Robert B. Age 42. Sober since: 8/8/11Robert B. Age 42. Sober since: 8/8/11
Keep Coming Back: Real Stories of Sobriety & Recovery
Introduction to “Keep Coming Back.” In this initial episode I discuss a bit of my own story, followed by my interview with Rob B. Age 42 and sober since 8/8/11. We explore how drinking touched his work life, affected his marriage, and his initial thoughts on recovery and AA.
42:02•7 Oct 2019
Robert B’s Story: From Vodka, Percocet and Denial to Honest Sobriety
Episode Overview
- Alcohol and pills often feel like they boost confidence, but for Mike and Rob they repeatedly led to shame, damage and regret.
- Rob’s story shows how denial can be so strong that empty bottles and missing medication are blamed on others rather than his own use.
- Hearing a wide cross-section of people in AA, including a mother facing her child’s death, helped Rob see that sobriety offers support through the worst moments.
- Rob learned to stop comparing his story to others and instead look for similarities, which allowed him to accept he was "just another human being with a drug and alcohol problem."
- His core advice to anyone new is simple: don’t try to get sober alone, because isolation feeds addiction while connection keeps people alive and sober.
“Just simply don't do it alone. You can't do it alone. So don't isolate.”
What drives someone to seek a life without alcohol? This opening episode of *Keep Coming Back: Real Stories of Sobriety & Recovery* gives a raw, funny and sometimes painful look at exactly that. Host Mike S, sober since 2016, sets the tone by sharing a wedding speech disaster fuelled by pills, booze and fear.
His story of turning a heartfelt best man speech into a cringe-worthy roast captures how alcohol and drugs twisted his attempts to be his "best" self: he thought they’d make him charming and fearless, but instead they just left him ashamed. From there, the focus shifts to Rob B, 42, sober since August 2011.
Rob talks about drinking and using through his ex-wife’s cancer treatment, stealing her prescribed percocet and convincing himself no one noticed – only to find out later, "everyone knows." His honesty about denial, secrecy and warped logic will feel familiar to anyone who’s ever tried to hide their usage.
Rob walks through the slow decline from functional, successful manager to someone throwing up blood on Monday mornings, buying daily bottles of vodka and convincing himself the empty bottles must belong to someone else. A turning point comes when a colleague calmly says he has no idea what it’s like to be that sick from anxiety and alcohol – a quiet contrast that shakes Rob’s sense of "normal".
You’ll also hear about his first AA meeting in New York, the tattooed mother with a dying child who still says she’s grateful to be sober, and the early suggestion to go to "90 meetings in 90 days" that felt like climbing Everest. Rob talks about learning to identify rather than compare, finding a sponsor, and realising he isn’t a monster – just "another human being with a drug and alcohol problem." The heart of his message?
"Just simply don’t do it alone." If you’ve ever wondered whether your drinking or using is "bad enough" to need help, this story might have you asking a different question: what would it be like to stop pretending you’ve got it handled and reach out instead?
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