholism shaped every corner of his life, even though he scarcely drank himself. You’ll hear a mix of sharp humour, raw honesty and solid twelve-step experience as he walks through decades of living with the "family disease" of alcoholism.
Rick describes growing up in an alcoholic home and how, from an early age, he built emotional "forts" to protect himself while secretly longing for connection. The turning point came when he met Alateen members as a child and felt, for the first time, that "it was okay to be with you." That feeling of identification and safety becomes a central theme as he talks about the power of fellowship *and* the necessity of working the steps.
He’s very clear that just showing up at meetings wasn’t enough. Rick admits he spent years in Al-Anon focusing on other people’s drinking, ignoring his own fear, rage and need to be needed. His sponsor’s tough love and insistence on working the Twelve Steps changed that. One of his most striking images is the tightrope over Niagara: "Belief is you stand there and watch him do it.
Faith is you get in the wheelbarrow." For Rick, faith meant full commitment to the program, including rigorous inventory, amends and sponsorship. Rick also challenges common assumptions: that the alcoholic’s sobriety will magically fix the family, and that Al-Anon problems are caused by drinking rather than aggravated by an underlying spiritual illness.
He illustrates how recovery can transform relationships, sharing how step work and patience led to a healthy partnership and the unexpected joy of becoming "Grandpa Rick." Anyone affected by another person’s drinking, or who recognises themselves in approval-seeking, control, anger or victimhood, may find his story hits close to home. Could it be time to get in the wheelbarrow rather than just watch from the sidelines?
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