I often wonder what it takes for someone to observe strict anonymity when it comes to their program and what are the circumstances and intimations that would cause someone to go public. As I have stated before, my own public sobriety — and my admission that I attend 12-step meetings as part of my recovery program — sometimes comes with a twinge of regret that, by admitting this publicly I’m essentially setting myself up for failure, or, at the very least, an identity crisis if I decide that my recovery has become too much of a brand for me. All of which to say — I know many people who stay anonymous in a way that feels very personal to them. One of those people is Jerry O’Connell. We connected through social media over the pandemic about sobriety but he was very rigid about who he shared this with and, even though we were pals and he knew the type of work I did at TSB, he said he wouldn’t come on the podcast to talk about it because he wasn’t ready to do so, even though he hadn’t had a drink (or a drug, or a cig) in more than a decade. 

When he finally appeared on the TSB podcast, I mostly wanted to talk about the way he compartmentalizes his feelings, the way he’s hard on himself and is riddled with self-doubt, even though he’s had enormous success as an actor for close to three decades now. I wanted to touch a bit on Rob Reiner, too, but not linger there because he’s still processing that tragedy in his own way. I also wanted to bring him on so we could talk about our shared love of Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu as part of our personal therapy routines. I didn’t expect him to come right out and say, “My name is Jerry and I’m an alcoholic,” but that’s exactly what he did. 

I was touched by that. He felt compelled enough to offer that up to the show — and to you, our TSB faithful — because of some of the other episodes he’d listened to prior to appearing. That’s a credit to you guys, and I appreciate your inspiration, which clearly has the power to bring out the best in others. So good on you. 

Full episode is below, and please be sure to like and subscribe to our YouTube channel, which will become a much more robust destination for recovery-related programming as we continue to grow TSB. 

Thanks again for all your support — please grab a paid subscription for yourself or someone else. –AJD

Episode 5
Jerry O’Connell: The Hidden Discipline of a Simple Person

“I haven’t picked up a cocktail or a drug in coming up on 13 years . . . and I don’t talk about it very often. I wake up every morning like, ‘Hope today isn’t the day’ — but that fear works for me.”

“I try to have no beef with anybody. If I do, I deal with it immediately — because I don’t want to be afraid to run into anyone. The moment I apologized to someone I’d wronged, it was like . . . I can walk the streets again.”

“When I stopped drinking, my biggest fear was that I’d never have fun again — forget fun, that I’d never be funny again. It was my whole personality. And then you realize . . . that wasn’t you.”

If you don't feel comfortable calling yourself an “alcoholic,” that’s fine. If you have issues with sex, food, drugs, codependency, love, loneliness, and/or depression, come on in. Newcomers are especially welcome.

Format: crosstalk, topic meeting

We’re there for an hour, sometimes more. We'd love to have you.

Meeting ID: 874 2568 6609
Password To ZOOM: nickfoles

Need more info?: [email protected]