<p>This episode was recorded the day after Brad celebrated 24 years of sobriety, and he packs a lot of experience, honesty, wisdom, and humor into his story. Brad tells us about his drug and alcohol abuse and the insanity of addiction. A native New Yorker, Brad attended one of his first 12-step meetings at the Jewish Y on the Upper East Side of Manhattan, which was, ironically, the same place where he had been a camper and camp counselor as a kid. He talks about how cocaine and alcohol initially seemed to help him overcome his social anxiety and insecurity before they started destroying his life. He also explains how, despite being a ‘really good dreamer’, recovery has actually given him a life beyond his wildest dreams.</p><p><strong>Key Topics & Themes Discussed:</strong></p><ul><li><strong>The "Special" Addict:</strong> Brad’s initial—and ongoing—arrogance in recovery, believing he needed two meetings a week because he "picked up the material quickly."</li><li><strong>Dry vs. Sober:</strong> The distinct difference between being "dry" (refraining from substances but still a "nasty motherfucker") for two years versus true sobriety.</li><li><strong>Financial Rock Bottoms:</strong> The insane reality of owing the IRS $140,000 in back taxes due to active addiction, and the constant fear of eviction.</li><li><strong>The Brick Wall Metaphor:</strong> How active addiction felt like chipping away at his life, brick by brick, until there was only a gaping hole left.</li><li><strong>The Therapist's Blind Spot:</strong> The shocking moment his trusted psychologist admitted he never knew Brad had a substance problem, highlighting the depth of Brad's denial and ability to mask his addiction.</li><li><strong>The Journey from Unmanageable to Unbearable:</strong> Realizing that his life had been "unmanageable" since childhood, but that he only sought help when it became truly "unbearable."</li></ul><p><strong>Memorable Quotes:</strong></p><ul><li>“When I drank my first beer, Brad had fucking arrived. I was a different guy. I could do anything, say anything, think anything.”</li><li>“All I want is to be happy in Hollywood sign size letters.”</li><li>“By the way, ’I got this’ is not a step."</li><li>“We said partying the same way I used to call drinks cocktails, you know, to make it look and seem more elegant than it really was. But every time I went out there, I was abusing my body.”</li><li>I know it's a matter of time before they [the police] break in, so I'm going to hide the cocaine… Five minutes later, I wanted to do cocaine. I forget where. I hid it. And I start ripping my apartment apart. Yeah, I'm a catch.”</li><li>“A guy in a meeting one time says, ‘he was born a happy kid, and then the hospital made him go home with his parents.’”</li><li>“I said after that hangover, which was demoralizing, I would never drink again, which I didn’t…for two weeks”</li><li>"I didn't even think it was an issue, that's how much of an issue it was.”</li></ul><p></p><p>For more details on recovery resources, please visit <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="http://RTFB.com">RTFB.com</a></p><p>Get your Sponsor Approved t-shirts and more at <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="https://soberoutfitters.com/">Sober Outfitters</a>!</p>
![<description><p>This episode was recorded the day after Brad celebrated 24 years of sobriety, and he packs a lot of experience, honesty, wisdom, and humor into his story. Brad tells us about his drug and alcohol abuse and the insanity of addiction. A native New Yorker, Brad attended one of his first 12-step meetings at the Jewish Y on the Upper East Side of Manhattan, which was, ironically, the same place where he had been a camper and camp counselor as a kid. He talks about how cocaine and alcohol initially seemed to help him overcome his social anxiety and insecurity before they started destroying his life. He also explains how, despite being a ‘really good dreamer’, recovery has actually given him a life beyond his wildest dreams.</p><p><strong>Key Topics &amp; Themes Discussed:</strong></p><ul><li><strong>The "Special" Addict:</strong> Brad’s initial—and ongoing—arrogance in recovery, believing he needed two meetings a week because he "picked up the material quickly."</li><li><strong>Dry vs. Sober:</strong> The distinct difference between being "dry" (refraining from substances but still a "nasty motherfucker") for two years versus true sobriety.</li><li><strong>Financial Rock Bottoms:</strong> The insane reality of owing the IRS $140,000 in back taxes due to active addiction, and the constant fear of eviction.</li><li><strong>The Brick Wall Metaphor:</strong> How active addiction felt like chipping away at his life, brick by brick, until there was only a gaping hole left.</li><li><strong>The Therapist's Blind Spot:</strong> The shocking moment his trusted psychologist admitted he never knew Brad had a substance problem, highlighting the depth of Brad's denial and ability to mask his addiction.</li><li><strong>The Journey from Unmanageable to Unbearable:</strong> Realizing that his life had been "unmanageable" since childhood, but that he only sought help when it became truly "unbearable."</li></ul><p><strong>Memorable Quotes:</strong></p><ul><li>“When I drank my first beer, Brad had fucking arrived. I was a different guy. I could do anything, say anything, think anything.”</li><li>“All I want is to be happy in Hollywood sign size letters.”</li><li>“By the way, ’I got this’ is not a step."</li><li>“We said partying the same way I used to call drinks cocktails, you know, to make it look and seem more elegant than it really was. But every time I went out there, I was abusing my body.”</li><li>I know it's a matter of time before they [the police] break in, so I'm going to hide the cocaine… Five minutes later, I wanted to do cocaine. I forget where. I hid it. And I start ripping my apartment apart. Yeah, I'm a catch.”</li><li>“A guy in a meeting one time says, ‘he was born a happy kid, and then the hospital made him go home with his parents.’”</li><li>“I said after that hangover, which was demoralizing, I would never drink again, which I didn’t…for two weeks”</li><li>"I didn't even think it was an issue, that's how much of an issue it was.”</li></ul><p></p><p>For more details on recovery resources, please visit <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="http://RTFB.com">RTFB.com</a></p><p>Get your Sponsor Approved t-shirts and more at <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="https://soberoutfitters.com/">Sober Outfitters</a>!</p></description>](https://us-central1-podcastguru-217d6.cloudfunctions.net/gcf_get_image?image_url=https://is1-ssl.mzstatic.com/image/thumb/Podcasts221/v4/2b/bd/b9/2bbdb958-6e8b-9200-83d3-b6b401ad1f55/mza_5294956080693340699.jpg/600x600bb.jpg&width=300&height=300&api_key=xqFmUFX5BHLBTA)
