TSP 066: "No More Green Beer" with Jeff Tabler: 5 DUIs, an ankle monitor, and 1 year sober!TSP 066: "No More Green Beer" with Jeff Tabler: 5 DUIs, an ankle monitor, and 1 year sober!
The SHAIR Recovery Podcast
Jeff Tabler talks about his journey from early drinking, military chaos, and five DUIs to one year sober. He shares how meetings, a higher power, and genuine fellowship helped him rebuild his life after facing jail, felonies, and the possible loss of his family.
1:26:27•17 May 2016
No More Green Beer: Jeff Tabler’s Journey from Five DUIs to One Year Sober
Episode Overview
- Ego and the belief of being "in control" kept Jeff from accepting he was powerless over alcohol for many years.
- Spiritual growth for him is built on simple daily prayer, brief pauses during the day, and asking, "What’s my motivation here?"
- Returning to meetings and reconnecting with people in recovery after relapse made coming back far easier than staying in shame.
- The serenity prayer helps him decide which battles to fight in everyday life and accept that not every day will be great, even sober.
- Staying close to the fellowship and "sticking with the winners" has been crucial in turning a felon with five DUIs into an active, hopeful member of his recovery community.
“"I'll take my worst day sober over my best day drunk any day of the week now."”
How do people turn their lives around after addiction? This conversation between host Omar Pinto and guest Jeff Tabler shows just how messy and miraculous that shift can be. Jeff shares how his drinking began at age 11 with stolen vodka and escalated through college chaos, military service, cocaine-fuelled football, bartending, and eventually five DUIs. He talks openly about being kicked out of the navy, wrecking career chances, facing felonies, and watching his marriage hang by a thread.
What makes this episode stand out is how ordinary Jeff’s thinking sounds at first: the classic “I’ve got this” attitude, the ego that says he’s different, and the way he used geography and new jobs as temporary fixes. He laughs about it now, but he’s brutally honest about how far it took him: ankle monitors, jail time, and being one court date away from prison.
The turning point comes with his last arrest, two days before St Patrick’s Day, when his “practice” for green beer ended with number five. Instead of giving up, he threw himself back into meetings, outpatient treatment, and the fellowship he’d drifted away from. He describes learning to shut up and listen, building a daily spiritual routine based on simple prayer and quick check-ins with his higher power, and actually taking suggestions from a sponsor.
Jeff’s now a year sober, working a solid job he landed while on work release, reconnecting with his kids, hosting sober bonfires, and leaning heavily on “stick with the winners” and the serenity prayer to get through daily life. As he puts it, “I’m actually a genuinely happy person in this last year.
And I’m loving life.” If you’ve ever wondered whether five DUIs and a felony record mean you’re finished, this story might make you ask a better question: what if your best days are still ahead of you?
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