Sober Talk SA - Rick

Sober Talk SA - Rick

What can we learn from those who have battled addiction? In this candid episode of Sober Talk SA, Rick shares how his relationship with alcohol began at just nine years old and how that first "sense of ease and comfort" hooked him for decades. He’s clear that drinking wasn’t always miserable – there were good times with mates – but while others grew up, he was "hanging on by a thread".

The heart of Rick’s story is less about stopping drinking and more about what happens after the bottle is put down. Sober since April 2011, he talks about how simply going to meetings and reciting the Big Book wasn’t enough. He admits, "I could certainly talk the talk in AA...

I'd go home and I would have a barney with my wife and I'd put a hole in the wall." That honesty will ring true for anyone who’s found sobriety but still feels lost inside. Rick explains how changing sponsors and doing a deep inventory of his beliefs about God and a higher power completely shifted his recovery.

He moves from rigid, mechanical AA routines to a more genuine spiritual connection, learning to pause "when agitated or doubtful" and to listen to that quieter inner voice instead of reacting. You’ll hear how this new way of living carried him through real-life blows: a near-divorce, a miscarriage, becoming a dad despite huge fears, and even his business burning to the ground.

Through it all, he keeps coming back to principles like honesty, responsibility, and faith that "God moves mountains but bring the shovel." Anyone wondering why life still feels chaotic after getting sober will find Rick’s story relatable, challenging, and encouraging. It might just prompt you to ask: am I simply dry, or am I actually changing?