This one is special. Paul joins us for a long, honest look at a life shaped by surrender, relapse, grace, and growth. He sobered up at 18. Fell hard in mid-life. Came back through the doors with nothing left but willingness. And over the decades he has become someone we all look to for wisdom.

We talk about blackouts, bottoms, the stubbornness that almost killed him, and the miracle that pulled him back. But we also talk about the calmer, quieter work. The sixth and seventh step. The ego. The anger. The peace he never thought he could find.

If you’ve ever wondered what long-term sobriety actually looks like, this is it. A man who has rebuilt his life again and again. A man who still asks God for help every single morning. And a man who has helped more people than he’ll ever know.

00:00 – How God Guy would dispatch a goose

05:07 – The table fills with four decades of sobriety

08:36 – Sobering up at 18: strict home, early bottom, and young fellowship

11:33 – Leaving AA, discovering alcohol for real, and going off the deep end

15:29 – Treatment, halfway house, and the five-month reset that saved his life

17:22 – What is an alcoholic? Bottoms, loss, and why only you can decide

18:59 – Why treatment alone doesn’t keep people sober

20:51 – God, meetings, sponsorship, and what “doing the deal” really looks like

23:43 – Meditation enters the picture and changes everything

27:06 – Therapy, adoption, abandonment, and deeper emotional work

31:29 – When “you’re not an alcoholic” becomes dangerous permission

36:49 – Bars, cocaine, blackouts, and near arrests

39:18 – Parenting through addiction and the long road back to his daughter

42:37 – The 12th step that didn’t “work” and the power of this disease

45:52 – The third DWI, flashing lights, and the moment of surrender

47:49 – The millionaire friend, the paid-for treatment, and a flat-out miracle

53:14 – Why Paul still chooses traditional AA and one main meeting

56:08 – Shrinking his network and finding peace in a smaller life

57:37 – Steps six and seven, ego, anger, and character defects

01:03:02 – God as friend, habit, and daily anchor

01:10:36 – The real secret to long-term sobriety: change and humility

01:15:18 – The most surprising part of this season: peace

01:16:31 – What Paul hopes his inner circle understands about him now

01:24:43 – Turns out… I’m a really good person

Need help? Find your local AA or Celebrate Recovery group. Or email us at ⁠[email protected]⁠.