RRP Episode 89 – Billy B: From Binge Drinking to a Lifetime of Sobriety

RRP Episode 89 – Billy B: From Binge Drinking to a Lifetime of Sobriety

Presenters: Julie and PeterLength: 1:11:00

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Summary

Billy B joins Julie and Peter for an honest conversation about the final years of his drinking and the turning points that led him toward long-term sobriety. He describes how binge drinking evolved into overpowering two-day hangovers, how losing precious time forced a reckoning, and how recognizing the family disease pushed him to quit for his four-year-old son, Joey. Billy recalls the night he saw “three crescent moons,” his first painful hangover, quitting alcohol but continuing to smoke marijuana, and the moment a single offer of scotch pulled him into one last destructive spree. He shares the story of finding his way into AA, the early transformation he experienced there, and the personal insights that continue to guide his recovery today.

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Key Points with Time Stamps

• [00:20:48] Billy explains that in the last years of his drinking, he was a binge drinker who drank simply to get drunk, often leading to severe two-day hangovers.

• [00:21:12] Losing large chunks of time to hangovers pushes Billy to realize he could be living differently.

• [00:21:33] He shares that he quit drinking for his four-year-old son, Joey, recognizing he was repeating the same family disease he grew up around.

• [00:22:00] Billy recounts his first two-day hangover after drinking so much beer that he joked he “no longer had blood” in his body.

• [00:22:25] He recalls stepping onto his balcony during that same night and seeing a crescent moon—actually three of them—because of how intoxicated he was.

• [00:23:01] After quitting alcohol, Billy continues to smoke marijuana, which he openly admits he loved.

• [00:23:18] When a friend offers him “Cutty Sark on the rocks,” he cannot resist. This triggers his final spree, lasting from late summer 1985 until Christmas 1986.

• [00:24:03] After a Christmas hangover, Billy calls AA. He takes the number 20 Burnside bus to his first meeting at the Live and Let Live Club.

• [00:24:26] Billy and Julie discuss the meeting’s location at 24th and Ankeny and the impact that early meeting spaces had on their journeys.

• [00:25:20] Julie and Billy talk about the physical transformation that happens in early sobriety—the “30-day look” and “90-day look”—and how noticeably people change.

• [00:30:25] Billy explains he rarely had full blackouts—more often “brownouts”—but generally remembered his episodes.

• [00:51:13] Billy reflects on the dangers of “stinking thinking,” explaining how AA meetings help interrupt the patterns of self-pity and comparison that can lead him back into unhealthy mental places.

• [00:51:17] He emphasizes that resentments are temporary, and recognizing that helps keep him grounded in long-term recovery.

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Links

• Listen: https://mdcr1.com/89
• Blog: https://mdcr1.com/89b
• Real Recovery Podcast: https://www.realrecoverypodcast.com

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Quote

“I think it’s important to realize that any resentment I have is temporary, but this is long term.” – Billy B

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Hashtags & Mentions

#RealRecoveryPodcast #RecoveryJourney #SobrietyStories #AddictionRecovery #HopeAndHealing #AA #LongTermSobriety #BingeDrinkingRecovery @RealRecoveryPodcast