Sometimes the most powerful conversations happen when you least expect them. That’s exactly what occurred when SugaBear walked into a nearly empty restaurant one evening, just looking for some fried rice, and ended up talking with a bartender until closing time. After hearing his story, SugaBear invited him to be a guest on the show.
Meet Zachary Gorman – recovery coach, author, and advocate who’s turning his painful past into a beacon of hope for others. His story started with a devastating loss. “Two and a half years ago, my wife passed away and I kind of lost control,” Zach shared. “I was using amounts that would probably kill most people. “The turning point came on Christmas Eve 2023, in the most unexpected way. A stranger approached him and asked, “Have you ever considered going to an N.A. meeting?” That moment shattered everything. “I thought I was okay. I thought I was functioning. Far from the truth,” he recalls.
That same day, Zach told his mother, “I think I need to go to rehab.” She started sobbing – not from disappointment, but relief. “That is the first time you had ever asked me to go,” she said. Three days later, Zach entered detox, then residential treatment, where a counselor with 20 years of sobriety challenged his know-it-all attitude. When Zach criticized AA as “outdated,” she simply replied, “But it works.” Her advice? “If you don’t like something, change it.”
So, he did. While in treatment, Zach wrote his first book on his cell phone, “A Rebel’s Road: A Rebel’s Guide to Recovery” – weaving together his story with those of fellow patients. It became his way of processing grief and creating his own path to healing. His second book, “The Rebel Phoenix: From Ashes to Ascension,” an empowering journal workbook that walks readers through daily tools, accountability, and self-discovery was released in mid-September.
Today, Zach works as both a recovery coach and bartender, finding that his bar job offers unexpected opportunities to connect with people struggling with addiction. “These conversations happen so often because everybody knows somebody that struggles with addiction or alcoholism,” he explains.
From losing everything to finding purpose in helping others, Zach’s journey reminds us that sometimes our deepest wounds become our greatest strengths. Sometimes, the conversation that changes your life happens over fried rice at 8:15 PM with a bartender who almost hid in the back to avoid serving one more customer.
“It felt very fateful, like we were brought together,” Zach said about the chance encounter with SugaBear. Maybe that’s how recovery works – one unexpected conversation at a time.