Stay ConnectedSober Sunrise brings you AA Speaker Tapes from around the world. Rather than an AA discussion podcast, Sober Sunrise brings you speakers who share step-work, workshops, and general fellowship discussion points.
We are not affiliated with AA in anyway.
Don M. from Louisville, KY speaking at One Page at a Time group's October Thing event in Moorhead, MN - October 5th 2019
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Don M., sober since April 9, 1981, shares his powerful transformation from a life of ego-driven self-obsession, professional success masking deep alcoholism, and repeated hospitalizations to decades of sobriety through divine intervention, following AA’s directions, and taking the 12 Steps as daily action. Growing up in Kentucky and becoming a successful criminal defense lawyer, his drinking and drug use escalated to devastating accidents, homelessness, and 18 stays in “asylums.” A turning point came when desperation pushed him to follow AA’s program despite disbelief, leading to restored relationships—especially with his daughter—and a renewed law career marked by ethics and service awards. His story emphasized that recovery is about consistent action over feelings or beliefs, living one step at a time, and letting God guide while serving others, resulting in a life richer than anything he could have imagined.
Music: Deep by KaizanBlu
Clint H. from Denver, CO speaking at the 51st Coastal Bend Jamboree in Corpus Christi, TX - January 21st 2005
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Clint H. speaks powerfully about his 38 years of sobriety, tracing his journey from a promising Marine Corps officer undone by alcoholism to a man transformed through AA’s fellowship and the Twelve Steps. He shares how repeated relapses, homelessness, failed marriages, and deep family wounds, including childhood trauma, marked his path before a bail bondsman’s unexpected act led him to the Glendale AA club, where he finally accepted he drank “no matter what.” That surrender opens the door to genuine recovery, law school, a meaningful legal career, and a renewed spiritual life. He emphasizes the miracle of sudden sobriety, the need for ongoing spiritual growth over power substitutes, and the healing of old relationships, including making amends to his mother. Even through later life challenges like cancer and loss of intimacy, Clint finds joy, purpose, and love by living in service to others, grounded in the principles that save his life.
Music: Deep by KaizanBlu
Peter J. from Los Angeles, CA speaking at the Palisades Speaker Meeting in Palisades, CA - November 8th 2015
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With over three decades clean since January 8, 1982, Peter’s story traced his journey from a chaotic youth filled with addiction, car crashes, and jail time to becoming a man who prays daily, holds a deep love for his wife, discovered a long-lost daughter at 67, and continues to give back through service. His speech was a powerful reminder that no matter how far someone has fallen, a life of connection, laughter, and spiritual depth is possible when we show up, follow the steps, and stay willing to be transformed.
Music: Deep by KaizanBlu
Bobby C. from Philadelphia, PA speaking at the Edisto Roundup in Edisto, SC - April 13th-15th 2007
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Sober since June 2, 1988, Bobby recounts his chaotic rise and fall from a rowdy South Philly childhood to a reckless, blackout-drinking cop who spiraled after a line-of-duty shooting. His turning point came not in a blaze of glory, but in a moment of absolute collapse—a failed attempt to take his own life and a phone call sparked by a newspaper ad. From there, his life became a testament to the power of honesty, surrender, and service. Though he resisted AA’s message for years, Bobby eventually embraced sponsorship, worked the steps, and began helping others with the same intensity he once brought to destruction. Despite struggling with PTSD, violence, and arrogance in early sobriety, he learned to live the principles of the program—not just quote them. His life today reflects redemption through action: a man once filled with rage and fear now stays sober by helping others, facing his past, and showing up for his community with integrity. His story reminds us that recovery is possible—even for the most broken among us—and that staying sober is not just about not drinking, but about becoming someone worthy of the second chance.
Music: Deep by KaizanBlu
Cia F. from Los Angeles, CA speaking at the Brentwood Workshop in Los Angeles, CA - July 16th 2015
Audio gets better at around the 1 minute mark :)
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With a sobriety date of January 30, 1983, Cia speaks candidly about her chaotic pre-recovery life marked by anger, dysfunctional relationships, geographics, and spiritual claustrophobia. Her turning point came not through a thunderclap of spiritual lightning but through an unexpected moment of clarity and surrender—sparked by fear, a community service ad, and the strange relief of not feeling the obsession to drink. Through multiple relapses, she learned that her true issue wasn’t alcohol, but ego, resentment, and a self-centered spirit. In working the 12 steps—particularly after a second bottom in sobriety—Sia rebuilt her life, became deeply active in service, and grew into someone who sponsors others and lives with integrity. Her message is clear: recovery isn’t just possible—it’s miraculous, but only when done fully and honestly, one day and one surrender at a time.
Music: Deep by KaizanBlu
Forrest S. from Fort Lauderdale, FL speaking about step 1 at the Spiritual Awakening in Pompano Beach, FL - November 1st 2024
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Forrest’s journey is a raw, layered reflection of both the depths of addiction and the challenges of staying spiritually connected after years of sobriety. His first white chip came in 1992, leading to 19 years in Alcoholics Anonymous before a relapse in 2011. Unlike a stereotypical bottom, Forrest didn’t lose his job, home, or outward stability—he lost his inner peace. That spiritual bankruptcy, masked by career success and family life, was enough to lead him back to the drink. He jokes about picking a sponsor based on material things like a Porsche and a bleach-blonde girlfriend, only to find out the guy wasn’t even really an alcoholic. He talks candidly about his years in active addiction—crystal meth, days-long binges, blackouts, and a mindset where people became “resources” to help him keep the party going.
Even more striking is how he describes his relapse after 19 years: slow, subtle, justified by spiritual pride, academic knowledge of the Big Book, and the belief that he’d outgrown AA. He didn’t leave with a bang—he drifted, convincing himself that AA was just “spiritual kindergarten” and he was ready for “graduate-level” work through yoga and outside spirituality. But when he drank again, it took only one night for the old Forrest to return—force-feeding others alcohol, creating chaos, and ending up banned from a house. That moment of clarity, that “it’s time” voice in his head, returned stronger than ever. And unlike so many who don’t make it back, Forrest was lucky enough to land safely back in the rooms.
Now, with his second sobriety date of February 22, 2014, Forrest speaks from a place of deep earned wisdom. He continues to check in with the first step daily and emphasizes the danger of thinking he has any real power over his own sobriety. With a thimble-sized cup, as his sponsor puts it, Forrest keeps filling it with spiritual action—unity, service, recovery—and pouring it into others. His life today is one of grace and clarity, and his share is a powerful reminder that the path back to sanity starts with a gut-level surrender: “I can’t. God can.”
Music: Deep by KaizanBlu
Chris S. from Pottersville, NJ and Steve L. from Nashville, TN speaking at workshop entitled Upping your Game at the Wilson House in East Dorset, VT - August 21st 2021
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In the powerful concluding sessions of their workshop at the Wilson House, Chris and Steve delved deeply into the spiritual heart of Steps 8 through 12, emphasizing how the willingness to make amends and the practice of daily spiritual disciplines like prayer, meditation, and self-examination can create lasting emotional freedom and transformation. Steve shared moving personal experiences—including confessing hidden past actions and confronting shame—highlighting that growth in understanding and effectiveness requires honest vulnerability, accountability, and trusted guidance. Chris reinforced the life-changing value of rigorous step work and the joy of living that comes from continuous application of spiritual principles and helping others, showing that sobriety is not just about abstinence but about active service and spiritual awakening.
Music: Deep by KaizanBlu
Stephanie K. from Portland, ME speaking about step 2 at the Unity at the light convention in Martha’s Vineyard, MA - November 14th 2017
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Raised in an alcoholic household where dysfunction masqueraded as normalcy, Stephanie described how alcoholism blinded her from truth long before she ever drank. Her first experience with alcohol gave her what she called an "alcohol chakra awakening," making her feel beautiful, powerful, and seen — the sanity she thought she’d been missing. Despite rehabs, codependent relationships, and years of denial, she eventually came to AA not for herself, but to save someone else. And through a series of humbling moments, from falling in love with people who couldn’t love her back to watching her father die of cancer while she was newly sober, she slowly began to trust in a power greater than herself. Her story highlights how love, service, and guidance from other sober women helped her transform from a terrified, promiscuous girl masking pain with noise — to a deliberate, dignified woman grounded in truth and grace. Today, her faith, humor, and grit make her a spiritual warrior determined to give it all back.
Music: Deep by KaizanBlu
Jason J. from Portland, OR speaking at the Pine Lake speaker meeting in Issaquah, WA - April 14th 2018
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Born into chaos and raised amid instability, Jason J. was the kind of wild, deeply troubled child who once stole the neighbor’s cat—three times. Despite his loving grandparents stepping in to give him safety, Jason’s descent into alcoholism, drug use, and criminal behavior spiraled until it landed him in prison, facing hard truths and broken relationships, including missing his grandmother’s funeral—the woman who always saw the good in him. Yet amid the wreckage, Jason found AA, a sponsor who demanded accountability, and a new life fueled by faith, humility, and service. Through countless challenges, including relapse, divorce, fatherhood struggles, and incarceration, Jason’s ultimate victory lies in becoming the man his grandmother always believed he could be. His legacy is a living amends: showing up, helping others, and honoring the grace he was given—day by day.
Music: Deep by KaizanBlu
Tom B. from Avon Lake, OH speaking at the 19th Annual Tri State Roundup in Laughlin, NV - May 18th 2003
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Tom's story is a deeply human portrait of resilience, humility, and grace found through decades of sobriety. Sober since July 5, 1962, Tom shares his journey with unflinching honesty—painting a picture of a once-chaotic life marked by jail stints, blackouts, failed promises, and broken family trust. But through the rooms of AA, he found not just abstinence, but emotional and spiritual transformation. He emphasizes action over intellect, and service over self—rooting his recovery not in knowledge of the Big Book, but in doing what it says. His greatest victories lie not in wealth or status, but in the renewed love of his wife, the laughter of grandkids, and the pride of watching his children thrive. Tom’s story reminds us that sobriety isn’t just about stopping drinking—it’s about learning how to live, how to give, and how to be present for life’s quiet miracles.
Music: Deep by KaizanBlu
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