SHAIR 91: "Sober and Serious" with Keith Campbell, strive to be a better person every daySHAIR 91: "Sober and Serious" with Keith Campbell, strive to be a better person every day
The SHAIR Recovery Podcast
Keith Campbell talks about his journey from addiction, crime and prison to a faith-centred life in recovery, supported by meetings and his Sober and Serious group. The conversation focuses on daily routines, hard family realities and the determination to put as much effort into sobriety as once went into using.
54:11•8 Nov 2016
Sober and Serious: Keith Campbell on Trading Chaos for Recovery
Episode Overview
- Trying to get clean alone kept Keith stuck; progress began when he followed 12-step suggestions and went to meetings for himself.
- Daily prayer, meditation, meetings and sponsoring others form the backbone of his ongoing recovery.
- Letting go of destructive relationships, even when children are involved, can be necessary to protect sobriety.
- Social media groups like Sober and Serious can give daily connection and support, especially for those not yet ready for in-person meetings.
- Putting as much effort into recovery as once went into getting high can completely change the course of a life.
“Chase recovery like you chased your high or your drunk.”
How do people find strength in their journey to sobriety? This conversation between Omar Pinto and Keith Campbell centres on exactly that, with a raw look at addiction, crime, faith and the daily graft of staying clean. Keith, founder of the Facebook group *Sober and Serious*, talks about growing up fast: drinking as a young teen, dealing drugs from 15, violent crime, and spending over seven years locked up in jails and prison.
He’s disarmingly honest about life as a "bad boy" – collecting debts, fighting a whole softball team while blackout drunk, and climbing balconies to assault someone – and how he once believed that was simply his fate. What shifts the tone is how calmly he now describes his routine: morning prayer and meditation, work, meetings, fellowship, sponsoring other men and regularly thanking his higher power.
He explains that for years he tried to manage alone, going to meetings only to get a court sheet signed. Things changed when he started going "for myself" with an open mind and a willingness to follow suggestions rather than his ego. Keith shares painful family fallout too: four children with four mothers, long gaps without contact, and the slow, expensive process of repairing legal and emotional damage.
There’s no fairy-tale ending yet, and he’s careful not to pretend otherwise – but he keeps emphasising that today he shows up, pays his child support, stays clean and trusts that "God’s plan B is always better than my plan A." You’ll also hear how his online group has grown from 200 to thousands, becoming a lifeline for people who may never set foot in a meeting, and how daily posts and messages keep his own sobriety front and centre.
If you’re wondering whether change is really possible after years of chaos, Keith’s motto might stick with you: "Chase recovery like you chased your high or your drunk." Could you put that same energy into getting well?
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