Episode 39: Cesar—Service, Sobriety, and Learning to Be Vulnerable

Cesar has 2 years and 9 months sober—and we first met him at Camp Sober Fest. Randall, who’s now his sponsor, brought him to camp to find community. In this episode, Cesar gets deeply vulnerable about why he chose Randall, an openly gay man, to guide him through the steps. He talks about growing up bicurious but fearful, and how that fear fed into internalized homophobia. Sponsorship with Randall has helped him begin to break that down—and today they’re best friends.

Randall took Cesar through the Big Book heavy, with two simple rules: be of service and have fun. Cesar shares how he grew up in a Mexican household marked by beatings and how that left him self-seeking and hungry for attention. He spent most of his life on drugs, avoiding intimacy, and says learning to communicate and connect in sobriety—especially with women—has been one of his biggest challenges.

In his first year, Cesar stayed single and celibate, focusing instead on giving back at Geary House, where he was of service to newcomers. He also talks about rebuilding his life from scratch—losing his driver’s license after seizures, starting over at Subway and then a warehouse job, both thanks to people in recovery.

We dive into Cesar’s evolving relationship with a higher power, too. Coming in, he didn’t believe in God, and hearing others share about faith was hard. But over time he’s come to see a spiritual presence—“someone always looking over me”—guiding his path.

We wrap up with Cesar’s reflections on Camp Sober Fest, how it helped him get out of his shell, and why service and community remain his anchors today.

🎧 Listen for a conversation about faith, fear, friendship, and the freedom that comes from building a sober life one day—and one act of service—at a time.