Shannon B FOTS South 2026Shannon B FOTS South 2026
Mad Dog Recovery AA Speakers
Shannon B shares his journey from childhood terror and early drinking to relapse, sponsorship and spiritual awakening in AA. He talks openly about facing intense personal struggles, including legal battles over his daughter, while staying sober through connection, service and a shift towards living in the present.
1:03:07•1 Sept 2026
Shannon B on Alcoholism, Relapse and Finding Safety in AA
Episode Overview
- Alcohol provided early relief from lifelong feelings of separation, fear and inadequacy, but eventually became lethal.
- Understanding the allergy to alcohol and the phenomenon of craving helped explain why "just one" drink was never possible.
- Relapse can happen even with years of sobriety when spiritual growth, steps 10 and 11, and service are neglected.
- Deep sponsorship and intensive work with others, backed by real time and commitment, are presented as crucial for ongoing recovery.
- Staying present and rooted in AA principles allows someone to walk through severe life trials, including painful legal battles over a child, without drinking.
“I thought I was here to not drink. I really did. And I realised today what I'm here for is I'm here to wake up.”
What drives someone to seek a life without alcohol? In this AA speaker session from "Mad Dog Recovery AA Speakers", Shannon B closes out the Fellowship of the Spirit South conference with a talk that blends raw honesty, humour and a lot of heart. If you’re looking for something with genuine "depth and weight", you’ll find plenty here.
Shannon starts by sharing how welcomed and safe he feels in the Lafayette fellowship, joking about New Jersey greetings and mispronouncing local food, then quickly shifts into serious territory.
He talks about a childhood filled with terror, violence and uncertainty, and how alcohol at 12 felt like magic: "I could have used a rum and coke in the kindergarten… I always felt separate at like five, six years old." That first drink in the back of a car didn’t just relax him – it made him feel like the person he’d always wanted to be.
Across the talk, Shannon unpacks the allergy to alcohol, the phenomenon of craving, and why self-knowledge alone couldn’t keep him sober. He describes multiple relapses, including one after seven and a half years of sobriety, and how seemingly harmless painkillers led him back to the first drink. The way he describes that mental twist around Percocet and then gin makes the Big Book’s "strange mental blank spot" feel very real.
A major part of his message centres on sponsorship, service, and showing up for others. He shares how his sponsor Adrian "altered the course" of his life, and why he now sees intensive work with others as the thing that keeps him spiritually alive. He speaks movingly about current child protective services cases involving his daughter Autumn, and how AA gives him the tools to walk through deep pain without drinking.
Shannon finishes by reminding everyone that, despite the trials, "you’re not going to be okay… you already are." If you’ve ever wondered how someone stays sober through real-life chaos, this talk might be exactly what you need today.
Do you want to link to this podcast?
Get the buttons here!
More From This Show
The latest episodes from the same podcast.