The Boiled Owl

As a doctor, Tommie would come in at 12:30PM. Awake at 4AM, she was not OK with drinking then because that would be morning drinking, so she prescribed sleeping pills to herself. Oddly, there were times when many of the pills were missing. Clients would step over her passed out body in the bar. She had LOTS of blackouts. She went to her first meeting in 1985 "to help clients." She didn't think she was an alcoholic for 2-3 years after starting AA. Now at 31 years sober, she goes to meetings daily.

Tommie's home group is the Jamestown Group in Jamestown, NC. Her sobriety date is 02NOV1987.

Originally aired Oct 15, 2019

Drew got sober at 24. He sneaked airplane bottles into a 7th grade dance, equated fun with drinking, and alcohol preceded everything he did. His DUIs led him to treatment to avoid jail. Drew shares about a major health issue where he was facing death at 30 and how even that didn't stop his drinking. The science of alcoholism was the first inroad to him "getting it."

Drew's sobriety date is 25FEB2008 and his home group is 16th Street in Greensboro, NC.

Originally aired Oct 1, 2019

Paul came into AA in 2003 with the desire to stop drinking but didn't stop. He would go to the bar after a meeting. He got a DUI in his first 2 weeks in AA. Paul talks about motorcycle riding and Daytona... coffees to non-alcoholic beer to free beer with a t-shirt. Back home, he got a sponsor. Sober and out with friends, they were laughing too hard and were asked to leave an establishment.

Paul's sobriety date is 17OCT2005 and his home group is Bethel in Greensboro, NC.

Originally aired Sep 15, 2019

Leslie was in and out for 18 months. In a family program for her husband's treatment, she was pulled aside and asked how much she drank. Corked wine vs. screw-top... Giving wine and then stealing it back... The Great Baked Chicken Experiment... Recently, a 10th Step led to a 4th.

Leslie got sober on 01APR1991 and her home group is Keeping It Green in Greensboro, NC.

Originally aired Sep 1, 2019

Jackie got sober in North Carolina. She is working to find a balance between AA and life. She was saved multiple times from drinking, just at the moment of ordering a drink, by events that she attributes to her higher power. She saw a change when she began to share honestly in meetings about what was going on with her. I didn’t edit out any pauses between thoughts in Jackie's recording; she really does talk that fast!

Jackie's home group is New Beginnings for Women in Greensboro, NC. Her last drink was June 13, 2016.

Originally aired Aug 15, 2019

Greg got sober in Tampa, Florida. Daily Prayer and meditation is a big part of his recovery. He had a relapse after 2 1/2 years. The only furniture in his apartment when he got sober was a bed. His most pivotal moment was realizing the wall he held between himself and his children. That enabled him to surrender and return to AA.

Greg's sobriety date is 06JUL1993 and his home group is Summit Fellowship Men's group in Greensboro, NC.

Originally aired Aug 1, 2019

Lorna got sober in Phoenix, AZ, on her 32nd birthday... by accident. She spent 8 weeks in rehab. "I didn't want what I had." At 5 years sober, she helped clean someone's house, without wanting to. We discuss meeting styles, service positions, and meditation.

Lorna's home group is the Oasis Group in Raleigh, NC. Her sobriety date is 26JUN1994.

Lorna contacted us via boiledowlaa.org and we were thrilled when she accepted our invitation to be a guest. Join us for a coffee!

Originally aired Jul 15, 2019

Michael's parents knew something was awry early on; he was introduced to AA long before he was interested in it. He was intoxicated at his first meeting. He came to realize he was an alcoholic in the years that followed. His family couldn't trust him and he pushed them away. Even is drinking/using buddies didn't want anything to do with him. On probation when he went to treatment, it was the first time he admitted powerlessness out loud. His early sober living arrangements were much like an "AA bootcamp" with thirty other guys.

Michael's sobriety date is 05JAN2013 and his home group is Young People in Greensboro, NC.

Originally aired Jul 1, 2019

Sallie had a traumatic event - we talk about pain meds and her use of the program for an ongoing resentment about the effects of the trauma. She was alcoholic for years and knew it; she drank every night. She met a guy in recovery and did controlled drinking or no drinking. Then she went to Al-Anon and realized they were talking about her. Sallie went to lots of speaker meetings and heard her story from many different types of people. Fun story about her 30-day chip.

Sallie's sobriety date is 15MAY2011 and her home group is Bethel in Greensboro, NC.

Originally aired Jun 15, 2019

Regarding AA, Keven was concerned about the "religious aspect." Keven talks about his first day sober and being stir crazy. His first meeting was on Step 1. A 6-week elimination diet led to his realization that alcohol was a problem for him. He drank only beer the last year due to a family vacation incident involving liquor. Keven got a sponsor and a home group within the first month of his sobriety. An atheist, Keven has a unique name for that power of his own understanding.

Keven's sobriety date is 05OCT2017 and, until a recent move to Ohio, his home group was Young People in Greensboro, NC.

Originally aired Jun 1, 2019