Sex, Money, and SobrietySex, Money, and Sobriety
I Love Being Sober
Tim Westbrook talks with Walter Clark about how sex and money can quietly replace alcohol as addictions, even in long-term sobriety. Walter shares his financial collapse, relationship struggles and the spiritual shift that changed how he lives sober today.
1:08:15•13 Aug 2020
Sex, Money and Sobriety: When Staying Dry Isn't Enough
Episode Overview
- Simply not drinking is rarely enough; lasting sobriety requires deep internal change.
- Chasing money, status or relationships as a fix for inner emptiness leads to more pain, even if you stay sober.
- Money can be healthy when seen as a by-product of serving others rather than a measure of personal worth.
- Rigorous honesty about behaviours around sex, money and power is crucial, especially for those with long-term sobriety.
- Consistent practices like meditation, sponsorship and morning routines help maintain spiritual connection and direction.
“Anytime you pursue something on the outside, it never manufactures or produces the result that you want.”
What drives someone to seek a life without alcohol? In this candid conversation, long-time friends Tim Westbrook and Walter Clark pull apart the tangled mix of sex, money and sobriety with the kind of honesty that many people think about but rarely say out loud. Walter, sober since the age of 22 and now 35 years alcohol-free, talks about how he swapped drinking for chasing wealth and relationships.
He explains how he confused being sober with being spiritually well, saying, "Anytime you pursue something on the outside, it never manufactures or produces the result that you want." Instead of finding peace, he ended up with seven-figure income, a huge house, infidelity and a double life that eventually cost him his marriage, his firm and his sense of self.
You’ll hear Walter describe his "$10 million dumb tax"—losing his investment firm through self-centred decisions—and how that collapse forced him to confront the difference between being abstinent and actually changing on the inside. He talks openly about using sex, money, food and status like replacement drugs, and how common that pattern is in sobriety when people cling to the phrase "but I'm sober" while ignoring everything else that’s broken.
The conversation also touches on practical recovery tools: sponsorship, rigorous honesty, spiritual growth, morning routines, service, and building a life where money becomes a by-product of helping others rather than a goal to fill an inner void. Covid-19 comes up too, as they discuss how uncertainty can become an opportunity when you lean on prayer, connection and meaningful work.
If you've ever wondered why staying dry doesn’t automatically make life feel better, or if you’re wrestling with compulsive behaviour around sex or money while sober, this episode might prompt some uncomfortable but important questions. Are you truly changing, or just swapping one obsession for another?
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