3,597 days of sobriety
Published May 07, 2021 · 7:03 · 583,723 views
About This Video
Van Neistat sets out to make an episode about sobriety and hits a wall: the more he thinks about his thousands of consecutive substance-free days, the fewer conclusions he can draw.
So he does the honest thing. He calls a friend with more days than his own and takes away two rules. First, speak only from your own experience. What it was like, what happened, what it's like now. No sobriety expert. The episode becomes a reel of what it was like: chopping through a door to pull someone off heroin, an abandoned asylum, motorcycling through Maine, a cast from a drug-induced crash, October 7th 2011 at 67th and Broadway.
The turn arrives in his usual flat register. Either this is the happiest I have ever been or I am having a nervous breakdown, and I can't tell. What happened was he lost his mind and called a friend. The friend sent him to meetings. He describes the big book, its title nearly illegible on the cover so outsiders can't tell what you're reading. Years of meetings, thousands of stories, working with others. Did he do the steps. Not really. The program still feels miraculous.
The second rule his friend gave him was to be in service to the newcomer. It is not lost on Van that the man he once saved from heroin later helped save him when he was the newcomer. He protects his sobriety with all his might. It is the thing that makes every other lovely part of his life possible, the kids, the work, the canyon. More of that life shows up across sobriety and fatherhood.
Related: What Sobriety Feels Like, and Van's full story on the about page.
FAQ
What is this video about?
Van Neistat's own experience of long-term sobriety. Rather than draw a tidy conclusion, he speaks only from experience and lands on one idea: staying sober makes everything else in his life possible.
What is the "big book"?
The foundational text of Alcoholics Anonymous. Van notes its cover title is nearly illegible on purpose, so others can't tell what you're reading.
How does Van Neistat stay sober?
Meetings, hearing thousands of stories, and working with others over many years. He says he hasn't strictly done the steps, but the program still feels miraculous, and being in service to newcomers is central to it.
This video deals with addiction and recovery. If any of it is hitting close to home, support is available and worth reaching out for.
Transcript
this spirited man has decided to make an episode about sobriety but now he doesn't want to do it he is unable to draw a conclusion about his sobriety the more he thinks about his 3133 consecutive substance-free days the fewer conclusions he's able to draw so he thinks he's afraid that without a conclusion the viewer will feel cheated so he called a friend a friend with years more consecutive substance-free days than he and from the conversation this spirited man took away two things about sobriety
first that he should speak only about his own experiences he should not act like some sobriety expert maybe talk about what it was like what happened and what it's like now she said it was like this at times chopping through a door to save someone from heroin it was like this at times exploring an abandoned insane asylum [Music] war like this motorcycling through maine [Music] and like this october 7th 2011 67th and broadway steve jobs died two days ago or this the cast was a
result of a drug-induced motorcycle [Music] crash [Music] ah [Music] either this is the happiest i've ever been in my life or i'm having a nervous breakdown [Music] i can't tell i i oscillate between the two and what happened was he lost his mind and called a friend
and the friend recommended he go to meetings they call this the big book [Music] and there's a reason the title on the cover is nearly illegible it's so outsiders can't tell what you're reading the book is full of stories and suggestions and along with the people and the meetings it helped him stay sober for this spirited man reading the book attending those meetings years of those meetings listening to thousands of stories and working with others has kept him sober for 3134 days today did he do the steps from the book not
really should he probably will he maybe but the program feels miraculous what's it like miraculous 10 days sober and i can make soap it's just fat cells lie and i'll make out of soap and i'll make some so bad at you when you die uncontrollable tears and bad poetry about soap miraculous emotional and difficult the second thing his friend with more consecutive substance-free days than he said was that she tries to be in service to
the newcomer [Music] [Music] it is not lost on this spirited man that when he was a newcomer the now sober man he had once saved from heroin helped save him and he's grateful for his sobriety
he protects it with all his might he misses those meetings and the newcomers he understands that his sobriety makes all the other lovely things in his life [Music] possible yes you
People Referenced
Steve Jobs
Books Mentioned
- AA foundational text, cover designed so outsiders can't tell what you're reading (by — AA foundational text, cover designed so outsiders can't tell what you're reading)