Relapse After 19 Years: Mike Bayer on What Recovery Taught Him

On this episode of We’re Out Of Time, host Richard Taite sits down with Mike Bayer for an unfiltered conversation about addiction, long-term sobriety, relapse, and redemption. Mike opens up about growing up in Orange County, excelling in high school basketball, and how early struggles with mental health led to substance use. After heading to New York to play basketball at Fordham University, his partying escalated and ultimately landed him in treatment at just 22 years old.

Richard shares how his own sobriety journey led him to open a treatment center, setting the stage for Mike to walk through his path to recovery and purpose. Mike details his rise in the recovery space, including becoming a New York Times bestselling author with the help of Dr. Phil, who later mentored him for four years and helped launch his media career.

The conversation takes a powerful turn as Mike reveals relapsing after 19 years of sobriety due to a medication prescribed by a doctor—an experience that deeply reshaped his understanding of recovery. He reflects on what relapse after long-term sobriety taught him, the emotional toll it took, and why humility and honesty remain essential to sustained recovery.

The episode closes with raw discussions on freedom, identity, and compassion, including Mike’s belief that he is no better than anyone else and his decision to help an assistant who is now serving four years in prison—highlighting the complexities of service, boundaries, and humanity in the recovery world.