010: Travis G’s Story: God in the Back of a Cop Car

In this wide-ranging episode, Travis tells his story, recounting how flooding his home after passing out in his bathtub wasn’t enough to keep him sober but handcuffs and leg restraints courtesy of the California Highway Patrol helped him realize he had a problem that needed a serious solution. Travis details the extreme self-will and need for external validation that fueled his addiction, manifesting in both chaos and self-sabotage. Travis also talks about his sobriety, his higher power and his suicide attempts as well as the best diners in LA, the best brands of lube and his favorite WNBA player.

Key Topics & Themes Discussed:·

The "Third Generation" Alcoholic: Travis discusses his family legacy of sobriety, including grandparents who met in the rooms of AA, and why he passionately resisted the program he viewed as a place for "charlatans or zealots."·

The Illusion of Liquid Courage: How drinking, from cheap Pilsners to high-end Scotch, was used to make him feel funnier, smarter, and more attractive—a temporary fix for deep-seated insecurities.·

The Restraint of Sanity: Travis shares the powerful, humbling moment of being physically restrained in the police car, which he likens to being treated like a "mental patient," and the internal whisper of God that led him to his first meeting.·

Pets and the Price of Negligence: The shared experience in recovery where the harm to a beloved pet serves as a devastating reflection of one's own reckless behavior.

Memorable Quotes:·

"I got found out that I have a problem with substance abuse, and that was brought to me by the California Highway Patrol."

"If I sit too long, my mind becomes a filthy pond, full of scum."

"If my body is a house and it's on fire, I don't want to sit in that house fire. I want to go to the other house that's on fire."

"Yesterday's history, tomorrow's a mystery, today's money in the bank."

"It's easier for me to be the good guy of the movie and not the bad guy."

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