Episode 105 • Season 3

RRP 105 — Mark S.

The Group Is My Higher Power: One Atheist’s Path Through Addiction and Back

Presenters:

Peter and Julie

Release Date:

March 13, 2026

Episode:

105

Runtime:

1:00:27

Episode Summary

In this episode, Peter and Julie welcome Mark S., a long-time member of Extended Family — the online AA community where he and Julie first met. Mark’s story spans more than five decades of addiction, survival, and hard-won sobriety. From a Pentecostal upbringing that condemned him for being gay, to the streets of Southern California in the 1970s, to a near-fatal suicide attempt that left him in a coma for three days, Mark’s journey is unflinching and deeply human. Now more than two years sober and homebound with COPD, Mark has found his footing through service work, a sponsor with 42 years of sobriety, and a higher power he defines entirely on his own terms: the group of Alcoholics Anonymous itself. This is Episode 105 — the first episode of Season 3.

Key Points

00:01:40First Zoom-recorded guest — a new format for the show.
00:03:21Episode 105 opens Season 3.
00:04:06First drink: 1968, a family wedding. Raised in a strict Pentecostal household; no alcohol.
00:05:00From a young age, Mark believed he was going to hell for being attracted to other boys — reinforced by his church and father.
00:07:00Junior high: bullying, a 1.4 GPA, early sexual activity driven by shame.
00:10:18At 16, his father discovered he was gay and kicked him out.
00:16:30First AA contact: ~1979–80, Laguna Beach. AA members came to his motel room, dumped his alcohol, took him to a meeting.
00:22:25Drunk, threw a TV through a window. Hit by a car on Laguna Canyon Road — hospitalized with partial paralysis.
00:28:43Moved to Oregon around 1984–85, fleeing the AIDS crisis. Met partner Greg; together 28 years.
00:33:31Suicide attempt: took all his medications, slashed his wrists. Coma for three days.
00:35:09One month in hospital; one month rehab at Cedar Hills, Beaverton, OR.
00:35:41Four years of sobriety — ended after smoking marijuana. Drank heavily until COVID.
00:36:06During COVID, a friend introduced Zoom AA. Found Extended Family / Lunch Bunch AA Online — where he met Julie.
00:37:39Final drink: June 14, 2023. Sobriety date: June 15, 2023. Now two years and eight months sober.
00:38:21Homebound with COPD, on disability. Hosts his own Zoom AA meeting; active in service work.
00:43:32Higher power: not a traditional God — the group of AA. “One person will let me down, but the group doesn’t.”
00:46:34Recent losses: father died November 5, 2024; mother died early March 2026, days before recording.
00:51:00Family of choice in sobriety and the LGBTQ+ community — parallels drawn by Peter, Julie, and Mark.
00:58:00Closing: Mark’s attitude toward death, service, and staying spiritually healthy in recovery.

Guest Quote

“My higher power is the group of Alcoholics Anonymous. Not one person — ‘cause one person will let me down — but the group of Alcoholics Anonymous. And the principles behind the group don’t let me down.”

— Mark S.

Listen & Connect

Websites Discussed

Hashtags & Mentions

#RealRecoveryPodcast #RecoveryPodcast #SoberLife #AARecovery #AlcoholicsAnonymous #AtheistRecovery #SecularRecovery #HigherPower #LGBTQRecovery #SoberCommunity #RecoveryIsReal #TwoYearsSober #ZoomAA #ExtendedFamily #RealRecovery

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RRP 105 — Mark S.; The Group Is My Higher Power: One Atheist’s Path Through Addiction and Back