Tag: accountability

New Year One Honest Challenge – you can use the links below to submit.

2026-01-162026-01-16

Episode 0052 Chris T: From Hellion to Helper – Sobriety, Service, and Second Chances

The tribe sits down with Chris T., a husband, father, tech wirehead, astronomer, and recovering alcoholic with just over 20 years of sobriety. Chris shares a raw, unpolished story of early rebellion, crime, addiction, repeated detox attempts, and the moment he finally asked for help; not because he had a plan, but because he wanted to live. The conversation dives deep into long-term recovery, sponsorship, service work, accountability, boundaries, amends, and spiritual growth without dogma. Chris also reflects on surviving catastrophic motorcycle accidents and multiple strokes, and how perspective, gratitude, and helping others keep him grounded today. This is a grounded, experience-driven discussion about what it actually takes to stay sober, grow up, and give back one day at a time.

2026-01-022026-01-01

Episode 0050 Team Cheremy: The Alcoholic Family

This episode Team Cheremy opens the new year with a raw, deeply personal conversation about the family disease of alcoholism, focusing on how addiction and recovery ripple across generations. They explore lived experience rather than theory, as Linda and her niece Lauren both sober members of Alcoholics Anonymous share candid stories of growing up around alcoholism, navigating abandonment, secrecy, relapse, and ultimately finding recovery, boundaries, and spiritual grounding. Through honest dialogue, reflections, and practical insight, the episode examines detachment with love, family roles, myths around “rock bottom,” and how trust in recovery communities can heal fractured relationships. The result is an educational, unscripted discussion offering hope, clarity, and tools for families and individuals walking the long road of recovery together.

2026-01-01

New Year One Honest Thing Challenge

Happy New Year Friends! RedBeard here, we wrapped up a holiday season and we are starting a new year. Here’s the challenge between now and the end of January, write in and tell us one honest thing about your recovery that you normally keep quiet. Not too much detail, not your highlight reel, not the line you give, the real thing. This is an accountability based reflection practice, if you don’t want to share publicly perform this challenge privately by writing it down and then destroying it.

The resentment you’re still nursing.
The fear you haven’t named.
The boundary you won’t enforce.
The person/place/time/thing you won’t face.
The relapse thought that shows up uninvited like it owns the place.

No fixing it, no inspirational bow, no lessons learned; just the truth as it is, where it is. Keep it simple, vague and one sentence.

Why? Because what you refuse to face controls you; what you name and place in front of you, you can meet.

“If you are distressed by anything external, the pain is not due to the thing itself, but to your estimate of it; and this you have the power to revoke at any moment.” – Marcus Aurelius, Meditations

I’ll start by oversharing a few:

I tend to shut myself off emotionally, except at times outbursts of verbal anger, to avoid being hurt, hurting others.
I pause and struggle to say “I love you” back to my closest friends.
I put stress on myself because the people who should have been role models were terrible so at times I discount myself because I feel like I am a 40 something year old child who still hasn’t figured shit out yet.

Submissions will be anonymous. They do not need to be polished, messy is expected.

Once gathered, we’ll compile the submissions and evaluate the content for a show discussion(s) and/or post.

New Year, One Honest Thing

2025-12-262025-12-26

Episode 0049 Edye and Paul: Couples in Recovery

In this episode of the Old Rucker sits down with Edye and Paul and joined by Mandy, Sherry, Jeremy, Dwight, Joel & Linda for a blunt, experience driven conversation about what it actually means to be a couple in recovery. Drawing from deeply personal histories of addiction, grief, loss, and long term sobriety, Edye and Paul break down how independent recovery programs, clear boundaries, service work, and honest communication make a healthy relationship possible not easy, but real. This episode cuts through recovery cliches and relationship myths, focusing instead on actions over words, accountability over comfort, and why love in sobriety only works when neither person tries to be the other’s higher power. If you’re navigating relationships in recovery or questioning whether you’re ready, this is a grounded, no nonsense look at what sustainable sobriety together actually requires.

2025-06-132025-10-30

Episode 0023 Sponsorship Relations

Republishing to correct the feed, the wrong episode got attached to the original

Charlie and Nathan sit down to share what it’s really like between a sponsor and a sponsee—pulling from their raw, personal journeys through addiction and recovery. Charlie, who’s been in this game a long time and is as real as they come, lays out why walking someone through the 12 steps matters: it’s about building a relationship with your higher power through honesty, surrender, and actually living the work. Nathan, still early in the process, opens up about the hard hits—alcohol, denial, loss—and how connecting with someone like Charlie, who’s walked the walk, gave him real hope. Their bond is rooted in mutual respect, shared purpose, and spiritual growth. This conversation isn’t polished or sugarcoated—it’s honest, human, and filled with the kind of hope that only comes from people helping each other find their footing in recovery.

2025-03-152025-10-30

Episode 0019 Immersion Table Jam – Immerse yourself into recovery

Immersion Table Jam – Immerse yourself into recovery

The Immersion Table Jam – Immerse Yourself Into Recovery discussion centers on the concept of fully committing to a recovery program and the role of spirituality in that journey. Members of the tribe share personal experiences, emphasizing that recovery isn’t just about abstaining from alcohol or drugs but rather a complete transformation of mindset and lifestyle. Brett introduces the idea of immersion by analyzing key phrases from recovery literature that reinforce the necessity of being “all in” to achieve lasting change. The discussion expands to personal revelations about the struggles and breakthroughs experienced in recovery, including spiritual awakenings and the importance of surrendering old behaviors and beliefs to fully embrace a new way of living.

As the conversation progresses, the group delves into the role of a higher power in recovery, recognizing that spirituality can be a deeply personal yet essential component of healing. Various perspectives emerge, from traditional religious beliefs to broader spiritual concepts, highlighting that recovery programs offer flexibility in defining one’s own higher power. Members discuss the significance of faith, self-reflection, and the support of others in sustaining sobriety. The discussion also touches on the importance of engaging in life beyond recovery meetings, maintaining a balance between personal growth and enjoying life’s experiences. The episode closes with reflections on camaraderie, the value of shared experiences, and a commitment to continued support within the recovery community.