Rick K. from Edmonton, Canada speaking at Parksville Rally in Parksville, British Columbia, Canada - June 14th 2008

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Rick shares a funny-raw arc from blackout drinking (early DUIs, a seizure, a marriage on the brink, dyslexia shame, and career chaos) to long-term sobriety (8/8/1985) built on service, sponsorship, and trusting God; he found purpose making coffee, stacking chairs, and “living like it might work,” then working the steps with a paint-salesman sponsor—especially Step 3 (decision with another person), Step 4–5 (honest inventory and full disclosure), Step 6–7 (trust God rather than white-knuckle self-change), Step 8–9 (amends—most powerfully to his still-drinking father), Step 11 (prayer/meditation to start the day sane), and Step 12 (“working with others” done with love, not lectures). He underscores AA as a participation sport—show up, help newcomers, and keep your spiritual condition ahead of the first drink—while highlighting grace in family life (an adoption returned with dignity, then the surprise birth of his son Luke) and gratitude for his parents, including healing old wounds. Key accomplishments and turning points include earning his Red Seal as a chef (even cooking for Queen Elizabeth and Prince Philip), rebuilding his marriage, becoming a present father, and growing into a man who welcomes newcomers with a hand on the shoulder. The life-importance message: sobriety thrives on humility, honesty, and service—do the next right thing, trust God, and love people well.

Music: Deep by KaizanBlu

Joshua H. from Toronto, Canada speaking at the North Shore Roundup in Vancouver, Canada - April 12th 2009

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From early chaos—drinking at 10, homelessness, jail, psych wards, and years of relapse—Joshua reached a bottom at 19 where alcohol stopped working and only AA remained. Guided by sponsors, steps, and service, he found freedom in admitting powerlessness, seeking a higher power, and using his painful past to help others. Despite trauma, loss, and struggles with self-centeredness, Joshua built a life of sobriety marked by showing up for family, sponsoring others, and embracing love and community. His key accomplishments are long-term sobriety since 1995, rebuilding broken family ties, sponsoring countless alcoholics, and discovering that his greatest life achievement is simply being an active, loving member of AA—a place that finally felt like home

Music: Deep by KaizanBlu

Rick W. from Oxnard, CA speaking at the Old Town speakers meeting in La Jolla, CA - Oct 2010

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Rick W. from Oxnard shares a humorous, raw, and deeply grateful account of a life transformed by Alcoholics Anonymous: after early trauma, chaotic drinking, DUIs, accidents, and a low point at Camarillo State Hospital (lured first by coffee, cookies, and H&I Marlboros), he discovered AA, recognized his alcoholism, and—sober since July 1977—built a daily practice of meetings, service (from “best chair-putta-boy” to sponsor), and the Twelve Steps. He stresses what matters most: that AA works when we admit powerlessness, make a decision, do inventory, make amends, and keep helping others—turning pain into purpose, loneliness into fellowship, and fear into faith. His key accomplishments are enduring long-term sobriety, relentless meeting attendance, concrete service to his home group, rigorous step work, and active sponsorship—proof that a life once ruled by alcohol can become a life of dignity, usefulness, and spiritual growth.

Music: Deep by KaizanBlu

Tim T. from Brooklyn, OH speaking at the Edisto Roundup in Edisto, SC - April 13th-15th 2007

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Tim's share reflects pain transformed into purpose: the son of an alcoholic father who got sober in 1946, Tim grew up in chaos—cycling through step-parents, over 20 schools, jails, prisons, and failed marriages—before reaching his bottom on June 23, 1982, when loneliness and despair nearly consumed him. His early life was marked by running from responsibility and authority, endless trouble with the law, and broken relationships, yet Alcoholics Anonymous gave him the fellowship, sponsorship, and spiritual grounding he needed to rebuild. Through the steps, he found humility, forgiveness, and a faith that turned “have to” into “get to,” caring for his sick mother until her passing with love instead of resentment. Tim built a life rooted in service, marrying within AA, regaining dignity, and learning that sobriety is about living for others and trusting God’s will. His story embodies the real purpose of recovery—maximum service to God and those around us—and he leaves the reminder that amends and love must be lived today, not left for the funeral home.

Music: Deep by KaizanBlu

Don C. from Colorado Spring, CO speaking at the 4 Seasons Workshop at the 1st NM Indian AA Convention in Albuquerque, NM - April 1st 1994

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Don shares a deeply spiritual message blending Native tradition with recovery. He spoke of prophecies marking a new springtime for Indigenous people, a stirring where hidden gifts would surface and healers would emerge after walking hard personal roads. Drawing on the medicine wheel, he reframed the Twelve Steps as a circle of relationships—with Creator, self, others, and elders—urging that growth follows cycles of spring, summer, fall, and winter. He emphasized that mistakes are sacred teachers, part of the wide Red Road of life, and that healing means living in harmony with the unseen world where spirit and intent are always felt. His story reflects not just recovery from alcoholism since 1978, but a larger calling: to reconnect culture, honor trials as life school, and help bring healing circles to his people.

Music: Deep by KaizanBlu

Ralf S. from München, Germany speaking at the Men Among Men Group's first conference in Copenhagen, Denmark - August 8th 2009

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Ralf, a German mathematician, blends humor, intellect, and honesty. He described how childhood trauma left him people-pleasing and empty, and though he built success and wealth worldwide, he lived as an “empty suit,” disconnected from himself and relying on alcohol to survive. His drinking spiraled in Miami until even alcohol stopped working, leading him into AA where the obsession was lifted but where, for years, he lacked true step-based recovery. Returning to Germany, he found himself lost in meetings that didn’t work the steps, plagued by fear, emptiness, and loneliness despite outward success. Through long-distance sponsorship and finally working the steps in earnest, he learned the importance of fellowship, rigorous honesty, and unity in practicing the same program together. Today, he is not only sober but pursuing dreams he never dared admit—like becoming a comedian—living proof that sobriety allows space for courage, service, and possibility beyond fear.

Music: Deep by KaizanBlu

Kerry C. from Tannersville, PA speaking at Live At Pine Lake in Seattle, WA - May 2010

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Getting sober at just 18, Kerry spent her entire adult life learning to live through the 12 steps, guided by strong sponsors and a commitment to honesty. She recounted a chaotic childhood, early drinking, and destructive relationships, but also the miracle of willingness that brought her to AA. Kerry became known as a “big book thumper,” unapologetically teaching recovery straight from the first 164 pages, often making people uncomfortable with her blunt truth. Over the years, she built a sober life with her husband, raised children who never saw her drink, made powerful amends—including reconciling with her old principal which led her back to education—and carried the message to countless women. Her story is one of resilience, service, and spiritual awakening: turning brokenness and fear into integrity, family, education, and a life defined by practicing principles daily, no matter how uncomfortable.

Music: Deep by KaizanBlu

Valerie D. from Richmond, VA doing a workshop titled "The Spirit of the 12 Steps" in Santa Fe, NM - October 26th-28th 2007

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Valerie’s story is one of chaos transformed into purpose: raised in a violent alcoholic home, she always felt different and disconnected until her first drink at 14 gave her a false sense of belonging. From stealing toys as a child to juvenile detention, treatment centers, and years of bouncing in and out of AA, her life spiraled through lies, broken relationships, and repeated relapses. Even sober, she became dangerously sick—angry, manipulative, and spiritually bankrupt—until she hit a point of utter desperation. Guided by strong sponsors who challenged her denial and taught her to fully embrace the Big Book and the circle-and-triangle way of life, Valerie discovered service, honesty, and true reliance on God. Through humility, making amends, and learning not to fight everything and everyone, she grew into a woman capable of trust, integrity, and self-support. Today, with decades of sobriety since October 13, 1992, she shares her story to show that recovery is not about perfection but about transformation through surrender, service, and spiritual growth.

Music: Deep by KaizanBlu

Todd S. from Keene, NH speaking at Area 11 Soberfest in Bozrah, CT - June 5th 2015

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Growing up in a working-class family, Todd began drinking at 14 and eventually drank himself out of the Navy. His life spiraled into five DWIs across three states, countless arrests, and even a devastating crash after fleeing police. Yet the turning point came when, faced with his wreckage, he finally turned to AA, where the fellowship embraced him and mentors like Red guided him. Todd’s path wasn’t smooth—he relapsed after two years—but in 2006 he recommitted, found a sponsor, worked the steps, and began truly living in recovery. He’s since endured hardship—losing his father, his brother’s tragic death, jail time, bankruptcy—but through it all, he stayed sober by serving his group, sponsoring others, and embracing AA’s principles. His story shows the progression of alcoholism, the power of humility, and the life-saving gift of fellowship and faith.

Music: Deep by KaizanBlu

Gisli "Kort" K. from Minneapolis, MN speaking on the topic of "Working With Others" at The Firing Line Group of Alcoholics Anonymous in Saint Paul, MN - June 2008

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Kort shares how his sobriety, beginning in 1999, grew from despair into lasting recovery through working the Twelve Steps directly from the Big Book. He described failed early attempts to stay sober with routines like swimming and reading, until he embraced sponsorship and spiritual action that led to a profound shift in perspective. Over the years, he’s sponsored many men, learning to balance sincerity with boundaries, focusing not on rigid rules but on principles and genuine connection with God and others. His story highlighted humility, the dangers of arrogance in sponsorship, and the life-saving power of carrying the message—reminding us that recovery is not about prestige or perfection, but about staying sober by helping the next alcoholic.

Music: Deep by KaizanBlu