vol 311. All In with Mark R.

vol 311. All In with Mark R.

Curious about how others navigate their sobriety journey? This conversation with Mark R. (Mark Rogowski) offers a front-row seat to a long, messy, honest road from “dry” to genuinely sober.

Mark shares how alcohol first quietened the chaos in his head at 14, and how that early relief spiralled into years of parties, risky driving, and a life that felt like “a cross between a beer commercial and a Cheech and Chong movie.” He talks about trying to control his drinking by changing the *description* of it—family weekends, dinner parties, “a couple of pops in the garage”—while actually drinking more than ever.

You’ll hear about six years of white-knuckled abstinence without a programme, where he stayed away from alcohol but describes his life as completely unmanageable. His hand grenade metaphor for piling up unresolved problems will probably ring a bell for anyone who’s ever tried to “multitask” their way through mounting chaos.

The turning point comes in a steam room in 2010, when Mark hits emotional bottom and finally says, “God, if you’re there, you’ve got to help me out because I can’t do this anymore.” From there, he throws himself fully into Alcoholics Anonymous: getting a sponsor, actually working the steps, making living amends to his mum, and rebuilding his life and finances one day at a time. Host Tara V.

draws out details of Mark’s early meetings, his struggles with ego and self-will, and his decision—after many years sober—to redo all 12 steps with a new sponsor from Akron, Ohio. The style is warm, story-driven, and often funny, even as it tackles adoption, family trauma, PTSD, divorce, financial ruin, and slow, steady healing.

If you’ve ever thought “I’ve stopped drinking, why isn’t my life better yet?”, Mark’s story might be the nudge to go all in instead of going it alone. What step could you take today to stop just staying dry and start actually getting well?