The Zac Clark Show - 15 Years Sober: What Recovery Has Given Me | Zac Clark

Episode Date: August 30, 2026

Fifteen years ago, I had no hope, no purpose, and no idea what my life could become. Today, I get to look back on 15 years of sobriety -- and everything recovery has given me. In this solo episode, I talk about what it was like, the moment everything changed, why I still believe my story is my greatest asset, and why I’ll never stop sharing it. If there’s one thing I’ve learned, it’s this: you are worthy of change. And you have to keep going. Connect with Zac: https://www.instagram.com/zwclark/ https://www.linkedin.com/in/zac-c-746b96254/ https://www.tiktok.com/@zacwclark https://www.strava.com/athletes/55697553 https://twitter.com/zacwclark If you or anyone you know is struggling, please do not hesitate to contact Release Recovery: [phone] releaserecovery.com @releaserecovery Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

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driving out into the woods, emptying those kegs, and then taking them right back to the liquor store down the street from the one you purchased them at just to get the $20 deposit. And then going off to the drug man, buying a couple hits of dope, getting high so you're not sick for a few hours. I don't have many memories of what happened from 25, 26. 26, 27, those last couple years. I walked into a bank and I had a spiritual experience. And I believe that on that day in late August of 2011, I had a white light experience.

The family member of the addict, the family member of the person who can't stop drinking and doing drugs, their drug of choice becomes that person. And I'm telling you that you are worthy of change. You deserve the best life you deserve. No introduction today. I'm all you get a solo episode, just me and you, the listener. I'm alone in the studio. It's very quiet in here.

It's nice. And I'm going to record an episode about celebrating 15 years of sobriety. I'd probably be here for about a half hour. And it's interesting because as I was getting ready to talk, I realized that in this very moment with my phone in front of me and the business I own operating, the family I'm a part of living their lives, the friends that I'm so lucky to call friends, doing their thing. in this very moment, in the quiet and the stillness, I am completely taken care of.

I am completely taken care of. And it made me think back to my first mentor, sponsor in NAA. I was probably, who knows, two months, three months, four months sober, and I was smoking cigarettes at the time, and we had a chat. Late one night, I called him drowning in my guilt and shame and fear about the future. And he turned it around on me and just said, Zach, do you have a pack of cigarettes? I said, yes. Do you have a roof over your head?

I said, yes. Do you have food to eat? I said, yes. Do you have water to drink? I said, yes. Well, that sounds like it's going pretty well for you. and when I think back to that conversation, he knew. He knew that if I stayed sober, years later, I would reference that moment in time

because that's the worst it was going to get if I just did the things that I had to do in order to maintain my sobriety. and he was right he was right he had every reason to ask those questions in the way that he did so when i sit here and i think about sharing on this podcast which is named after my name which can be uncomfortable the zach clark show and i look at this wall behind me with a foam hat. This Clark Truck Leasing hat, which was one of my dad's first companies that ultimately went bankrupt and there was a lot of pain in the home when that happened.

But I put that up there as a reminder. And the baseball, this baseball here, that was a baseball was a huge part of my life, obviously, but this is the one that I threw out at the Phillies game, the first pitch last year, which was a huge honor and a gift from my sobriety. And a marathon medal and a release hat, it all makes sense. It all makes sense to a certain degree. And the thing that I continue to trust but not understand

is why I was chosen. to have my story publicized in the way that it was. I can tell you that prior to any appearance on television, I was telling my story in the same way. In fact, the moment I came out of rehab, I was desperate to tell my story to anyone that would listen because I was so excited about this new life. that I had been given. And that blind faith, that willingness early on has driven me for the past 15 years.

The reason I continue to tell my story so openly is because recovery, behavior, healthcare, substance abuse, drug addiction, is word of mouth. This thing is word of mouth. That is how this thing works. That is how this thing works. So if I live under that fundamental belief that someone before me shared their story, and I remember some of those people when I was in rehab and in early meetings and therapists and other patients that I sat next to, bearing their soul, telling their story in such in a raw and honest way that I was completely unfamiliar with. If I'm going to take that experience from them, it is then my duty to do this. And so whether or not it's in a public way or a non-public way, I, to this day, feel like

my story is my greatest asset. my truth is my greatest asset. And the more that I can take steps towards living true to my most authentic self, the better my life is going to be. And sobriety has given me that. And that's the goal. That's the goal with this podcast. That's the goal with the work I do in the world each and every day. That's why I sit here and I ask everyone to leave me alone in this studio so that I can speak to the camera about what 15 years of sobriety means to me because the reality is and the reality is I get a chip. I'll get a little coin with an xV on it celebrating my milestone or achievement and sobriety. But what I really get is the last 15 years of life, of life. 15 years.

that was not promised to me when I was 27 and had a needle in my arm. And if I look at it that way, it's really hard to have a bad day. There's bad moments. There's things that happen that upset me. But having a bad day is not an option. And as they say, you should know that most of the content in recovery is recycled. There's a saying that goes, my best day drinking doesn't pale in comparison to my worst day sober.

I don't know I totally agree with that. I had some fun when I was out there drinking. But from strictly an emotional perspective, that is true. That is true. That is true. And the other thing that I was taught are brought to believe in sobriety, recovery change in general is that it does not it requires patience this thing requires so much patience and so whether you're out there and making having some contemplative thoughts around change

I hope as you contemplate change you understand that change takes time and it takes hard work and it takes a little bit of delusion and belief. And if you do change, there's going to be some people that help you do that. But ultimately, that's going to be your decision. And when you change, you should be proud of that. And that's how I feel today. I am proud of myself. I'm proud of myself because the stories that I could sit here and tell you,

if you've been to a recovery meeting, a 12-set meeting, And they follow a format which is called what it was like, what happened, and what it is like now, what it is like today. And I'm trying to tell you a little bit about what it's like today, peel back the layers of the onion on what it looks like today, because that is the results of 15 years of really hard work, sacrifice, willingness, hum, humility. But what it was like, I mean, what it was like, it was, it was death. it was buying kegs of beer at a liquor store, driving out into the woods, emptying those kegs, and then taking them right back to the liquor store down the street from the one you purchased them at just to get the $20 deposit.

Now, mind you, I bought the keg on a credit card. I need cash to buy drugs, going back to a different liquor store with those kegs, getting the deposit that you would pay. or that they would give you for the barrel, and then going off to the drug man, buying a couple hits of dope, getting high so you're not sick for a few hours. You know, what it was like was no meaningful relationship, no thought of others, no honesty, and no real present tense.

I mean, there was no, I don't have many memories of what happened from 25, 25, 20, 26, 27, those last couple years. What happened for me was I walked into a bank, and I've told this story a lot, but some of you might not have heard it, I walked into a bank, and I had a spiritual experience. And in the big book, the basic text of the what's called Alcoholics Anonymous, it's labeled the book, the book is called Alcoholics Anonymous, the co-founder, And this story doesn't matter whether you're an AA or not. But the co-founder, Bill Wilson, talks about spiritual experiences.

And he talks about there being a spiritual experience of the educational variety, which means that it happens over time. And then he talks about the spiritual experience, a white light experience. And I believe that on that day in late August of 2011, I had a white light experience. I had an out-of-body experience. I had an experience that only those who have also experienced similar can identify with. Because the bank teller called my father, who was not supposed to answer his phone. Her name was Rhonda Jackson.

She had no reason to call my dad. She was just being kind. My father walked into that bank where I was trying to cash one of his checks, and he put his arm on my arm. And in that moment, a kid, a 27-year-old kid who was suffering extreme withdrawal from opiates, extreme withdrawal from alcohol, DTs stopped having those symptoms. The pain of yesterday was lifted. It rushed out of my body. There's no reason I should have been able to get in the car with my dad when he said, son, we're going home. when he put his arm on my arm and said some were going home.

There's no reason I was supposed to be able to get in that car, drive back to my childhood home, sleep in my childhood bed, wake up the next morning and go to rehab the next day, other than something that was outside of human power. I went to rehab for four and a half, five months, did another few several months in a really highly structured, sober living environment all while getting plugged into the recovery community here in New York City where I so proudly live and have built a home and I'm just grateful for all the people here

and just started doing exactly the things that they told me to do. At the end of the day, this program recovery, it's like anything else in life. You've all heard the analogy around baking a cake if you follow the directions, most likely the cake is going to turn out okay. If you follow a weightlifting routine, most likely you're going to get stronger. If you follow a running routine, you're probably going to get faster. If you practice the guitar, the way that your coach asks you to practice the guitar, you're probably going to get better. It's the same thing with recovery. I can tell people how I recovered.

I can explain it in very fine detail. and with a pretty significant amount of confidence, if someone follow those steps, takes those suggestions that I outline for them, that I detail for them, there's a high likelihood, a high probability that that person will be given a life similar to the one that I've been given. That life is not promised to be perfect, but it's a damn good existence, and it surely beats the heck out of the way I used to live. And so for the past 15 years, I've, I can't tell you how grateful I am for the relationships

in my life today, for the relationships that aren't in my life today, the ones that weren't serving me, that had to be let go. For my conscience, my gut, to know when something doesn't feel right, doesn't align with me. For someone that should be in the people-pleasing Hall of Fame, that is a gift. I spent 27 years telling people exactly what they wanted to hear. And so I think the moral of the story today is extreme gratitude. I think of the family members that tune into this and listen. my deep desire is that this show, this podcast is giving you some hope and some tools to understand that your loved ones, substance abuse, your loved ones' mental health is not

of your own making. Sure, at some point along the way, did you contribute to it? Absolutely. We all contribute to everyone's stuff. None of us are perfect. But that that does not mean that you need to carry the weight. That just not mean that you need to stop living your life. As I've said many, many times, the loved one is the one that often gets left behind. And the truth about that story is that the family member of the addict, the family member of the person who can't stop drinking and doing drugs, their drug of choice becomes that person. And they react violently and emotionally and have physical reactions to their every move because they're so addicted to trying to save them. And I don't blame the family member for that. I don't think they're wrong

for doing that. And it's really hard to kind of step off that energy. But my hope is that what you hear when you dial into these episodes is that it takes miracles for people to get sober. oftentimes it's outside of human control. There are some things we know to work. There are ways that we can help the recovery process get started. There are places people can go like release recovery, my program, when there is a sliver of willingness that can help improve the chances of a positive outcome. But we never know what's going to be the thing that helps someone ask.

for help. So I think of the family members. And I have a lot of gratitude for my family and I have a lot of gratitude for the family members who are out there that have lost loved ones who have suffered in someone's addiction or mental health struggles, family member that feels alone. You don't have to feel alone. There's programs. There's resources for you. You know, and I just think about my time right now on this planet at 42 years old, like my family is crucially important to me. My brother Matt, my sister, Catherine, Rachel, my parents. Couldn't do it without them. But it wasn't always like that.

So don't look at my story and become jealous. It took us many, many years to get to where we are today. We hung in there. I look at my friends in New York City. I have beautiful, sober friends. My circle gets tighter and tighter as I learn to really understand why relationships or what relationships are important and what really drives people. And then I have, you know, ironically, a group of friends as I celebrate this 15 years that, you know, I did. a lot of my early drinking with. They're my best friends in life. It's a group of guys. We call

ourselves the fresh chain. There's about 15 of us. It's the guys that graduated in the year 2002 and the guys that graduated in the year of 2001 from Manhattan Field Memorial High School where I went to high school. And those bonds, those high school bonds, those adolescent bonds, man, there is nothing like them. And those guys have saved me more. more times than they probably realize or recognize to have men in my life. It just made me laugh and teach me to not take myself too seriously and can break my stones a little bit. It's been so important to me.

And, you know, we're going to go this weekend and have our fantasy football draft. And this episode will come out on Sunday, which is my actual anniversary. anniversary. But let me tell you about this weekend. I'll drive the van so that they don't have to drink and drive. I will set up the fantasy football draft. I'll hang the draft board. I'll be of service to the group. I won't drink. I won't do drugs. And I'll have the best time. I'll have the best time with guys that at this point, you know, the partying is slowing down a little bit. bit, but the friendships have never been stronger. Because we're into that age now where they have kids and their starting families. It's just special. So I look at the people in my life. That's kind of what I just went through. And then I look at the opportunities in my life with release recovery,

the treatment program that I'm fortunate enough to run and have so many beautiful people that work for me. The gifts that have come from being a business owner and an entrepreneur, just a couple weekends ago I was at a wedding of an employee of ours, married, someone who had come through our program many, many years ago, and just the kind of thing you can't make up. And so while, yes, it's my livelihood and we try to run a good business, it's the moments, it's the memories, it's the recoveries that really I hold close to my heart and the people that work for me. You know, I've come a long way in that regard. I posted something on social media this week around, you know, are you holding the door

so that someone says thank you when they walk through it? Or are you holding the door just to help that person get to the other side? And there's a difference because if I give with expectation to my employees, it's never going to work out. My job as a leader, and what I understand today is that I need to put people in a position to win. I need to root for them. And I have to understand that they may go out and have more success than I do, and that is perfectly okay. And I'm not saying I was always like that. But it's been a blessing to start a company back in 2017.

which a lot of people think I started after television, but we were well on our way when I went on that TV show, The Bachelorette, and released recovery. It's named after a Pearl Jam song. That's why the records are in here, release song. Eddie writes about his dad, and it's powerful and beautiful. And then the Released Recovery Foundation, which is the nonprofit, which we, you know,

raise a lot of money to, to send people to programs all across the country who can't afford it, not to release my company, but anywhere. Therapists, interventionist, resource folks so they can go get help, treatment programs, mental health, substance abuse, whatever it might be. And that's been a gift. And then I think about what I do for fun, man, and I have a fucking blast. You know, I'm deep into training for the New York City Marathon. I've run 18 Marathon. As I mentioned, I love Pearl Jam, I love Philadelphia sports. Like, it's a simple equation for me.

Like, I just do the things that fill my cup. And I say no to the things that don't fill my cup. That's another gift. And so when I look at the people and the opportunities and the joy, the hobbies, who's got it better than me? Who's got it better than me? I don't think anyone. I have incredible blessings in my life.

I have incredible relationships. I have deep desires to keep building in every area of my life. I've never felt younger. I've never felt prouder. And I can tell you that on a holistic level, we are starting to see changes. That word stigma that I hate, we are starting to break that down. And people are really trying to pay attention to how they're living. And that for me is all I can ask for.

When I joined this network voicing change, I did so because I believed in Richroll. I believed in some of the other personalities that were podcasting on this network. But I believed in the title of the thing, which is voicing change. And if I sit here and I kick everyone out and I say, I'm going to do a solo episode for 45 minutes and I speak and one person tunes in and still listening right now in this very moment, that's the person I'm talking to. I am talking to you. And I'm telling you that you are worthy of change. You deserve the best life. You deserve to be free from whatever it is that is blocking you. And the reason I know that is because I deserved it too. And 15 years ago, through a divine intervention, a decision was made to change. And now I try to try to,

to use my voice to do the same thing for others. And if my voice is just a conduit to energy out in the world to help people maybe contemplate taking that first step towards whatever it is, then I am doing my job. You know, and so I'll just close by saying thank you. Like if you're still listening right now, thank you. 15 years is miraculous. I truly believe that. I truly believe that anyone can do this. And I'm not just talking about getting sober. When I say this, I mean change. Have an incredible life.

Do the things you've dreamed of. Be a little delusional and they come to find out that delusioned became a reality. And just to give you permission to be the person that you know that you can be. I need someone to do that for me. Permission is a big deal. And when you're riddled with guilt and shame and horror and jealousy, fear, it's hard to give yourself permission to do anything.

And so that's what I'm doing for you right now. And I'm going to sign off. 15 years is an amazing accomplishment. And I'm looking forward to 15 years one day. Because you know what I say. Keep going. and more recently, I'm rooting for you. Let's go.