vol 301. Get to a Meeting with Joel W.

vol 301. Get to a Meeting with Joel W.

What remarkable journeys have people faced head-on against addiction? This instalment of Keep Coming Back brings Joel W. to the microphone with a raw, funny and painfully honest account of a life shaped by alcohol, crime and, eventually, Alcoholics Anonymous. Joel shares how growing up in a chaotic, boozy household in California led him to drink, drugs and a long history of burglary, prison sentences and failed attempts at giving his life to something better.

He laughs darkly about his old rule of thumb: “If I had $100, I was an addict. If I had $10, I was an alcoholic,” but there’s nothing glib about the consequences he describes. The focus here is AA storytelling at its purest. Joel talks about finding AA in prison, being moved by panels who “knew what they were talking about” because they’d lived exactly what he was living.

He explains how 14 sober years fell apart when he started keeping secrets, took a vicodin instead of a drink, and slid back into alcohol and chaos. His message is blunt: “Secrets kill you… it’s a fact, you’re going to get drunk.” For anyone in recovery who’s lost time and come back, Joel’s perspective on chips and sobriety dates is especially relatable.

On paper he has four years, yet decades of AA experience sit behind it, and he talks about shifting from chasing long-term chips to aiming for “that spiritual experience thing that’s in the book.” The episode is aimed squarely at alcoholics and addicts, including those with multiple relapses, people in or coming out of institutions, and anyone who feels they’re “too old” or too far gone.

With a mix of dark humour, AA quotes and practical service stories, Joel shows how meetings, sponsorship and simple willingness can still rebuild relationships, especially with his grandson and daughter. If you’re sitting on the fence about going back to a meeting, his story might have you asking: what if you tried just one more chair, one more cup of coffee?