When is a drink just a drink and when is it something more? In this episode, Pete joins the crew to unpack his story: a late-onset spiral into alcoholism that began only after decades of “normal” drinking. But beneath the surface was always something deeper: childhood trauma, shame, and a relentless chase for belonging. Together, the group opens up about rock bottoms, secrets, habits, and the surprising moment each of them realized… alcohol wasn’t the real problem. This one hits deep.
00:00 – Pete teaches us about the tongue. Organ or body part?
02:27 – Pete shares how he “became an alcoholic in his 50s” after decades of normal drinking
05:53 – The moment the CEO title lost its potency and the shame surfaced
10:13 – How self-deception masked the pain for decades
13:08 – Pete realizes for the first time: “I didn’t even know I was in pain”
27:14 – Jake relives the trauma of losing his brother to alcoholism
34:18 – Brian confesses the secret drinking patterns he thought were harmless
44:38 – Jake describes the “in-between” year before real recovery began
Need help? Find your local AA or Celebrate Recovery group. Or email us at turnsoutpodcast@gmail.com.
A raw post-launch debrief. The guys reflect on what it feels like to finally hit publish, how vulnerability lands with family and friends, and the fear of slipping once your story is out in the world. What follows is honest, funny, and deeply human—a reminder that recovery isn’t about perfection. It’s about courage, connection, and doing the work anyway.
00:00 – We finally hit publish. People have opinions, and our stories are out.
01:05 – Gratitude for the work behind the scenes and what it took to get here.
04:26 – Old friends, unexpected messages, and the fear of relapse after going public.
07:50 – Permission to air it out—why we shared the mess anyway.
10:52 – The courage of men and the evolution toward vulnerability and faith.
14:04 – Wives, parents, and kids: how honesty ripples through family.
18:48 – What we’d tell anyone listening.
Need help? Find your local AA or Celebrate Recovery group. Or email us at turnsoutpodcast@gmail.com.
Quitting drinking doesn’t magically make you patient, disciplined, or kind. We talk about the flaws that stuck around after the alcohol was gone, the ones we didn’t see coming, and what it takes to actually change them. Sobriety gave us the chance to do the work—turns out, the work is a lot bigger than just not drinking.
00:00 – God Guy tells an overshare-worthy pee story
01:25 – When sobriety feels like a switch—but the habits remain
05:35 – Brain fog lifts, but control issues creep in
09:03 – What’s the difference between abstinence, sobriety, and recovery
17:20 – Relapse fears and redefining failure
26:12 – Slipping into old roles without drinking
44:52 – Spiritual condition check-in: “I’ve gotten sloppy”
Need help? Find your local AA or Celebrate Recovery group. Or email us at turnsoutpodcast@gmail.com.
An empty bottle in a three-year-old’s hand and the look on his wife’s face that said everything. What follows is the unraveling—intervention, confession, leaving home—and the long walk through chronic pain, a father’s surgery, and a son’s Type 1 diabetes diagnosis. At a borrowed kitchen table in winter, Brian finally surrenders: pages of truth, a whisper of forgiveness, and a new way to live.
Turns out… grace is what holds.
00:00 — The day everything cracked open
00:58 — Three days later at Quest180
05:18 — Pain and fear stack up
10:13 — Mercy in the living room
13:36 — Finally surrendered
16:18 — The guys unpack Brian’s story
Need help? Find your local AA or Celebrate Recovery group. Or email us at turnsoutpodcast@gmail.com
Brian N. (aka God Guy ) opens up about growing up in faith, losing control to alcohol, and finding grace through surrender. His story isn’t about hitting a dramatic rock bottom, but about finally letting go of quiet control and realizing that strength isn’t toughness — it’s vulnerability. When he shares his story for the first time, emotion floods the room, and what unfolds is one of the rawest, most sacred moments of the podcast so far.
Turns out… humility is stronger than control.
00:00 — I’m Brian, alcoholic, God guy
04:54 — The fall and foundation
08:29 — Three years of prayer
11:14 — Rock bottom and rebirth
22:00 — The silence that said everything
Need help? Find your local AA or Celebrate Recovery group. Or email us at turnsoutpodcast@gmail.com
Jake traces the quiet build of an ordinary life. Then, the shocks that cracked it open. A best friend’s cancer, a brother’s spiral, a father’s death. He drank to outrun grief until there was nowhere left to go but a meeting and a prayer to a God he didn’t know. What follows is a simple, stunning arc: community, daily action, and a faith that reframed death itself.
Turns out… every moment led here on purpose.
00:00 – “Every moment led here.” Jake opens with a monologue on fate, design, and finding peace through hardship.
01:59 – Loss and collapse. A friend’s death, a brother’s decline, and the spiral that followed.
04:00 – The first prayer. Crying out to a God he didn’t know, Jake steps into his first AA meeting.
05:22 – A higher plan. From despair to discovery, Jake recognizes purpose in his pain.
06:36 – Conversation begins. We unpack faith, fear, and the moment he finally let go.
Need help? Find your local AA or Celebrate Recovery group. Or email us at turnsoutpodcast@gmail.com
Protecting sobriety can look like turning your back on people you love. We’ve said no to friends, jobs, and even family to keep this thing. We wrestle with the guilt, the pride that had to die, and the moments that proved putting recovery first was the most loving and selfless choice we could make.
01:13 - Why “selfish” can be the healthiest thing you do
03:55 - Letting relationships go to protect sobriety
08:24 - The slow death of pride in recovery
12:02 - How boundaries make space for healing
20:49 - Sobriety’s ripple effect on the people around you
27:37 - Choosing recovery over comfort, every time
Need help? Find your local AA or Celebrate Recovery group. Or email us at turnsoutpodcast@gmail.com
In a meeting, a newcomer shows up and rewinds everyone back to Step 1, sparking raw conversations about humility, belonging, and why it’s harder to return after you’ve drifted away. Sometimes the hardest part is walking back through the door a second time. One Tuesday night can change an entire week.
00:00 - Roll call
02:01 - A powerful meeting sparks the idea to record raw, in-the-moment stories
04:31 - The impact of hearing long-term sobriety from those ahead of you
07:21 - Why newcomers shift the focus back to Step 1
10:15 - Bringing faith into AA spaces without holding back
16:04 - Why we keep going to meetings when others drift away
25:01 - The deeper the bottom, the more likely the commitment
29:15 - Why the second meeting can be harder than the first
Need help? Find your local AA or Celebrate Recovery group. Or email us at turnsoutpodcast@gmail.com
We don’t drink anymore but that doesn’t mean we’re done being alcoholics. You don’t cross a finish line and get a diploma in sobriety. This road keeps going, and the work never stops. We share the moments that blindsided us, the guardrails we had to build, and the hard truth that staying sober isn’t the endgame. Becoming someone worth being... that’s the work.
00:00 — Roll call
01:34 — The first time each of us said “I’m an alcoholic”
05:23 — The surprises that come with actually working the steps
07:17 — How pain can be purposeful in recovery
09:41 — Why sobriety eventually becomes less of the focus
14:03 — A close call that put new guardrails in place
31:38 — Choosing selfishness to protect your recovery
Need help? Find your local AA or Celebrate Recovery group. Or email us at turnsoutpodcast@gmail.com
Turns Out: A Sobriety Podcast isn’t a lecture, a book report on the Big Book, or some influencer’s rebrand of recovery. It’s a few people in a room talking honestly about what it takes to stay sober.
We laugh, we break, we tell the truth about selfishness, fear, faith, and the fight to keep going.
Whether you’re a week sober, ten years sober, or just circling the drain, you’ll find real stories and real hope here. Because it turns out the road keeps going, and the only way to walk it... is together.