Episode 38: Julian—Sobriety, the Military, and Learning to Do It His Way

Julian has 21 months sober, and this is his very first time in the rooms of AA. His journey started in the army, where drinking was the norm—and sometimes even encouraged. When his platoon wanted to promote him, Julian realized more responsibility would interfere with the one thing he wasn’t willing to let go of: his drinking. So he admitted to his officer that he had a problem, and they sent him to sober classes. In the military, alcohol and drugs weren’t exactly hidden—it was all about suiting up, showing up, and sweating it out until you could function again.

Julian opens up about the many layers of his story: identifying as bisexual and how that played out in his drinking, his trips to the psych ward, and his final blackout that lasted for days until his dad and brother found him and got him into treatment. That was the turning point, and he hasn’t looked back since.

This conversation gets personal when Jimmy asks why Julian is always so “weird” towards him in their meeting—and Julian reveals that he has autism and has often felt intimidated by how close everyone is. It’s a moment of honesty that says a lot about how we all experience recovery differently.

Julian also talks about the things he didn’t do the “right” way in his first year—like ignoring his sponsor’s suggestion not to date a newcomer. But today, he says he’s in the healthiest relationship of his life, and that breaking the rules didn’t mean breaking his sobriety.

🎧 Listen in for a conversation that’s raw, funny, and real—about the military, mental health, sexuality, and finding freedom in recovery on your own terms.