19 Years Sober And The 4 Year Old Who Saved Him: Jim Sonefeld's Story

Jim Sonefeld is the drummer for Hootie and the Blowfish. He wrote Hold My Hand. He has been sober for nearly 19 years.

He takes Dave through it. The Chicago suburbs. Five kids in a religious household. The 14-year-old summer where he tried alcohol, threw up in the bushes, and scored it like a competitive sport. Six years to finish a four-year degree at South Carolina. The soccer dream dying. Meeting Mark, Darius and Dean. The Letterman appearance that sent Hold My Hand up the charts and changed everything. Number one albums. Then the slow turn. Cocaine to keep up with the drinking. An overheard intervention he hid from. Four years of lies and isolation in a backyard studio while his family slept inside.

Then a Sunday morning. His four-year-old daughter climbing onto his chest and asking why he wasn't in the house with them. He couldn't answer.

This conversation goes into all of it. The fame, the fall, the 12-step path, and the 19 years that followed.

If you want to connect with me via Instagram, you can find me on the instahandle @Soberdave https://www.instagram.com/soberdave/

or via my website https://davidwilsoncoaching.com/

Provided below are links for services offering additional help and advice.

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Swimming-Blowfish-Hootie-Healing-Hell/dp/1913172791?crid=20BG4XI8FBO28&keywords=swimming+with+the+blowfish&qid=1692291259&sprefix=swimming+with+the+blowfish,aps,83&sr=8-1&linkCode=sl1&tag=imperfectlyna-21&linkId=336e763a7a78d32c7ad0042b0d9dae27&language=en_GB&ref_=as_li_ss_tl

www.drinkaware.co.uk/advice/alcohol-support-services

https://nacoa.org.uk/

Show producer- Daniella Attanasio-Martinez

Instagram - @TheDaniellaMartinez

https://www.instagram.com/thedaniellamartinez/

www.instagram.com/grownuphustle/