This Sober Vet Podcast

Most veterans carry unseen scars, but few talk about the journey from trauma to sobriety with raw honesty. Army veteran Sam DeBold reveals how a decade of addiction, traumatic experiences, and unresolved pain finally led him to reclaim control — and how he’s now helping others do the same. If you're a veteran struggling in silence or someone who believes addiction has your life on hold, this episode will challenge your perspective on strength, resilience, and the power of honesty.Sam's story is a powerful testament to the reality many face but rarely share — from childhood struggles rooted in generational alcohol use to the chaos of war, and ultimately, the path to recovery. You'll discover how trauma, substance dependence, and self-medication intertwine, and what it truly takes to break free. Sam breaks down the science of addiction, explaining how alcohol rewires the brain’s chemistry, and shares profound insights from his time in rehab that could save your life or the life of someone you love.We break down the importance of self-awareness, honest conversations, and community in healing. Sam's journey through deployment, trauma, and hitting "rock bottom" provides tangible lessons for anyone feeling overwhelmed by life’s burdens. His message: no matter how deep you've fallen, recovery is possible, and the benefits extend beyond sobriety — bringing clarity, peace, and purpose.Why does this matter? Because the veteran community often masks its pain behind a brave face, risking everything — relationships, mental health, and lives — to self-medicate. But the opportunity to heal, to find meaning in the chaos, and to serve others from a place of strength is within reach. This episode is an essential listen for veterans, active service members, and anyone seeking hope amidst hardship.Sam DeBold, retired Army Major and now sober warrior, shares how embracing vulnerability and confronting trauma head-on transformed his life. His story is a beacon for those ready to silence the shame, prioritize their mental health, and lead a life of genuine purpose. If you’re tired of the lie that strength means suffering in silence, this episode will inspire you to take the first step toward healing — because your best days are still ahead.Our mission is to normalize sobriety with Veterans.Web: www.thissobervet.comIG: @thissobervetpodcastFB: This Sober Vet Podcast

Most veterans hide their pain behind alcohol and trauma—Marie Henriksen's raw storytelling shatters that illusion. In this episode, she takes us through her tumultuous journey from trauma, addiction, and PTSD to healing, faith, and hope. Her poetry reveals a raw human experience, showing that even in our darkest moments, resilience, connection, and God's love can guide us to true freedom.You'll discover how a combat medic turned poet used faith and vulnerability to transform her pain into powerful messages of healing. Marie shares her vivid deployment stories, struggles with substance abuse, and the pivotal moments that led her to sobriety. Her poems explore themes of shame, resilience, and spiritual awakening—reminding us that our most profound growth often begins after hitting rock bottom.We break down her unique approach to recovery—combining faith, therapy, community, and self-care—and why surrendering control, taking action, and saying "yes" to God's plan can change everything. Marie discusses the importance of compassion fatigue, setting boundaries, and how to honor your mental health while helping others. Her story proves that relapse isn't failure—it's part of the journey, and persistence is key.This episode is a must-listen for anyone battling addiction, trauma, or seeking meaning in their healing process. If you're tired of feeling alone in your struggle and ready for hope, Marie's courage and poetry will inspire you to embrace your own resilience and step into the light. Perfect for veterans, trauma survivors, faith seekers, and anyone craving authentic connection and transformation.Sliderbabe Poetry and ArtOur mission is to normalize sobriety with Veterans.Web: www.thissobervet.comIG: @thissobervetpodcastFB: This Sober Vet Podcast

Most veterans and high performers struggle with an inner battle—conquering addiction and redefining what true strength really means. Kevin Stark, a Navy SEAL turned purpose-driven mentor, shares how his journey from the battlefield to sobriety transformed his life and leadership.Discover the untold story behind Kevin’s humble warrior spirit—despite being a Navy SEAL BUD/S instructor, he’s one of the most relatable, authentic guides in the world of personal mastery. In this episode, Kevin opens up about his battles with alcohol, the ego-driven justifications that kept him stuck, and the pivotal moments that led to lasting change.You'll learn: how cultural myths of masculinity and camaraderie fuel destructive habits, why releasing ego is the key to genuine authenticity, and how ancient rites of passage can revolutionize your approach to leadership, character, and purpose. Kevin breaks down practical steps—like the power of community, faith, and discipline—that helped him shed his old self and step into a life of integrity and clarity.Why does this matter? Because many men are caught in a cycle of numbing pain with alcohol and ego, risking their health, relationships, and legacy. This episode offers a proven blueprint for breaking free, embracing vulnerability, and stepping into true confidence—no matter where you start.Whether you're a veteran, a high achiever, or someone ready to rewrite your story, Kevin’s story proves change is possible at any age. If you're tired of the chaos and searching for authentic strength rooted in character, this episode is your wake-up call.Join us to discover how the very things that threaten to hold you back—your ego, habits, and pain—can become the fuel for your greatest transformation.Guest Credibility: Kevin Stark is a former Navy SEAL, BUDS instructor, and founder of the Arete Path, a modern rite of passage dedicated to helping leaders and warriors forge excellence in mind, body, and spirit. His work has transformed the lives of thousands from elite military personnel to corporate leaders.Our mission is to normalize sobriety with Veterans.Web: www.thissobervet.comIG: @thissobervetpodcastFB: This Sober Vet Podcast

SummaryIn this episode of the SoberVet podcast, host Joe Yurick and Dr. T engage in a deep conversation with Air Force veteran Wes Cornett, who shares his journey from military service to sobriety and writing. Wes discusses the challenges of alcoholism, the importance of therapy, and how he found healing through writing his novel 'Tumbling Dice' and participating in ultra marathons. The conversation emphasizes the significance of self-forgiveness, the impact of alcohol on relationships, and the transformative power of sobriety.Check out his podcast here. Our mission is to normalize sobriety with Veterans.Web: www.thissobervet.comIG: @thissobervetpodcastFB: This Sober Vet Podcast

In this episode of the Sober Vet podcast, host Joe Yurick speaks with Marine veteran Dan Bridges, who shares his journey of overcoming addiction and finding sobriety. Dan discusses his military service, struggles with alcohol, and the pivotal moments that led him to seek help. He emphasizes the importance of community and support in recovery, as well as the parallels between marathon running and sobriety. Dan's story serves as an inspiration for veterans and anyone facing similar challenges, highlighting that recovery is possible and worth the effort.Our mission is to normalize sobriety with Veterans.Web: www.thissobervet.comIG: @thissobervetpodcastFB: This Sober Vet Podcast

In this conversation, Joe Yurick and Anthony Dyer discuss the transformative journey of sobriety, particularly in the context of military veterans. Anthony shares his experiences in the Air Force, his struggles with alcoholism, and the pivotal moments that led him to choose recovery. They explore the importance of support systems, the challenges of transitioning to civilian life, and the significance of living with intention. Anthony also discusses his writing journey and the impact of sharing his story to help others facing similar struggles. Check out his book here. Our mission is to normalize sobriety with Veterans.Web: www.thissobervet.comIG: @thissobervetpodcastFB: This Sober Vet Podcast

Listen as Marine Veteran, Matt Boelhower, discusses his deployment in 04 where his unit held Ramadi, Iraq for 7 months. Matt lost 34 Marines and about 3 times that were wounded. First night back, Matt got dunk. That continued until one night, enjoying some bingo at his golf club followed by some drinks at a friends caused a hang over that made Matt miss a family event. That motivated a change. Now, over 600 days sober, Matt is rocking it as a law enforcement officer with a very healthy hobby with jiu jitsu! Matt also just released a book of poems! Check it out Heroes and Dirt: A collection of poems from a Marine Corps veteran of the Iraq WarOur mission is to normalize sobriety with Veterans.Web: www.thissobervet.comIG: @thissobervetpodcastFB: This Sober Vet Podcast

Listen as Jimmy takes us on a pretty wild ride of his life during and after enlisting in the Air Force as a load master. Each deployment he sent home 75-100 human remains, worked with multiple special forces and earned the nick name “Pew Pew.” After his first divorce, drinking became heavy to the point where at the beginning of this second deployment, he went through withdraw.  During a deployment he was struck by a 107mm round during an attack. Jimmy stopped drinking the day he started with US Vets he now is an advocate for addicts/homeless Vets to help get them back on their feet! Our mission is to normalize sobriety with Veterans.Web: www.thissobervet.comIG: @thissobervetpodcastFB: This Sober Vet Podcast

Listen as Marine Veteran, Ryan, recalls his deployment during OIF and losing many brothers. Ryan discusses the normalcy of drinking in military culture. His transition from military to civilian. 3 traumatic experiences that led to his rock bottom. His true test came after he put down the bottle. He found his tribe in a local men's group. He worked his way up to CEO of a non-profit, Clear Path for Veterans. They provide service dogs for Veterans to help heal them through wellness and the animal/human bond!Our mission is to normalize sobriety with Veterans.Web: www.thissobervet.comIG: @thissobervetpodcastFB: This Sober Vet Podcast

Listen as Marine Vet, Jerry, takes us on a journey. Starts with drinking, progresses to opioids, then crystal meth. After being incarcerated and working with Veterans Court, Jerry finds God and begins his sobriety journey. Now 8 years sober, he discusses his new love for his family and how good sobriety is!Our mission is to normalize sobriety with Veterans.Web: www.thissobervet.comIG: @thissobervetpodcastFB: This Sober Vet Podcast

For the first time in over 20 years, Joe and Dr. T are in the same room! This was such a fun episode discussing personal highlights from season one! This is our first ever filmed episode, make sure you listen or watch the episode on YouTube!Our mission is to normalize sobriety with Veterans.Web: www.thissobervet.comIG: @thissobervetpodcastFB: This Sober Vet Podcast

Listen as, Grunt Style CBO, Tim Jensen tells his story of surviving the triangle of death in Iraq to his life with alcohol and drugs. A story we can all relate to. Tim brings a new conversation to TSV when he discusses the profound impact of medically supervised psychedelics and how they help Veterans reset their brain to dissolve addictions! This episode is a MUST LISTEN!Our mission is to normalize sobriety with Veterans.Web: www.thissobervet.comIG: @thissobervetpodcastFB: This Sober Vet Podcast

Listen as Marine Combat Veteran, Joe Rodriguez tells an intriguing story of day drinking, chasing the lows of doing drugs/alcohol, his explosive aha moment, and then finding purpose in creating. Such a great story of redemption!Our mission is to normalize sobriety with Veterans.Web: www.thissobervet.comIG: @thissobervetpodcastFB: This Sober Vet Podcast

Listen as Navy Vet Kevin Macomber, a 20+ year advocate for PTSD, tells his outstanding story of conquering alcohol and the tools that he used to navigate life with PTSD. He wrote a book on PTSD, Walking From The Shadows, that was accepted by multiple military academies. Check it out here!Our mission is to normalize sobriety with Veterans.Web: www.thissobervet.comIG: @thissobervetpodcastFB: This Sober Vet Podcast

Listen as Riley takes you on a journey of achievement with a few rough patches. She leans on her religion and chooses love. This episode is a MUST LISTEN. Oh yeah, she is also an author! Check out her amazing children’s book here:https://a.co/d/9U78Q65Our mission is to normalize sobriety with Veterans.Web: www.thissobervet.comIG: @thissobervetpodcastFB: This Sober Vet Podcast

Check out Air Force Veteran, John, tell his story of an honest approach to sobriety. Through self discovery, paying it forward, finding his faith, and helping others, John is totally rocking sobriety!Our mission is to normalize sobriety with Veterans.Web: www.thissobervet.comIG: @thissobervetpodcastFB: This Sober Vet Podcast

Listen as JT tells a totally relatable journey of breaking the chains of alcoholism. This triumph motivated JT to start a non profit called Consequence of Habit. Their mission statement is: Empowering individuals and communities by bringing awareness to the impact habits have on mental health, success and the environment.Our mission is to normalize sobriety with Veterans.Web: www.thissobervet.comIG: @thissobervetpodcastFB: This Sober Vet Podcast

Listen as Micah tells his story of being a Navy brat to a Navy Vet. From dealing with emotional abuse and contemplating suicide to choosing sobriety at 25, now his mission is to help Veterans and first responders with his non-profit, Mental Restorations!Our mission is to normalize sobriety with Veterans.Web: www.thissobervet.comIG: @thissobervetpodcastFB: This Sober Vet Podcast

Listen as this Marine Veteran opens up about his wild journey with addiction. This raw story taps into a truth that all addicts can relate to. His triumph over alcohol, opioids, heroin, and prison led him to the sober family man he is today!Our mission is to normalize sobriety with Veterans.Web: www.thissobervet.comIG: @thissobervetpodcastFB: This Sober Vet Podcast

This is one of those stories that needs your full attention! Jeremiah is such a courageous and giving Soldier. Listen how he survives a tragedy and turns his near-death experience into a life of service and motivation! This is a quintessential TSV story of triumph!Our mission is to normalize sobriety with Veterans.Web: www.thissobervet.comIG: @thissobervetpodcastFB: This Sober Vet Podcast

Listen as Aaron weaves a tale of service to our county, our community, and now our schools. After realizing drinking was starting to be a problem, he turned his sights to serving others!Our mission is to normalize sobriety with Veterans.Web: www.thissobervet.comIG: @thissobervetpodcastFB: This Sober Vet Podcast

From a flashback that almost turned deadly to being an inspiration of sobriety to those around him! Listen as ARMY combat medic, Jesse, tells his roller coaster journey to sobriety!Our mission is to normalize sobriety with Veterans.Web: www.thissobervet.comIG: @thissobervetpodcastFB: This Sober Vet Podcast

Listen to Michael as he takes you on a journey from productive civilian to Special Forces Soldier. Like many, he indulged in alcohol as part of the military culture. When he realized it was a problem, he channeled his music to heal and help him on his path to sobriety!Listen to Michael's song "War Machine" on Spotify or YouTube.Our mission is to normalize sobriety with Veterans.Web: www.thissobervet.comIG: @thissobervetpodcastFB: This Sober Vet Podcast

ARMY Chinook pilot, Bryan, shares his self-started journey to sobriety. An intelligent approach resulting in him being a rock for his family. Bryan shares a lot of relatable gems in this episode!Our mission is to normalize sobriety with Veterans.Web: www.thissobervet.comIG: @thissobervetpodcastFB: This Sober Vet Podcast

Listen as total badass JT tells his story of 16 years of service, multiple deployments, and his personal battle with addiction, ending victoriously with a drive to help others with his not-for-loss business, “The Mindful Warrior”!Our mission is to normalize sobriety with Veterans.Web: www.thissobervet.comIG: @thissobervetpodcastFB: This Sober Vet Podcast

Creator of That Sober Guy Podcast visits TSV to tell his sobriety story!Our mission is to normalize sobriety with Veterans.Web: www.thissobervet.comIG: @thissobervetpodcastFB: This Sober Vet Podcast

We give a voice to those who truly suffer from addiction…the spouse/loved ones. Hear Joe's story through his wife’s eyes. This is a very emotional episode that ends in triumph!Our mission is to normalize sobriety with Veterans.Web: www.thissobervet.comIG: @thissobervetpodcastFB: This Sober Vet Podcast

This episode hits close to home! Listen as Dr. T’s sister-in-law, Amanda, shares her story of Covid binge drinking and her stumbles to sobriety. Ultimately finding her faith and living life fully!Our mission is to normalize sobriety with Veterans.Web: www.thissobervet.comIG: @thissobervetpodcastFB: This Sober Vet Podcast

Listen as Josh weaves a tale of jumping out of a plane into Iraq, to the deep rooted culture of drinking in the military to being a sober father. This one really hits home for all the right reasons. Our mission is to normalize sobriety with Veterans.Web: www.thissobervet.comIG: @thissobervetpodcastFB: This Sober Vet Podcast

Listen as this soon-to-be SERGEANT MAJOR tells the story of his journey from checking himself into rehab for alcohol abuse, to becoming the type of leader today’s ARMY needs! So many lessons, so many realizations. If you only listen to 1 episode of TSV… THIS is it!!!Our mission is to normalize sobriety with Veterans.Web: www.thissobervet.comIG: @thissobervetpodcastFB: This Sober Vet Podcast

Listen as ARMY NATIONAL GUARD Warrant Officer Veteran, Bud, tells his story of early alcoholism being black-out drunk to now being on fire for God and his decades of sobriety!Our mission is to normalize sobriety with Veterans.Web: www.thissobervet.comIG: @thissobervetpodcastFB: This Sober Vet Podcast

Listen as ARMY Vet Michael discusses binge drinking to being inspired by big names in the Veteran community. Then, becoming an influencer online!Our mission is to normalize sobriety with Veterans.Web: www.thissobervet.comIG: @thissobervetpodcastFB: This Sober Vet Podcast

Air Force Vet, Fallon, shares her journey with drinking. From consumption in high school to stressful days during covid. Listen to this journey toward God and sobriety!Our mission is to normalize sobriety with Veterans.Web: www.thissobervet.comIG: @thissobervetpodcastFB: This Sober Vet Podcast

ARMY Vet, Tiffany Blickenstaff, shares her relationship with alcohol. From using alcohol to help with anxiety, to being homeless. Listen to this story of recovery and hope! Our mission is to normalize sobriety with Veterans.Web: www.thissobervet.comIG: @thissobervetpodcastFB: This Sober Vet Podcast

ARMY Vet, Steve Misnik, tells his story of addiction that started at age 14. Listen to the journey of how he go involved with drugs, experienced hopelessness, then turned his life around on a path to sobriety.Our mission is to normalize sobriety with Veterans.Web: www.thissobervet.comIG: @thissobervetpodcastFB: This Sober Vet Podcast

How this podcast came to be. Joe and Dr. T's introduction. Spoiler Alert: they served together during Operation Iraqi Freedom. Joe opens up with Dr. T about his sobriety journey since they served together.Our mission is to normalize sobriety with Veterans.Web: www.thissobervet.comIG: @thissobervetpodcastFB: This Sober Vet Podcast

Our ​mission ​is ​to ​normalize ​sobriety ​with ​veterans ​who ​are ​using ​and ​abusing ​substances ​in ​a ​harmful, ​self-medicating ​way. ​If ​you ​can ​just ​continue ​to ​listen, ​we ​are ​going ​to ​plant ​seeds ​that ​hopefully ​will ​help ​you ​on ​your ​path ​to ​sobriety.Our mission is to normalize sobriety with Veterans.Web: www.thissobervet.comIG: @thissobervetpodcastFB: This Sober Vet Podcast