Stephan B. AA Male

Stephan B. AA Male

What makes a recovery story truly inspiring? Here, Stephan B shares how a life that looked picture-perfect from the outside unravelled after that first six-pack of beer at 14, and how Alcoholics Anonymous became, in his words, “everything I have worth having.” You’ll hear about his roots in small-town Louisiana, growing up on a farm with a close-knit extended family, altar-boy duties and endless games of sport.

Then the shift comes: blackout drinking within 100 days, seven car accidents before 20, and the night he wrecked two of his parents’ vehicles in one day. His description of his mother’s face that night – “it wasn’t resignation… it wasn’t rage… it was done” – captures the damage alcoholism caused at home. Stephan talks honestly about trying to quit “about 300 times”, making it only 33 days on his own, and eventually entering treatment purely to keep his job.

A chance encounter with the AA Big Book and a visiting speaker gave him something he’d never had before: “after that first weekend, I had a little hope, like, maybe this could work for me.” He hasn’t had a drink since.

The episode then walks through his experience of the AA steps: redefining a Higher Power with words like “loving, kind, available, reliable”, writing out 154 resentments (later 155), sharing eight deeply held secrets with his sponsor, and using the “bedevilments” as an early warning system in sobriety. He explains how amends transformed his relationships with his parents and grandmother, and how AA support helped him make loving but painful decisions around end-of-life care.

Stephan’s aim now is simple: “to be a loving father and a trusted friend.” If you’re wondering whether the AA path can change long-standing patterns of harm, this talk might give you a fresh angle – and maybe a little hope too.