161: Sober By Design - Michael's Sobriety Story

Ryan interviews Michael, founder of Sober Hats, about his long, relapse-filled recovery journey. Michael describes starting alcohol at 13 with a Southern Comfort blackout, growing up in a family marked by secrecy and his father’s alcoholism, and first entering AA at 20 with periods of sobriety that faded as he stopped engaging in recovery. After building and selling a pizza business, running early coffee shops, and then working at a bank, he relapsed into vodka, hiding and blackouts, leading to multiple 30-day treatment stays. Later, prescription medications (opiates, Adderall, Xanax) escalated into street use and delusion, culminating in 2017 when his wife and kids left, prompting his sobriety date of September 23, 2017. He explains launching soberhats.com to “recover out loud,” break stigma, and spark connection through hats like “Sober.,” “Clean.,” and “Sober Ally.”00:00 First Drink Blackout01:19 Podcast Intro and Sponsor02:50 Meet Michael from Sober Hats04:32 Early Drinking and AA Start05:52 Southern Comfort at 1308:35 Family Secrets and Dad’s Alcoholism13:15 Falling in Love with AA16:20 Business Success and Drifting19:59 Relapse After Nine Years23:29 Car Blackout and Rehab24:54 Bathroom Vodka Confession27:37 Second Slide and Opiates29:28 Blackout Work Ultimatum30:38 Treatment Shame Cycle31:28 Marriage Complacency Warning32:37 Adderall Xanax Spiral34:15 Family Leaves Rock Bottom35:29 Addiction Substitution Talk38:09 Kids Confront Hidden Pills40:35 Recovering Out Loud Idea41:24 Sober Period Hat Launch43:27 Influencers And Events47:12 Mike The Situation Connection50:23 Normalizing Addiction Stigma51:37 Building Brand Challenges54:52 Impact And Proud Smiles56:56 Community Shoutouts Closing