SHAIR 195: Bottleneck with Paul FuhrSHAIR 195: Bottleneck with Paul Fuhr
The SHAIR Recovery Podcast
Writer and dad Paul Fuhr talks candidly with host Omar Pinto about his years of alcoholic chaos, early sobriety struggles and learning to feel emotions again. He also shares how meetings, a quirky spiritual routine and his book *Bottleneck* grew out of his ongoing recovery.
1:35:12•6 Nov 2018
From Garage Confessions to Bottleneck: Paul Fuhr on Sobriety, Writing and Dad Life
Episode Overview
- Alcohol can quietly escalate from background habit to complete life takeover, even without dramatic external disasters.
- Early sobriety may involve grieving alcohol and feeling long‑numb emotions, which is a normal and workable part of recovery.
- Simple daily routines – like listening to the same song while giving thanks – can be powerful ways to build a spiritual connection.
- Regular meetings, a home group and a sponsor provide a backbone for recovery and help challenge harmful ideas like rushing into amends.
- Sharing your story through writing or conversation can help you process your past and offer real support to others who relate.
“I hadn't felt emotions in 20 years… it was staggering, like, oh, this is what this feels like, or, oh, this is what I was avoiding.”
What emotional and inspiring tales of recovery are out there? This conversation between host Omar Pinto and writer Paul Fuhr gives you a front‑row seat to one man's messy, funny and very human shift from “train wreck” drinker to sober dad and recovery author. Aimed squarely at people in or curious about recovery, the chat blends dark humour with raw honesty.
Paul talks about being a stay‑at‑home dad who was cracking open beers at 9am, leaving his child to dash out for wine, and even opening credit cards just to fund his drinking. He explains how he lied about being sober after rehab, carried on drinking in secret, and gave people recovery advice while he was still drunk himself – something he now calls “the most unforgivable thing” from his drinking days.
You’ll hear how AA meetings, a solid sponsor and a simple spiritual routine slowly changed things. Paul shares his unusual morning ritual of playing the same three‑minute song every day as his quiet time with his higher power, and how that tiny habit keeps him grounded. He also describes an “anchor” moment at a concert, when beer was being passed over his head and he suddenly realised he didn’t feel left out anymore.
As a recovery writer and author of *Bottleneck*, Paul talks about turning years of chaos into hundreds of articles and a book about an “ordinary” alcoholic story – marriage, kids, work and booze – for people who don’t see themselves in the more dramatic recovery memoirs. If you’ve ever wondered whether your problems are “bad enough” or feared life would be boring without alcohol, this episode might make you smile, wince and think again.
What if you’re closer to a new story than you realise?
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