This week on Sober Champs, Pete and Aidan sit down with Jason Vickers, whose story spans recovery, relapse, and the painful truth of what happens when you drift from the work that once saved you.

Jason shares how a tight-knit recovery group and a powerful spiritual experience helped him rebuild his life. But over time, life got louder and recovery got quieter. He talks openly about the slow unraveling — a beer to take the edge off a toothache, a hidden bottle under the floorboards, and the deep fear of being found out.

What follows is a raw account of living a double life. Jason describes the emotional isolation, the lies, and the mental gymnastics of trying to hold it all together while quietly falling apart. Eventually, the relapse deepened into the very addictions he had grown up watching destroy his family.

This episode is about more than slipping up. It’s about shame, identity, and the illusion of control. It’s about what it really means to get honest — not just with others, but with yourself.

👉 Listen now to hear Jason’s full story.

More about Jason:

Nantoncks Metsu

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This week on Sober Champs, we're switching it up. No guest, no table — just Pete and Aidan in a laid-back, unscripted conversation about life, recovery, and everything in between.

They open up about what it’s been like creating this podcast, how far it’s come, and why it’s more than just a space for stories of struggle — it's also about connection, humor, growth, and building something real. From reflecting on their own sober dates to speaking candidly about mental health, relapse, working in recovery, and even social media addiction, this episode pulls back the curtain and lets listeners see the heart behind the mic.

It’s funny. It’s honest. It’s personal.

Whether you’re deep in recovery, just getting curious, or have been riding with us since episode one — this one’s for you.

This week on Sober Champs, Pete and Aidan sit down with Allison, who opens up about her journey from a seemingly "normal" childhood in North Seattle to full-blown addiction by her teens. Despite coming from a supportive home and academic-focused parents, Allison shares how her restless energy and untreated ADHD led her to chase chaos at an early age.

From acting out in middle school to introducing harder substances into her friend group in high school, Allison paints an honest picture of how addiction doesn’t always stem from trauma. It can also grow quietly in the spaces where we feel unseen or misunderstood.

The conversation dives into early recovery, the illusion of “figuring it out” after rehab, and the dangers of relying on self-knowledge alone. Now over a decade sober, Allison reflects on the importance of community, humility, and the power of learning from others’ experiences before having to hit every wall yourself.

This episode is for anyone who thought they could outsmart addiction… and learned the hard way that healing requires more than just understanding. It requires surrender.

This week on Sober Champs, Pete and Aiden sit down with Cicio. Someone who takes us deep into his story of addiction, identity, and transformation.

Growing up in Seattle's Ballard neighborhood, Cicio always felt like he didn’t quite belong. He was funny, social, and surrounded by friends, but never truly comfortable in his own skin. What started as weed and keg parties in middle school quickly escalated into a dangerous mix of Xanax, benzos, opiates, and cocaine, all driven by a desire to escape the deep discomfort he carried inside.

This episode pulls no punches. Cicio talks about blacking out for days, gaslighting loved ones, and chasing that fleeting high with everything he had, even when it meant destroying everything around him. From selling pills and getting robbed to waking up in strange places with no memory and no money, his addiction took him to the edge more than once.

But the turning point came when the hustle stopped working. After burning bridges and hitting emotional rock bottom, Cicio found himself in rehab in Arizona. Not because he wanted to, but because there was nowhere left to run. That decision marked the start of a slow, uncomfortable, and deeply real recovery journey.

Now over two years sober, Cicio opens up about what healing really looks like. From learning how to feel feelings without numbing them to building back trust and rediscovering who he is, his story reminds us that recovery is not a straight line. It is work. It is honesty. And it is worth it.

This episode is for anyone who has lied to themselves or others just to keep using. Anyone who has felt broken and unlovable. And anyone who needs to hear that it is never too late to change.

This week on Sober Champs, Pete and Aiden sit down with Devon, who’s nearly six months sober and proof that hitting rock bottom doesn’t always look the way you think it will.

Devon’s story starts in Edmonds, Washington, where she grew up in a Christian household, stayed active in sports, and was a standout student who went on to graduate from the University of Washington. On paper, everything looked perfect. Behind the scenes, she was blacking out nightly, hiding bottles under bathroom cabinets, and convincing everyone, including herself, that she had it under control.

This episode digs into the tricky nature of high-functioning alcoholism. Devon opens up about juggling two jobs, including a remote consulting position she handled while drinking on Zoom calls, and working her way up the wine world in New York City. As a sommelier in the fine dining scene, she was surrounded by alcohol, praised for her performance, and privately unraveling.

Devon shares how she tried everything to manage her drinking — limiting it to weekends, switching to wine only, keeping a calendar with fake sobriety milestones. But the reality was darker. She describes the moment she saw a text on her sister’s phone that read “I think I need to get Devon into rehab,” and how that broke through years of denial. She booked treatment the same day and boarded a plane to California.

Now in early recovery, Devon talks honestly about what the past six months have looked like. From facing difficult emotions without alcohol, to learning how to show up for family and friends with integrity, to rediscovering her passions and rebuilding her life one step at a time, her story reminds us that recovery is about progress, not perfection.

This episode is for anyone who’s ever questioned whether their drinking was “bad enough,” anyone navigating early sobriety, or anyone who just needs to hear that healing is possible, even when you’ve been lying to yourself for years.

In this powerful and deeply raw episode of Sober Champs, Pete and Aiden sit down with Ali to unpack his incredible story of transformation.

Born in Turkey and raised in Federal Way, Ali shares what it was like moving to the U.S. as a kid, battling culture shock, and eventually finding community and purpose through sports. From basketball dreams to varsity championships, sports became his first escape, but soon drugs and alcohol took over as his way to cope with pain at home and the struggles of fitting in.

Ali’s story spirals from college party days at the University of Washington, fraternity life, and chaotic nights to full-blown addiction to meth, crack, and alcohol. He opens up about losing everything: his marriage, family relationships, career as a high-profile trainer, and even his own sense of self.

But the story doesn’t end there. Ali talks about hitting rock bottom, living on the streets, running from the law, and feeling completely lost. A final push from his higher power and a moment of surrender led him to treatment and ultimately into the rooms of recovery.

Today, Ali lives a life of service and connection. He’s rebuilding relationships, showing up for his community, and learning to love himself in ways he never imagined possible.

This episode is packed with moments of humor, heartbreak, and raw honesty. It’s a must-watch for anyone struggling, anyone who loves someone battling addiction, or anyone looking for proof that recovery is possible.

👉 Tune in now to hear Ali’s full story and get inspired to believe in second chances.

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This week on Sober Champs, Pete and Aiden sit down with Patrick Arni, a community leader with over a decade sober who went from sleeping in a closet to becoming the Executive Director of a thriving reentry nonprofit in Seattle.

Patrick’s story starts on the Eastside of Seattle in the late ‘80s and early ‘90s, where he found himself getting high before he even hit high school. Diagnosed with ADHD as a kid and bouncing between schools, Patrick describes how he slipped through the cracks early, masking his struggles with weed, alcohol, and a deep love for books — his one constant escape.

The episode dives into the layers of Patrick’s addiction: from a violent head injury in his teens that introduced him to OxyContin in the early days of the opioid epidemic, to multiple arrests, treatment attempts, and years on and off Suboxone. He shares with raw honesty what it felt like to lose everything — his health, his relationships, and most of all, trust in himself.

But Patrick’s turning point came after a terrifying overdose in 2013, when a moment of desperation sparked a surrender: a prayer, a call to his dad, and a one-way drive to Idaho that eventually led to treatment. From there, he chose to face his wreckage head-on — court dates, jail time, and the long, humbling path of early recovery.

Now 11 years sober, Patrick shares how he rebuilt from the ground up: becoming a father, reconnecting with his parents, marrying the love of his life, and leading a team that provides housing, job training, and support for people reentering society after incarceration. With over 30 full-time staff, Patrick’s organization isn’t just saving lives — it’s changing the system.

This episode is a testament to what long-term recovery can look like: not perfect, but full. From stealing steaks to securing millions in public funding, Patrick’s story proves that redemption isn’t just possible — it can become your platform to lift others.

This week on Sober Champs, Pete and Aiden welcome Seth, a true legend in Seattle's recovery community celebrating over 16 years sober since February 13th, 2009. Pete opens with heartfelt gratitude, sharing how Seth was the person he looked up to during his own early struggles with addiction, representing hope that sobriety was possible.

Seth takes listeners through his journey starting at Nathan Hale High School, where he went from saying no to drugs on a school tour to daily use within weeks of freshman year. What began with marijuana quickly escalated, derailing his sports participation and academic performance. After multiple treatment attempts and six-month stretches of sobriety, Seth accumulated four DUIs in five years, culminating in a near-fatal crash with a semi-truck on I-90 that became his rock bottom.

The conversation dives deep into the challenges of early recovery - from severe depression and dark thoughts to the crucial moment when Seth realized his own thinking couldn't be trusted. He found salvation in 12-step meetings, discovering a thriving underground community where people were genuinely happy about their sobriety, not just surviving it.

Seth's story takes an inspiring turn as he returned to school, became a substance abuse counselor, and eventually helped create Seattle's Interagency Recovery Academy - Washington state's only public recovery high school. Along with co-host Aiden, who's a graduate of the school, Seth explains how they've built a community where abstinence-based recovery is the cool thing, not the exception.

The episode highlights their work with Bridges, an after-school program providing structure and adventure for teens in recovery. From camping trips to pottery classes, they're creating the peer groups and experiences these young people need to thrive. What makes their approach powerful is watching students transform from newcomers to leaders, creating a culture where sobriety becomes attractive to incoming students.

Seth's message is clear: solutions can't be secrets. These resources only work when people know they exist and can access them without shame or stigma.