Joining us now is world-class comedian Jeff Allen to share about his transformational journey of overcoming alcoholism and despair to finding joy in his life and relationship with God.

It's detailed in his new book, Are We There Yet? My Journey from a Messed Up to Meaningful Life.

Jeff, thanks so much for joining me on Takeaways.

Hey, thanks for having me, man.

Yeah, good to have you here.

I've finally meet you.

I've been watching you from afar for years. Oh, wow, that's kind of creepy. Yeah, it is. Yeah, kind of stalker-like. It is, actually. Yeah. Well, you're one of the funniest guys around, and I'm so excited to be talking with you.

I always wonder what inspires people to be so funny, to be able to like take little things in life and turn into things

that just make our sides hurt, listening to you tell those stories. Well, I was the youngest of four

kids. Nobody listened to me, so I felt if I got on stage with a microphone in my hand,

people would have to listen to my... You had a captive audience. Yeah, and I fell in love with my wife when I first heard her laugh. She had a very similar laugh. I want to meet that laugh. Who is that? But anyway, yeah, I fell in love with her laugh. I heard her in the back of a club, laugh and I was on stage, couldn't see her.

What is it about laughter?

What is it about comedy?

That seems to be good medicine for the soul. It's almost like it was my design. I would have

husbands as wives would go to the bathrooms. Husbands would come over, you know, these old crusty guys,

man, with tears in their eyes. It's the first time I've heard my wife laughing over a year.

And trying to imagine not hearing my wife laugh for over a year

that would just crush me.

Yeah.

You know, and believe me, after 37 years,

it's hard to get her to laugh at anything I say.

She's heard the joke 400 times.

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