Evening News anchor John Ball has been a fixture in Louisville media for nearly 40 years.

Many know him for his investigative work and anchoring on w l y and wave three news in the Derby City.

He's also celebrating 13 years of sobriety after a very public struggle with alcohol addiction.

He spoke to CNET's Kelsey Starks, and during that conversation he was candid about his time in rehab and his recovery process.

Here's some of what you'll learn on this week's episode of Inside Louisville.

One of the most well, probably the most important story that you've told is your own.

And you did that in your first book.

Yes.

On the news.

In the news where you put your own mug shot there.

I do.

The cover.

Did.

Yep.

And for those who may not know, you have struggled very publicly with alcohol addiction.

And tell us about that journey and what made you want to put it all out there?

So I'm sitting in in rehab, by the way, 13 years ago, right about now, right about today, I got released from a treatment center, Hazelden Treatment center in Minneapolis.

So I'm sitting in in rehab.

I've just had to do in two years and fired and humiliated and in the media.

And every morning I started my morning off by going down into the basement and turning on the dryer to muffle the sound of me sobbing, suicidal, sobbing.

And, you know, and I'm sitting in rehab and I had a counselor tell me, John, how many people get a one month, 28 day chance in life to just hit pause.

Learn about yourself.

Learn about how you're wired and how you can get better.

And so I thought that was good advice.

And so I'd listened and stayed up everything they told me.

And and as I'm in rehab, I'm sitting there thinking, a journalist job is to take people who don't get to go to these things and take them through a news experience or something going on where they're not there.

And I thought, what better thing to do than take people through what goes on in rehab and treatment?

And then so I started taking notes.

And it was so profound that then I also decided to take readers along to my journey, trying to get out of the the depths of the hole I was in.

You know, things like going to the unemployment office, riding, riding the bus, because I have no license in the people that did pop up in their lives that give us the strength to move on.

The least person you'd expect, like a woman in front of me in the unemployment office when I'm all got my head on trying not to be recognized.

And people are like, Hey, you're the news guy or your jump ball.

And I'm like, trying to hide.

And this woman turns around.

She's like, You need to be prayed up to be in here.

And don't you even think about killing yourself.

You know, your life was bought at a price from Jesus Christ and an inspirational things that kept me going.

It is a powerful conversation that you do not want to miss.

Kelsey with John Ball, that's this Sunday on inside Louisville at noon Eastern, 11 a.m. Central right here on KCET.