My Parakeet Died With Two Years Sobriety - AA Speaker - Jack H.
Podcast: Sober Sunrise - AA Speaker PodcastPublished On: Mon Apr 20 2026
Description: Jack H. has been sober since 1958, drank with a parakeet named Petey who learned poker language, and says he's still got every defect of character he was born with — he's just learned what to do with them. We just launched our new Episodes page — search hundreds of AA speaker meetings by topic, speaker, or step ☀️ Sober Sunrise Episode Archive Check out our lighthearted sober t-shirts and help support the channel🧡 Sober Sunrise Merch Jack started drinking Tennessee homebrew at nine, joined the Navy at 18, got court-martialed three times before he was 21, and convinced his wife he owned a $2 million tobacco plantation when he didn't have $15. He drank with a parakeet named Petey who learned every word from the poker table, got stepped on flat at 250 pounds, and was revived by a jigger of whiskey — Petey died with two years sobriety. Jack did 90 days in AA the first time, drove to his sponsor's house to announce he wasn't an alcoholic, hit a car on the way home, and spent nine months back out before the program stuck. He's been carrying drunks under both arms ever since, says he's still a proud egotistical rebel, and closes with the story of a young Indian who got kicked off the reservation and came back in a Cadillac — "How?" "Chapter Five." Jack H. from San Jose, CA speaking at the 14th Reno Spring Festival in Sparks, NV - May 10th 1985 Music: Deep by KaizanBlu
The note was deleted
The note was saved
Your message was sent