The Cup of Joe Show

Spiteful Sobriety: Jason M. Surrenders to Win

I grew up in AA.So I decided I would become a drug addict instead.That decision nearly cost me everything.
Jason M. was delivered into recovery. His father was sober before he was born. Meetings were normal. Alateen was normal. Service was normal.
But to a little boy who just wanted his dad’s attention, AA felt like the competition.
Determined to be different, Jason chose drugs. What started with weed escalated into opioids, meth, heroin, dealing, jail, and crawling through his parents’ bedroom window to steal prescriptions. He became what he swore he would never be.
After felony charges, court cases, spiteful sobriety, and losing time with his newborn son, Jason finally reached the place he calls surrender. On August 13, 2015, at 25 years old, he stopped fighting and started listening.
Today he is a devoted single father whose 12-year-old son is his world. He has a sponsor, a home group, and a relationship with God that continues to evolve. From starting a young people’s meeting in his own home to rebuilding his life in Las Vegas, Jason’s story is about rebellion turning into responsibility and resentment turning into redemption.
“I’ll take the scar if that’s how I learn the direction.”
This episode is about growing up in recovery, running from it, and ultimately choosing it.
🙏 Please like, share, and subscribe to The Cup of Joe Show so more people can hear stories of hope and transformation.
🌟 For daily encouragement, visit Daily Ponderables — your source for inspiration 365 days a year.
The Cup of Joe Show explores the journey of recovery from alcohol and drug addiction—one story, one conversation, and one step at a time. New Episode Every Thursday at Noon.

Heidi R.: How a Woman Like Me Became a Woman Like Me

At 1:15 in the morning on Good Friday, she dropped to her knees and said, “God, I cannot live like this anymore.”She has not had a drink since.
Heidi R.’s life was chaos long before she ever picked up a drink.
Raised in a home marked by addiction, mental illness, violence, and trauma, she learned early how to survive instead of how to live. By thirty, resentment had taken root. For the next fifteen years she ran hard through alcohol, meth, raves, broken marriages, criminal charges, lost businesses, and the heartbreaking loss of her children.
On the outside she looked successful. On the inside she was unraveling.
On Good Friday, feeling alone and spiritually bankrupt, she fell to her knees and surrendered. That moment of desperation became the doorway to a new life.
Since April 4th, 2012, Heidi has stayed sober through house fires, wrecked cars, overwhelming grief, and the long goodbye of her mother’s passing. She shares the sacred moment she lay beside her mother on her deathbed and realized, “God created me to take care of my mom, not the other way around.” In that moment, resentment gave way to purpose.
Today Heidi is married to a man in recovery, lives a Christ centered life in Arizona, works as a behavioral health technician, and is pursuing Biblical studies with the hope of becoming a chaplain.
This is not just a sobriety story. It’s a redemption story.
📌 If you or someone you love is struggling, call or text 988 for the Suicide and Crisis Lifeline in the United States. Help is available 24 hours a day.
🙏 Please like, share, and subscribe to The Cup of Joe Show so more people can hear stories of hope and transformation.
🌟 For daily encouragement, visit Daily Ponderables — your source for inspiration 365 days a year.
The Cup of Joe Show explores the journey of recovery from alcohol and drug addiction—one story, one conversation, and one step at a time. New Episode Every Thursday at Noon.

From Spiritus to Spiritual: Rand Timmerman’s Awakening

He would never ask God for help.Alcohol was his god.Until he got on his knees and finally surrendered.
Rand R. Timmerman, Esq. grew up in a small town with more cows than people, carrying hunger, resentment, and questions about God long before he ever picked up a drink. At thirteen, Jim Beam gave him warmth and confidence. It also gave him an escape.
A decorated Marine who served in Vietnam and later became a successful attorney, Rand built an impressive life. But money, achievement, and discipline could not silence the nightmares or the bottle. Hospitalizations. Suicide watch. Handcuffs at the VA. Walking the streets waiting for the liquor store to open.
Then came a simple moment on a front stoop with a man holding a fishing pole who said, “I’m just like you.”
In this unforgettable episode of The Cup of Joe Show, Rand shares how resentment toward his father nearly destroyed him, how prayer saved him when he did not believe in God, and how recovery carried him from the depths of alcoholism to hiking the 2,200-mile Appalachian Trail in his seventies.
This is a story of surrender, service, and a spiritual passage that proves it is never too late to change.
Learn more about Rand’s memoir herehttps://www.randtimmerman.com/a-spiritual-passage
📌 If you or someone you love is struggling, call or text 988 for the Suicide and Crisis Lifeline in the United States. Help is available 24 hours a day.
🙏 Please like, share, and subscribe to The Cup of Joe Show so more people can hear stories of hope and transformation.
🌟 For daily encouragement, visit Daily Ponderables — your source for inspiration 365 days a year.
The Cup of Joe Show explores the journey of recovery from alcohol and drug addiction—one story, one conversation, and one step at a time. New Episode Every Thursday at Noon.

The Silence That Saved: Nic R. Chooses Sobriety

He blacked out in fifth grade.Years later, the silence from his wife was louder than any argument.That is when he put the drink down.
Nic R. grew up in rural Ohio where drinking was just part of life. It was a town where everyone knew your name and your business. Boredom filled the gaps and alcohol filled the boredom. What started with an early blackout in childhood turned into years of reckless drinking, totaled cars, and what felt like harmless slap on the wrist consequences.
But behind closed doors, the cost was real. Verbal abuse. Emotional distance. A marriage on the brink. When his wife refused to live in another alcoholic home, her silence became the wake-up call Nic could not ignore.
Since March 23, 2025, Nic has been building sobriety one day at a time. In this episode of The Cup of Joe Show, he shares how accountability, social media community, fatherhood, and an openness to spirituality are reshaping his life. From a blackout kid to a present father, Nic is proof that you can choose a different story before it is too late.
📌 Follow Nic’s sober journey on TikTok @nic.rossiter5
📌 I Surrender All: Linda K.’s 35 Years of Gratitudehttps://joevalentino1269.podbean.com/e/i-surrender-all-linda-k-s-35-years-of-gratitude/
🙏 Please like, share, and subscribe to The Cup of Joe Show so more people can hear stories of hope and transformation.
🌟 For daily encouragement, visit Daily Ponderables — your source for inspiration 365 days a year.
The Cup of Joe Show explores the journey of recovery from alcohol and drug addiction—one story, one conversation, and one step at a time. New Episode Every Thursday at Noon.

Six Degrees of Separation: Mike L. Changes His Perspective

For over 5 years, he could not stay sober more than three days. One phone call changed everything.
Mike L. grew up outside Chattanooga carrying fear, shame, and chaos from a violent alcoholic home. Drinking and drugs started early and by his twenties he was cycling through institutions, courtrooms, and jobs that ended as fast as they began. Alcohol became the solution until it became the problem.
After years of arrests, isolation, and thoughts of suicide, Mike locked himself in a hotel room and surrendered completely. What followed was not instant relief but a series of unlikely reconnections, old names resurfacing, and a sponsor who had been waiting for him all along.
In this powerful episode of The Cup of Joe Show, Mike shares how willingness, forgiveness, and learning to guard his peace transformed his life. From surviving addiction to finding purpose in small daily victories, this is a story of hope, humility, and what can happen when you finally answer the call.
📌 If you or someone you love is struggling, call the 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline for 24/7 support.
🎧 Related Episode Hunter H Finding Identity Sobriety and an Unlikely Hero
🙏 Please like, share, and subscribe to The Cup of Joe Show so more people can hear stories of hope and transformation.
🌟 For daily encouragement, visit Daily Ponderables — your source for inspiration 365 days a year.
The Cup of Joe Show explores the journey of recovery from alcohol and drug addiction—one story, one conversation, and one step at a time. New Episode Every Thursday at Noon.

Karen B., the Window Lady, finds a Design for Living

She drank for four decades. Success never slowed it down. A hospital bed and a desperate prayer finally did.
Karen B. spent forty years drinking while building an impressive life on the outside. From a college basketball scholarship to coaching elite programs, from becoming a top sales performer to owning her own company, Karen, the Window Lady, looked successful and unstoppable.
Behind closed doors, alcohol slowly took control. Wine at lunch became liquor in the morning. Shaking hands replaced steady confidence. Multiple DUIs, failing health, and isolation led her to a hospital where doctors could not say if she would live or die.
What followed was a moment of complete surrender and a simple prayer that changed everything. In this episode of The Cup of Joe Show, Karen shares how recovery restored her faith, healed family relationships, and gave her a design for living that no amount of success ever could.
This is a story of resilience, humility, and proof that it is never too late to recover.
🙏 Please like, share, and subscribe to The Cup of Joe Show so more people can hear stories of hope and transformation.
🌟 For daily encouragement, visit Daily Ponderables — your source for inspiration 365 days a year.
The Cup of Joe Show explores the journey of recovery from alcohol and drug addiction—one story, one conversation, and one step at a time. New Episode Every Thursday at Noon.

A Miracle Designed Just for Me: Derrick G. Fully Surrenders

He picked a date to die and instead found the power of surrender to a new way of life.
Derrick G shares a raw and unforgettable story of trauma, addiction, and transformation. Raised in a single-family home with deep Indigenous roots, Derrick grew up surrounded by fear, abuse, and loss. After his mother’s death at fourteen, alcohol became the way he finally felt able to breathe.
What followed was a life of escalating chaos including violent blackouts, addiction fueled rage, prison time, and devastating consequences that cost him his marriage, career, home, and freedom. Derrick describes the terrifying reality of alcoholism when control disappears and destruction takes its place.
At his lowest point, after deciding on a date to end it all, a series of unexpected moments led him to full surrender and a willingness to do something different. Through sponsorship, step work, and a spiritual awakening, Derrick’s life was rebuilt piece by piece, much like the art of Kintsugi where broken pottery is restored with gold.
Today, he lives a life grounded in humility, purpose, and service. Derrick’s story reminds us there is a miracle uniquely designed for each of us when we stop fighting and seek the power that can truly change us.
📌 If you or someone you love is struggling, call the 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline for 24/7 support.
🙏 Please like, share, and subscribe to The Cup of Joe Show so more people can hear stories of hope and transformation.
🌟 For daily encouragement, visit Daily Ponderables — your source for inspiration 365 days a year.
The Cup of Joe Show explores the journey of recovery from alcohol and drug addiction—one story, one conversation, and one step at a time. New Episode Every Thursday at Noon.

More than Adequate: Garrett W.’s Sobriety, Service and Spiritual Awakening

Maybe I can hear one thing to help me not drink today.
Garrett W. grew up in a small cotton mill town in West Georgia with a stable family, loving parents, and every opportunity to succeed. Alcohol was normal in his world, but once he found it in college, it quickly became the solution to restlessness, discomfort, and belonging.
What followed was a slow progression through consequences, geographic moves, career success that masked inner turmoil, and a marriage that unraveled alongside his drinking and opioid use. From teaching Spanish and traveling the world to losing everything he worked for, Garrett shares how alcohol quietly took control of his life.
The turning point came after a relapse in treatment and a simple question from a roommate that led to a spiritual awakening on Father’s Day June 19, 2016. That day Garrett became willing to hear one thing that would help him not drink for just one day.
Today Garrett lives a life rooted in recovery, service, and spiritual growth. As a trusted member of his home group and current DCM, he shares how sponsorship, prayer, and community transformed his life from surviving to living with purpose.
This episode is for anyone who feels hopeless, lost and wondering if it is truly possible to change.
📌 If you or someone you love is struggling, call the 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline for 24/7 support.
🙏 Please like, share, and subscribe to The Cup of Joe Show so more people can hear stories of hope and transformation.
🌟 For daily encouragement, visit Daily Ponderables — your source for inspiration 365 days a year.
The Cup of Joe Show explores the journey of recovery from alcohol and drug addiction—one story, one conversation, and one step at a time. New Episode Every Thursday at Noon.

Jeff W. Gets in the Recovery Wheelbarrow

What does real trust look like in recovery? Not just believing it might work, but climbing in and letting it carry you forward
In this powerful episode of The Cup of Joe Show, Jeff W. shares his journey from a childhood shaped by anxiety and alcohol to a life grounded in trust, service, and sobriety. What began as a spiritual experience with drinking slowly turned into daily use, legal consequences, and a dangerous mix of substances that nearly cost him everything.
Jeff opens up about lowering his standards to match his behavior, searching for solutions in church, relationships, and geography, and eventually reaching a point of deep emotional darkness. The turning point came when he finally asked for help and trusted someone else to guide him through recovery.
Jeff explains the difference between hope and trust, and how getting in the wheelbarrow changed his life. Today, sobriety has allowed him to rebuild his relationship with his son, be present during his mother’s passing, serve others in recovery, and create a strong blended family with his wife Anna.
This episode is a reminder that recovery is not about certainty. It is about trust, community, and the courage to climb in even when the ground feels far below.
📌 If you or someone you love is struggling, call the 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline for 24/7 support.
🙏 Please like, share, and subscribe to The Cup of Joe Show so more people can hear stories of hope and transformation.
🌟 For daily encouragement, visit Daily Ponderables — your source for inspiration 365 days a year.
The Cup of Joe Show explores the journey of recovery from alcohol and drug addiction—one story, one conversation, and one step at a time. New Episode Every Thursday at Noon.

Terminally Unique: David T. Soldiers On to Peace and Purpose

He thought he was different. Turns out he was just sick and once he stopped drinking his life finally started.
David T. has been sober since July 2, 2018, but his road to recovery took him through isolation, secrecy, military discipline, and ultimately incarceration. A shy kid who felt like an outsider after moving to Oak Ridge, Tennessee, David discovered alcohol early and immediately remembered how it made him feel inside. By adulthood, drinking had become something he hid, something that followed him into marriage, the Army, and eventually into serious consequences.
Stationed in Alaska and later Fort Bliss, Texas, David’s drinking escalated without accountability. Rehab, seizures, divorce, homelessness, and a DUI on a military base followed. Faced with a choice to get sober and deploy or leave the military, David chose what alcohol demanded. It was not until extradition, jail time, and eventually serving a sentence in a New Mexico prison that the illusion finally broke.
David describes suffering from terminal uniqueness until recovery showed him, he was not alone. Through working a program and committing to service, especially bringing recovery into prisons, his life began to change. Today he is sober, married, a proud bonus dad, and grounded in a life filled with creativity, service, and purpose.
This is a raw and hopeful conversation about surrender, accountability, and what real freedom looks like.
🙏 Please like, share, and subscribe to The Cup of Joe Show.
🌟 For daily encouragement, visit Daily Ponderables — your source for inspiration 365 days a year.
The Cup of Joe Show explores the journey of recovery from alcohol and drug addiction—one story, one conversation, and one step at a time. New Episode Every Thursday at Noon.