In this episode the Old Rucker and returning guest Charlie sit down for an unfiltered conversation on depression, anxiety, and the internal battles that don’t always show on the surface, challenging the idea that recovery alone solves everything. Speaking candidly from lived experience, they move beyond statistics into the reality that no one is immune, unpacking how depression can coexist with sobriety, success, and strong relationships while still pulling individuals into isolation, self criticism, and hopelessness. Charlie shares deeply personal moments of recent struggle, describing the paradox of choosing to stay in that “dark place” despite knowing the tools to get out, while both hosts emphasize surrender, connection, and service as imperfect but necessary paths forward. The episode avoids easy answers, instead offering honesty, relatability, and a reminder that while the fight is internal, no one has to face it alone and that simply showing up, speaking out, or being present for someone else can make a critical difference.

June 20th: Arkansas Soberfest Picnic at the VFW in Cabot, Arkansas

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Thought to Consider…

We are as sick as our secrets.
. harboring resentment is infinitely grave. For then we shut ourselves off from the sunlight of the spirit.
A victim is a spectator in his life.

AACRONYMS
F E A R = Face Everything And Recover!
D E N I A L = Don’t Even Notice I Am Lying
B S = Before Sobriety

GIVING UP INSANITY

. . . where alcohol has been involved, we have been strangely insane.

THE “NUMBER ONE OFFENDER”

Resentment is the “number one” offender. It destroys more alcoholics than anything else. From it stem all forms of spiritual disease, for we have been not only mentally and physically ill, we have been spiritually sick.

Alcoholism required me to drink, whether I wanted to or not. Insanity dominated my life and was the essence of my disease. It robbed me of the freedom of choice over drinking and, therefore, robbed me of all other choices. When I drank, I was unable to make effective choices in any part of my life, and life became unmanageable.
I ask God to help me understand and accept the full meaning of the disease of alcoholism.

Amends

“Learning how to live in the greatest peace, partnership, and brotherhood with all men and women, of whatever description, is a moving and fascinating adventure. Every A.A. has found that he can make little headway in this new adventure of living until he first backtracks and really makes an accurate and unsparing survey of the human wreckage he has left in his wake.”

Intoxication

“As newcomers, many of us have indulged in spiritual intoxication. Like a prospector, belt drawn in over the last ounce of food, we saw our pick strike gold. Joy at our release from a lifetime of frustration knew no bounds. The newcomer feel she has struck something better than gold. He may not see at once that he has barely scratched a limitless lode which will pay dividends only if he mines it for the rest of his life and insists on giving away the entire product.

Sharing

“In spite of the great increase in the size and the span of this Fellowship, at its core it remains simple and personal. Each day, somewhere in the world, recovery begins when one alcoholic talks with another alcoholic, sharing experience, strength, and hope.”

Healing Talk

“When we consult an A.A. friend, we should not be reluctant to remind him of our need for full privacy. Intimate communication is normally so free and easy among us that an A.A. adviser may sometimes forget when we expect him to remain silent. The protective sanctity of this most healing of human relations ought never be violated. Such privileged communications have priceless advantages. We find in them the perfect opportunity to be as honest as we know how to be. We do not have to think of the possibility of damage to other people, nor need we fear ridicule or condemnation. Here too, we have the best possible chance of spotting self-deception.”

Progress

“We claim spiritual progress rather than spiritual perfection. Our description of the alcoholic, the chapter to the agnostic, and our personal adventures before and after make clear three pertinent ideas:
(a) That we were alcoholic and could not manage our own lives.
(b) That probably no human power could have relieved our alcoholism.
(c) That God could and would if He were sought.”

Our New Employer

“We had a new Employer. Being all powerful, He provided what we needed, if we kept close to Him and performed His work well. Established on such a footing, we became less and less interested in ourselves, our little plans and designs. More and more we became interested in seeing what we could contribute to life. As we felt new power flow in, as we enjoyed peace of mind, as we discovered we could face life successfully, as we became conscious of His presence, we began to lose our fear of today, tomorrow, or the hereafter. We were reborn.”

Dianne