GREEN BAY, Wis. (WFRV) – Trading the bottle for a table saw, these days, Brandon Mahoney gets a different type of buzz.

“I just needed to change my life. I was drinking myself to death,” said Mahoney.

A Chicago native, Mahoney moved to Green Bay in 2019, right before the pandemic. That’s when things got really bad.

“I would go to work and come home and drink, and drink myself to sleep. Wake up. Do it all over again. One day, I just woke up and I was just fed up with everything,” explained Mahoney.

The day of Mahoney’s epiphany was July 7th, 2022, and he hasn’t looked back since.

“Hardest thing in my life, but the best thing in my life. It’s just getting better every day. I just take it one day at a time. That’s my slogan: One day at a time,” Mahoney said.

Always interested in woodworking, Mahoney said he never had the finances to make the jump. He asked a friend to front him money for one tool. After working off the money loaned and then some, he bought another tool and got to cutting.

“I really enjoyed it. After I got my first few tools, I just kind of jumped off and got attached. Now it’s my passion,” Mahoney said.

That passion is what led him to create Sober Cuts Woodworking earlier this year. Largely through word-of-mouth, business has been booming!

“People like my story and they know that I’m trying to better myself and there’s a reason behind my company,” said Mahoney.

Sober cuts are Mahoney’s saving grace; they keep him busy and sober. When he’s not working his full-time job at Robinson Metals in De Pere, you’ll find him working in his shop, which, he said, he’s already expanded.

“I want to just continue to grow. I’ve already upgraded shops. I’ve got a lot of visions and I’m very motivated and driven,” Mahoney explained.

And, he’s talented. Tables, live edge work, dog beds, and even baby step stools. You name it, Mahoney makes it.

“Everything’s custom. So, I ask for measurements or I go to the house and get measurements. This year I built a deck. So, I built the deck by myself for a customer,” said Mahoney.

To Mahoney, each piece of wood has a story to tell.

“It’s like DNA, it’s like a human. Everything’s different, as in grain and color, and if there’s swirls and stuff like that. You never know what you’re gonna find,” he said.

A story worth cutting into and learning more about, much like that of Mahoney’s.

“I gotta think about progressing. Not only business but my personal self and turning into a better person,” Mahoney said.

Mahoney also had sound advice and encouragement for those struggling with alcoholism or addiction: “There is a way out. It’s not going to be easy, not by any means. But, it’s possible. You’ve got to be driven. You’ve got to seek support.”

He added, “The hardest part was admitting that you have an addiction and that it’s okay to not be okay.”

Mahoney said if anyone is struggling and needs someone to talk to, he is always there to help out.

If you’re interested in working on a custom piece of wood furniture, Mahoney is always open to requests to bring your vision to life! You can reach out to him via text/call at 708-603-9283 or email at SoberCutsWoodworking@gmail.com.

Mahoney also has a Facebook page, an Instagram account and a website.