PLEASE NOTE: This episode is part of our "One

Year On" series, two ESH shares recorded approx. 1 year apart.

Janis's first share can be heard here: https://open.spotify.com/episode/1a47cgJOVHXpMczvB287tp?si=jk1kObrKT42eKs0ElwabzA

Imagine the most incredibly insightful summary of this incredible share.

A description so vibrant and engaging, you can't help but hit the play button and the subscribe button, AT THE SAME TIME.

And imagine that summary appearing right here:

Matty shared at AANP in January 2024, and as part of our One Year On series, we thought it was time to check in and see how life has unfolded since then.

What follows is a raw, honest account of a year in recovery shaped by instability, near-relapse, legal stress, housing upheaval, illness, and the daily work of staying sober when nothing feels settled. From getting sober in Las Vegas, to navigating recovery across AA, LifeRing, and online communities, to teaching himself software engineering while sleeping on couches and fighting to hold onto a job that nearly slipped away, Matty speaks openly about what it means to keep choosing sobriety in the middle of real life.

This is not a highlight reel. It is a story about persistence. About building structure where there is none. About using every available tool: meetings, service, therapy, meditation, writing, community, and hard-won self-honesty. About learning how not to pick up, even when the pressure keeps rising.

A candid conversation about staying sober, staying connected, and slowly moving from survival toward something that begins to feel like living.

This speaker-share was recorded during the Collaborative New Year's Marathon 25/26, presented by An All Night Place, Secular Together, and The 505 Secular Marathon Meeting. During one of the 505 hours, Mike shared.

In this episode, Mike takes the mic and brings a share shaped by time, honesty, and sustained sobriety. With a five-digit day count, what AA circles affectionately call a “zipcoder”, he reflects on what actually changes after the milestones stop feeling shiny.

This is not a victory lap. It is a grounded look at long-term sobriety lived one day at a time. Mike talks about early resistance, learning how to stay without believing what he could not believe, and the slow rewiring that happens when alcohol is no longer the solution to everything. He speaks candidly about fear, responsibility, self-honesty, and the quiet work of continuing to show up long after the chaos has settled.

“Zipcoder in da house” lands here not as status, but as perspective. Five digits does not mean finished. It means practiced. It means having enough distance to see patterns clearly and enough humility to know the work is ongoing.

A steady, thoughtful share for anyone wondering what sobriety looks like when it stops being new and starts being real.