It is amazing how so much can change in a years time with a person in recovery. This episode BD Zack returns back to the show. BD Zack was originally on the show back in September of 2022. If you have not listened to that episode I would recommend going back to it and checking out prior to listening to this one. Anyone willing to help BD Zack for costs of his journey you can at the bottom from this message from him.
Hey there, everybody.I'm BDZack. Maybe you already know a little something about me. In short, I share membership in our tribe of recovering alcoholics. And, I'm going on a special journey soon.About me: I spent many years allowing booze, sugar, depression, guilt, and self-hate to take me down. It nearly destroyed me in every sense. In the end, I had become practically a shut-in. At my worst, I was a 640-pound broken man, hiding at the bottom of a bottle waiting to die. And then, when I hit rock bottom, I found AA. I found you all.I've spent the last 4 and a half years sober. Rebuilding my life and health. I've worked the steps. I've dealt with my guilt. I've gained a great deal of love and forgiveness. I've learned the value and joy that comes from gratitude and compassion. I've discovered the beauty in life. I've also lost enough weight now that I can drive for the first time in over a decade. Getting out into the sun. Living. Being independent. I cannot express in words alone how much that means to me right now.I still have a long way to go yet but I am proud of the goals I've reached. Hopeful towards the future. Fulfilled by being productive again, helping people, and being a good man to my family.And so I get to the point.I'm taking off on a road trip soon. A pilgrimage, if you will. A quest of sorts. It has been over a decade since I've seen my mother out in California. Since I've seen my old home. Since it's seen me. It is time.When I left it many years ago, I did so a drunk, a villain, and under a cloud of pain and sorrow. Now, it is my intention to cross this land again. To return home for a visit. To see my mom once again. And to do it all sober. Alive. Clean. Happy. Grateful.I suppose it is a journey of closure for me... in a way. And a mile marker on this new path of life.I am not a wealthy man by far. And so I come to "the ask".Our friends, Evin & Marcus, suggested I allow people to share this journey with me and help me out. To be honest, I feel a little weird. Asking "Hey pal, can you spare a dime" just isn't something I'm used to or comfortable with. But the truth is... yeah... this thing is a whopper on expense. I could use some help.I originally thought of this as a solitary thing. But my thinking has changed. I don't have much to offer in return. Save for this:Share it with me. Come along. Let's see where the road takes us and how this whole thing turns out. I plan to keep a journal. To take pics. Maybe a video or two here and there. To talk with and visit with anyone and everyone who wants to meet me along the way. Whether you choose to throw me a bone or not, if you are reading this, then you are part of my tribe and I'm extending this invite to you.Let me know who you are. Where you are. Whatever you are comfortable with and I will share my journey with you. My day-to-day updates and pics and such as I make my way cross country over the course of a few weeks on the road. And, if you are near enough to my road, and you want me to stop by for lunch or something, I will do my best to make it happen.My journey starts on January 21st. I'll leave Iowa and head south. Then west. Likely hit Missouri, Oklahoma, Texas, New Mexico, Arizona, and of course - California, on the way out. Likely to hit Oregon, Nevada, Colorado, and Kansas or Nebraska, on my way back home to Iowa. Weather permitting. I have a few stops I need to make along the way. My mother, in LA, being my primary goal. But other than that, I'm going to see where the road takes me. Just... go.Honestly, I am scared. I am not as strong as I once was. There is a lot that could go wrong. Hell, this could all end up a big mess. A bust. Or... it could be something special. But that is the essence of what it is to be alive. That IS life, right?So...Help me if you want... I would be grateful.Join me if you want... I appreciate the company.Whatever comes next, thank you for taking the time to hear me out. And thank you to Evin, Marcus, and my wife Arlene - for this idea and for helping me build up the courage to ask.My best to you and yours.Stay strong. Take care.Sincerely,BDZackPS: Evin said to make a Venmo account and tell you my handle is:"@BDZack (1057)"I believe PayPal is:"Zachariah Infanger"Thanks again. And, be well.BDZ
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