Staying Fit ODAAT with Migs ReyesStaying Fit ODAAT with Migs Reyes
Addict II Athlete Podcast
Miguel "Migs" Reyes shares his journey from growing up with an alcoholic father to becoming a heavy drinker himself, facing DUIs, legal trouble and broken family ties. He describes the moment holding his newborn son that pushed him towards AA, church and fitness, setting up a powerful to-be-continued story of recovery and running.
1:06:44•20 Jul 2021
From Bar Hopping to Starting Lines: Migs Reyes on Staying Fit ODAAT
Episode Overview
- Childhood exposure to an alcoholic parent can shape powerful vows about who you’ll never become, yet those patterns can quietly repeat without awareness.
- Legal consequences, DUIs and close calls with prison do not always stop drinking, but they can become important wake-up markers in hindsight.
- Trying to protect children by staying away while drinking still causes deep hurt and distance, and often delays the hard but necessary changes.
- Admitting “I’m an alcoholic” out loud and stepping into AA and church support created a clear turning point that Migs could not easily walk back from.
- Linking meetings with physical activity gave Migs extra sober time each day and opened the door to fitness and running as positive replacements.
“You have a three week old right now who has never seen you drunk. Now is your chance for your youngest son to never see you drunk.”
What drives someone to seek a life without alcohol? This conversation between Coach Blu Robinson and Miguel “Migs” Reyes offers a raw, honest look at that question, with a mix of heavy truth, dark humour, and plenty of heart. Migs walks through his story from growing up with an alcoholic dad to becoming the very man he promised he’d never be.
As a child, he sat “in the backseat sitting on a case of beer,” handing drinks to the adults, and later wrote on a custody worksheet, “I don’t want my dad drinking.” Years later, he’s the one getting DUIs, dodging prison, and trying to juggle parole, weed, and alcohol tests with careful timing.
The episode leans into family scars, fatherhood guilt, and the painful honesty of admitting, “Hi, my name is Miguel and I’m an alcoholic,” for the first time in an AA meeting.
You’ll hear how a near-fatal mix of booze, cars, and sheer luck repeatedly keeps him out of jail, and how becoming a father again cracks something open: holding his newborn son and thinking, “You’re becoming exactly who you said you don’t want to be.” Coach Blu keeps the tone grounded and relatable, letting Migs talk at length while gently highlighting the patterns—absent parenting, justified drinking, and the belief that avoiding your kids while drunk is somehow doing them a favour.
The conversation shifts into early sobriety, church, AA, and eventually fitness and running as new outlets, just as Migs rolls his ankle training for his first marathon and the story hits a cliffhanger. This episode is ideal for anyone in early recovery, parents haunted by past mistakes, or people who grew up in alcoholic homes and wonder if they’re doomed to repeat the cycle. It’s messy, honest, and unfinished—perfect if you like your recovery stories real, relatable, and told ODAAT.
What part of Migs’ story hits closest to home for you?
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