Rocking Recovery With Ricky Byrd: ‘Community Is the Cornerstone of Everything’
The All Sober all-star and Rock Hall of Famer joined podcast host Cyrus Webb on #ConversationsLIVE to talk about inspiring recovery through music and what 35 years sober has taught him
“When I first came into recovery, September of ’87, I had just come off the road with Joan [Jett]. I was probably wearing a leather jacket, my hair was a lot longer. And nobody looked like me,” said rocker and recovery coach Ricky Byrd on the #ConversationsLIVE radio show and podcast this week. “But when people started sharing, I was like, ‘Whoa, what’s this all about?’ They were saying the same stuff I was thinking. That’s the community. There’s a lot of things we all have in common.”
Byrd, a Rock & Roll Hall of Fame inductee, guitarist on Jett’s “I Love Rock ‘n’ Roll” and All Sober ambassador, joined host Cyrus Webb to reflect on the power of community and connection. With 35 years of sobriety, Byrd said he still attends group support meetings and talks to three or four friends in recovery every day. “I think that’s the cornerstone of everything,” he explained. “Having people’s phone numbers, people you go to lunch with. Having people to lean on, and they lean on you.”
Byrd has become a vocal recovery advocate — “recovery out loud,” as he says — conducting music therapy sessions at treatment centers. He’s also partnered with All Sober to engage our community and inspire people struggling with addiction to get help. Byrd has been encouraging his sober friends in the music and sports worlds to share their recovery journeys on our Inspiration platform and empower their fans.
The goal, he said, is that readers navigating recovery will see a familiar face and think, “‘Wow, I listened to them when I was a kid,’ or, ‘Wow, that person can get sober, that’s so cool.’ That’s part of community.”
Byrd and Webb spoke more about ending the stigma surrounding addiction and recovery, how Byrd deals with life’s curveballs, sober, and the ways All Sober can help people in earliest stages of recovery and well beyond. Listen to their discussion on #ConversationsLIVE!
Topics
Essential Reading
More Inspiration
Subs & Drugs & Rock & Roll, Part 3: 'I'm a Loser (And I'm Not What I Appear To Be)'
Don Fertman reaches bottom as the jelly donut hits the wall. The latest installment of the longtime Subway exec's memoir.
The Joy of Baking (Sober)
Two months sober, Annie Zimmerman decided to make cookies. Now, her hobby turned passion yields fulfillment, connection and delicious soberversary cakes. Read the interview!
Subs & Drugs & Rock & Roll, Part 2: A Day in the Life
Don Fertman woke up one morning 40 years ago and poured himself a drink, as usual. But the future Subway exec didn't know this day would be far from ordinary.
Running Toward Recovery
Seeking purpose in early recovery, Annie Zimmerman rekindled an old fire with distance running — and found it carried her through some of her toughest trials in sober life.
Closer to the Shore
On Ben Tuff's third day in inpatient treatment, he had a surprising encounter that would eventually lead him to attempt a grueling 24-mile swim across the Narragansett Bay.
Subs & Drugs & Rock & Roll, Part 1: With a Little Help From My Friends
Don Fertman, longtime Subway exec, writes about a pivotal moment in his 40 years of sobriety: what happened after he went public about his recovery on "Undercover Boss."
Sober Holiday Tips: Meeting 'Share-a-Thons'
Need to get out of the house for a bit and see some friendly sober faces? Recovery support group meeting marathons run 24/7 from Christmas Eve through New Year's Day.
'Swim Tuff: How I Swam My Way Out of the Bottle' | All Sober Movie Night
Coming out of severe alcohol addiction, Ben Tuff barely knew how to swim. Ten years later, he makes a bold attempt to traverse the Narragansett Bay, taking on 24 miles of ocean in one day.