161: Sober By Design - Michael's Sobriety Story

Ryan interviews Michael, founder of Sober Hats, about his long, relapse-filled recovery journey. Michael describes starting alcohol at 13 with a Southern Comfort blackout, growing up in a family marked by secrecy and his father’s alcoholism, and first entering AA at 20 with periods of sobriety that faded as he stopped engaging in recovery. After building and selling a pizza business, running early coffee shops, and then working at a bank, he relapsed into vodka, hiding and blackouts, leading to multiple 30-day treatment stays. Later, prescription medications (opiates, Adderall, Xanax) escalated into street use and delusion, culminating in 2017 when his wife and kids left, prompting his sobriety date of September 23, 2017. He explains launching soberhats.com to “recover out loud,” break stigma, and spark connection through hats like “Sober.,” “Clean.,” and “Sober Ally.”00:00 First Drink Blackout01:19 Podcast Intro and Sponsor02:50 Meet Michael from Sober Hats04:32 Early Drinking and AA Start05:52 Southern Comfort at 1308:35 Family Secrets and Dad’s Alcoholism13:15 Falling in Love with AA16:20 Business Success and Drifting19:59 Relapse After Nine Years23:29 Car Blackout and Rehab24:54 Bathroom Vodka Confession27:37 Second Slide and Opiates29:28 Blackout Work Ultimatum30:38 Treatment Shame Cycle31:28 Marriage Complacency Warning32:37 Adderall Xanax Spiral34:15 Family Leaves Rock Bottom35:29 Addiction Substitution Talk38:09 Kids Confront Hidden Pills40:35 Recovering Out Loud Idea41:24 Sober Period Hat Launch43:27 Influencers And Events47:12 Mike The Situation Connection50:23 Normalizing Addiction Stigma51:37 Building Brand Challenges54:52 Impact And Proud Smiles56:56 Community Shoutouts Closing

Denne episoden er hentet fra en åpen RSS-feed og er ikke publisert av Podme. Den kan derfor inneholde annonser.

Episoder(187)

Real Talk Session 3 - Love, Boundaries, and Rock Bottom: When Helping Starts Hurting (With Amber)

Boundaries vs Ultimatums: Enabling, Rock Bottom, and Real Recovery | Rock Bottom with Ryan (ft. Amber)Ryan and guest Amber discuss the difference between boundaries and ultimatums, emphasizing self-re...

7 Sep 51min

Vernon: Out of the Blue

Vernon West: Two Sobriety Dates, Higher Power, and Beating Leukemia | Rock Bottom with RyanRyan welcomes Vernon West (Out of the Blue podcast) to discuss recovery, Vernon’s two sobriety dates (Jan 30,...

4 Sep 47min

Bruce Haataja: Chaos Between My Ears

Bruce Haataja on Chaos Between My Ears, Bipolar 1, and Recovery | Rock Bottom with RyanOn Rock Bottom with Ryan, Bruce Haataja discusses his debut book Chaos Between My Ears and the internal “committe...

2 Sep 1h 2min

Ben: Sober Boozers Club

From Rock Bottom to Sober Boozers Club: Ben’s Story + The Truth About NA BeerIn this episode of Rock Bottom with Ryan, Ben from the UK’s Sober Boozers Club shares how he went from daily weed use as a ...

31 Aug 1h 1min

Nelson Whiting: No Limits

Your Problem Isn’t Pornography: Hypnotherapy, Shame, and the Root Cause of Addiction | Rock Bottom with RyanOn Rock Bottom with Ryan, host Ryan interviews clinical hypnotherapist and author Nelson Whi...

28 Aug 1h 12min

Jeanne: Naturally High

From Rock Bottom to Naturally High: Trauma-Informed Recovery, Nervous System Regulation & The Recovery Concierge (Jeanne Foot)Ryan interviews Toronto-based addiction counselor and trauma-informed prac...

26 Aug 57min

Jen Hirst: Built from the Breakdown

Jen’s Rock Bottom: Mouthwash, Adderall, Two DWIs & the Sobriety “Closet” | Rock Bottom with RyanJen from Minnesota joins Rock Bottom with Ryan to share how alcohol became her drug of choice, worsened ...

24 Aug 1h 2min

Tony - It Made Me Feel Fearless

Tony Alexander on HIV, Meth Addiction, and Finding Recovery | Rock Bottom with RyanTony Alexander shares his story from growing up in Tulsa, Oklahoma, realizing he was gay early, and facing religious ...

21 Aug 1h 7min