vol 303. Every Day Gifts with Jim T.vol 303. Every Day Gifts with Jim T.
Keep Coming Back Podcast
Jim T. shares his long, winding journey through alcoholism, repeated relapses, spiritual struggle, and grief, and how AA and outside help reshaped his sobriety. He reflects on resentment, faith, and the simple daily gifts of staying sober one day at a time.
1:03:49•22 Jun 2026
Jim T. on Resentment, Faith and the Everyday Gifts of Sobriety
Episode Overview
- Alcohol initially brought Jim relief and a sense of feeling "normal", but ultimately led to serious consequences including a DWI and repeated relapses.
- Resentment played a central role in his drinking and returning to alcohol, underscoring the AA idea that it is the "number one offender".
- His current sobriety deepened when a sponsor walked him through the Big Book page by page and turned step work into a focused, honest process.
- Outside help such as therapy and a non-religious spiritual retreat made his AA work more effective, especially around connection with a higher power.
- Jim’s message to those suffering is to keep coming back, stay open-minded, and recognise that difficult feelings and situations are not permanent.
“Every day is a gift. It really is. It's not a cliche.”
What can we learn from those who have battled addiction? This conversation with Jim T. offers a long-haul view of alcoholism, relapse, and what finally made recovery stick. Jim shares how alcohol first felt like the missing piece that made him "feel normal" as a teenager, and how that feeling drove years of heavy drinking, hangovers, and eventually a DWI at 20 that pushed him into treatment and his first meetings.
He talks frankly about his early years in AA, where sobriety was mostly held together by fellowship and social life rather than a spiritual or principle-based programme, making it easy to drift away when resentments kicked in. Across moves from California to Texas to Arkansas, several marriages, and cycles of getting sober and going back out, Jim describes resentment as "the number one offender" in his life and how it repeatedly opened the door to relapse.
A turning point came about seven years into his current sobriety when a new sponsor had him work the steps straight from the Big Book, page by page, and gave unusual assignments like seven coffee dates focused on Step Two. That shift turned his step work from a "quantity exercise to a quality exercise" and changed how he saw himself, his patterns, and his need for a spiritual solution.
Jim also talks about seeking help outside AA, his struggle with faith, the impact of his wife's breast cancer, and the grief of his brother's suicide. Through it all, AA’s simple tools and honest conversations brought him back to peace and usefulness. His message for anyone suffering is gentle but clear: keep coming back, stay open-minded, and remember, "Every day is a gift. It really is.
It's not a cliche." If you’re wondering whether there’s still hope for you, Jim’s story might be the reminder you need today.
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