What's up everyone, Will Gordon here from The Willpower Podcast. This one's a banger – sat down with Quebec country rocker Rick Duff @Duff.yeehaw, who's 6 months sober and absolutely crushing it with his debut album Forever Reckless.

Rick lays it all out: going from bricklayer to Canada's got talent show finale overnight, the wild party days in his 20s, those "loser birds" chirping after all-nighters, getting hammered through five straight shows and knowing he was letting fans down... that was his wake-up call to quit booze and drugs for good.

We get deep on the guilt, the crossroads moment,surprising confidence from stacking sober days, sober hacks for touring, and turning massive pain – including losing his best friend Matthew to addiction – into therapy on tracks. Album's dedicated to him, man. Songs like "Reckless" and "Ford Ranger" hit hard.

If you're grinding through quitting drinking, battling addiction, or just need some real talk on mental health and showing up better – this is the one. Rick's proof you can flip the script and give your best self to the people who believe in you.

Timestamps:

00:00 - Cold open hook + Quebec weather banter

02:26 - Fame explosion from TV show

03:44 - Rock bottom: 5 wasted nights on stage

07:07 - The moment booze was stealing his voice

10:02 - Loser birds & choosing sobriety

17:21 - Losing Matthew & the album dedication

26:07 - Sober touring hacks 28:23 - Motivation from other artists/books

30:13 - What's next for Rick

34:25 - Rick's final words

Stream Forever Reckless everywhere and follow Rick:

• Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/artist/4MNUaMf0Yl05yY6x342xBH
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/rickduffmusic/
• TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@rickduffmusic
• YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@Duff.yeehaw
• Website: https://rickduffmusic.com/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/DUFFOFFICIEL/

Hit subscribe if these stories fire you up – we're building a community of people stacking wins and getting after it sober. Drop a comment if Rick's story hit home.

If you're getting value from the show and want to help me keep grinding these episodes full-time (editing two a day sometimes takes all day!), a coffee on BuyMeACoffee means the world: https://www.buymeacoffee.com/willpowerpodcast

Other ways to support (keeps the lights on while I chase this dream):

• RCVR gear: https://rcvrbrand.com/
• LiverMedic supplements: https://livermedic.com/
• AMPLIFY Sober events: https://amplify.soberliferocks.com/

Thanks for being here, fam. Let's keep the willpower rolling.