AA Recovery Interviews with Howard L.

Dow’s revolving-door story of getting sober, slipping, and struggling to get sober again and again should be heard by AAs everywhere. It’s a cautionary tale that shines a bright light on the cunning, baffling, and powerful nature of alcoholism. It’s the disease that’s always lurking just outside the perimeter of AA ready to claim those who let up on this Program of action. In Dow’s case, his family history of alcoholism and drug addiction replicated early in his life when his loneliness and fear of disappointing others needed relief. Drinking, smoking marijuana, and later cocaine use were vital to his ability to cope with life. As a functional alcoholic and addict, he actually succeeded in his academic pursuits, including a law school degree, but his constant need to escape from himself was ever present. Finally, after run-ins with the law and other consequences of his disease, he ended up in rehab for the first time, during which he was introduced to AA. While he stayed sober for a period of time, his success with sobriety also fed his ego. Rather than gratefully embracing the Program, he reclaimed illusory management of his life and soon found himself actually planning his next relapse. During his subsequent 7-year slip diverging from any hope of recovery, he fed his addictions with reckless living fueled by brain-damaging crack cocaine and nefarious relationships. When he finally hit his bottom after three more treatment centers, Dow crawled back into the rooms of Alcoholics Anonymous. But his erroneous belief that it would be easy to come back was crushed by the excruciating realization that he would have to give up and give in to the Program once and for all if he was to get sober and stay alive. But this time he embraced the Program, did the work, and is sober to this day.

Those listeners who have relapsed one or more times will identify immediately with Dow’s poignant story. Those who’ve ever considered relapse may think twice or be dissuaded to follow through with a slip. However you hear his story, I think you’ll find the next hour to be extremely valuable. By the way, I apologize for a rare technical glitch with the interviewer portion of this podcast that makes it sound like I’m conducting the interview from a phone booth, for those of you who remember what a phone booth is! But the quality of content is still excellent and should make up for any sub-par audio. So, without further ado, AA Recovery Interviews and I are pleased to welcome my long-time friend and AA brother, Dow H. 

[This is an encore of Episode 51, originally released November 10, 2021].

If you’ve enjoyed my AA Recovery Interviews series and my Big Book Podcast, have a listen to Lost Stories of the Big Book, 30 Original Stories Missing from the 3rd and 4th Editions of Alcoholics Anonymous. It’s an engaging audiobook I narrated to bring these stories to life for AA members who’ve never seen them. These timeless testimonials were originally cut to make room for newer stories in the 3rd and 4th Editions. But their vitally important messages of hope are as meaningful today as when they were first published. Many listeners will hear these stories for the first time. Lost Stories of the Big Book is available on Audible, Amazon, and iTunes. It’s also available as a Kindle book and in Paperback from Amazon if you’d like to read along with the audio.

I also invite you to check out my latest audio book, “Alcoholics Anonymous: The Story of How More Than One Hundred Men Have Recovered From Alcoholism”. This is the word-for-word, cover-to-cover reading of the First Edition of the Big Book, published in 1939. It’s a comfortable, meaningful, and engaging way to listen to the Big Book anytime, anyplace. Have a free listen at Audible, i-Tunes, or Amazon.

Jim’s life as an alcoholic began with an addiction to morphine when he was 14.  Administered four times a day while he was hospitalized for a month after a serious surgery, Jim found that morphine did more than kill the pain. It helped him escape the mental tribulations he felt from childhood on. But morphine was difficult to get and he soon found that increasing amounts of alcohol was would have largely the same results. So, he didn’t stop drinking or using drugs until he was 46. Jim’s life prior to sobriety was the familiar odyssey of drinking and drug use, to which so many alcoholics in AA can relate. But the biggest challenges and threats to his sobriety occurred after he had joined AA. At 13 months sober, his wife of 17 years was found dead from a drug overdose suicide.  At nearly 4 years sober, a drunk driver caused a near fatal motorcycle accident for Jim that landed him in the hospital for 3½ months of multiple surgeries for shattered bones and brain injury.  Released to a life of chronic pain, he also lost his beloved career as a symphonic musician. Later on in his sobriety, Jim lost his best friend to suicide. More recently, as the only child, Jim has been caring for his 91 year old mother who’s been very sick.

Handling the tragedies that have befallen him during sobriety, as well as the gifts that have come from it, Jim has stayed firmly planted in the action part of his AA Program. Sponsoring other men and ceaseless service have never failed to improve the quality of his sobriety no matter what he faces in life. Jim’s story is both courageous and captivating. It provides a roadmap for navigating troubled times and an inspiring optimism for living a happy life in midst of Alcoholics Anonymous. So please enjoy this episode of AA Recovery Interviews with my fine friend and AA brother, Jim D. 

[This is an encore of Episode 65, originally released February 16, 2022].

If you’ve enjoyed my AA Recovery Interviews series and my Big Book Podcast, have a listen to Lost Stories of the Big Book, 30 Original Stories Missing from the 3rd and 4th Editions of Alcoholics Anonymous. It’s an engaging audiobook I narrated to bring these stories to life for AA members who’ve never seen them. These timeless testimonials were originally cut to make room for newer stories in the 3rd and 4th Editions. But their vitally important messages of hope are as meaningful today as when they were first published. Many listeners will hear these stories for the first time. Lost Stories of the Big Book is available on Audible, Amazon, and iTunes. It’s also available as a Kindle book and in Paperback from Amazon if you’d like to read along with the audio.

I also invite you to check out my latest audio book, “Alcoholics Anonymous: The Story of How More Than One Hundred Men Have Recovered From Alcoholism”. This is the word-for-word, cover-to-cover reading of the First Edition of the Big Book, published in 1939. It’s a comfortable, meaningful, and engaging way to listen to the Big Book anytime, anyplace. Have a free listen at Audible, i-Tunes, or Amazon.

After a long period of sobriety, Marcia let up on her Program and plunged into a 7-year relapse. Seduced by the disease, she was convinced she could drink normally. That illusion took her to the depths of despair from which few survive. That she barely made it back to AA and sobriety is nothing short of a miracle.

Marcia G. first got sober in 1990. But 8 years into that sobriety, her interest and involvement in AA started to wane. She went to fewer and fewer meetings, becoming increasingly convinced that her real problem was with drugs, not alcohol. By the time she slipped after 12 years, and during the early years of that relapse, her experimentation with social drinking seemed to be working. She believed herself no longer an alcoholic. Seduced by alcohol, her misguided belief soon deteriorated as she began a tragic downward slide back into the bottle. With a child and husband, and previous experience with AA, she had lots of reasons to get sober again. But it took a 7 year beating by the disease before she barely made it back to AA. Thoroughly devastated, she got a sponsor and started to work the Program in earnest. As the years multiplied, Marcia stayed in the middle of the Program, going to lots of meetings, continuing service work, and sponsoring many women from a treatment hospital she herself had attended.  Today, Marcia is once again sober 12 years, but this period of sobriety is infused into every facet of her life.

Marcia’s story of long-term sobriety, interrupted by a lengthy slip, should be particularly instructive to anyone who’s ever inhabited the outer regions of the Program where alcohol’s seduction seems the greatest. That Marcia made it back to even tell the story is a worthy demonstration of a power greater than herself. That she has anchored her sobriety to such a strong AA Program, by continuously doing the work, is fine encouragement to anyone struggling to get to the center. This is the 32nd interview in the AA Recovery Interviews podcast. Take a deep breath…exhale, and enjoy the next 60 minutes listening to my friend and AA sister, Marcia G.

[This is an encore of Episode 32, originally released June 23, 2021].

If you’ve enjoyed my AA Recovery Interviews series and my Big Book Podcast, have a listen to Lost Stories of the Big Book, 30 Original Stories Missing from the 3rd and 4th Editions of Alcoholics Anonymous. It’s an engaging audiobook I narrated to bring these stories to life for AA members who’ve never seen them. These timeless testimonials were originally cut to make room for newer stories in the 3rd and 4th Editions. But their vitally important messages of hope are as meaningful today as when they were first published. Many listeners will hear these stories for the first time. Lost Stories of the Big Book is available on Audible, Amazon, and iTunes. It’s also available as a Kindle book and in Paperback from Amazon if you’d like to read along with the audio.

I also invite you to check out my latest audio book, “Alcoholics Anonymous: The Story of How More Than One Hundred Men Have Recovered From Alcoholism”. This is the word-for-word, cover-to-cover reading of the First Edition of the Big Book, published in 1939. It’s a comfortable, meaningful, and engaging way to listen to the Big Book anytime, anyplace. Have a free listen at Audible, i-Tunes, or Amazon.

As an alcoholic and drug addict throughout his teenage years, Randy L. got sober before being old enough to legally drink.  His difficult childhood was ruled by compulsive behavior, limited attention, and hyperactivity. Later diagnosed with ADHD, Randy was treated with meds that worked, but left him craving a calmer and steadier mental state. He soon relief in alcohol and marijuana. Though the damage occurred while he was a teenager, Randy’s rise to full-blown addiction was both rapid and severe. He exploited every opportunity to drink and use in high school and early college. Increasing isolated from his family, his behavior soon deteriorated into that of a drug-selling addict and alcoholic. His flawed belief that he was getting away with it fooled nobody but himself. Fortunately, his family arranged a very dramatic rescue plan for Randy that landed him in a 90-day treatment program, from which he emerged into accelerating participation in AA. At only 20 years of age, Randy relaunched his life by getting a sponsor, working the steps, going to meetings, and establishing a close fellowship in the Program with older men who taught him how to live sober.

Randy labels himself a high-bottom alcoholic. But the work he’s done in the program demonstrates the deep dive he’s taken into understanding his own life and the behavior that influenced his personal growth and success. Of particular insight was a highly traumatic event he experienced when he was six that greatly informed his thinking and actions throughout his life. Today, Randy’s total commitment to AA, his young family, and the businesses he runs, makes for a full and busy life. But the men who he’s both sponsored and befriended, will tell you that he’s a man of passion and empathy who is always ready to help. From first-hand knowledge, I know that to be true and I’m confident you’ll find his story to be both compelling and uplifting. So, without further ado, let me introduce to you my good friend and AA brother, Randy L.

[This is an encore of Episode 39, originally released August 10, 2021].

If you’ve enjoyed my AA Recovery Interviews series and my Big Book Podcast, have a listen to Lost Stories of the Big Book, 30 Original Stories Missing from the 3rd and 4th Editions of Alcoholics Anonymous. It’s an engaging audiobook I narrated to bring these stories to life for AA members who’ve never seen them. These timeless testimonials were originally cut to make room for newer stories in the 3rd and 4th Editions. But their vitally important messages of hope are as meaningful today as when they were first published. Many listeners will hear these stories for the first time. Lost Stories of the Big Book is available on Audible, Amazon, and iTunes. It’s also available as a Kindle book and in Paperback from Amazon if you’d like to read along with the audio.

I also invite you to check out my latest audio book, “Alcoholics Anonymous: The Story of How More Than One Hundred Men Have Recovered From Alcoholism”. This is the word-for-word, cover-to-cover reading of the First Edition of the Big Book, published in 1939. It’s a comfortable, meaningful, and engaging way to listen to the Big Book anytime, anyplace. Have a free listen at Audible, i-Tunes, or Amazon.

This 154th interview in my podcast series features Helen M., from London, England. Helen tracks her nearly three years of sobriety as more than 1000 days in AA, experienced the one-day-at-at-time. Though she grew up in a home in which neither of her parents were alcoholic, Helen suffered mistreatment at the hands of her two sisters. To cope, she found the emotion-numbing relief that alcohol provided early in her childhood. With the die cast for an adolescence of drinking and other addictions, Helen drank herself into the throes of alcohol abuse by her early twenties. By then, the inevitable consequences of daily drinking took shape in the form of lost jobs, ruined relationships, and physical maladies that are all too common to the disease of alcoholism. Hitting bottoms along the way, Helen finally found the rooms of Alcoholics Anonymous in 2018. But getting to AA was only half the battle as her desire to drink continued to take her down. In a moment of utter despair fraught with failure to grasp the Program, Helen’s path of salvation from drink was illuminated in September 2021. She was done drinking and proceeded to work the Program as suggested, even during the early days of Covid when she became meeting-maker on several Zoom AA meetings per day.

Helen’s passion and enthusiasm for AA recovery is infectious as she describes the gifts of the Program she has enjoyed. Working the Steps, studying the Big Book, having and being as sponsor, spiritual awareness, and frequent service work all bolsters Helen’s place in the Program. Her story bears witness to AA members in their early years of the power of the program and reminds those with many years or decades that the simple path of faith and action is still blessed beyond question by a Higher Power. So please enjoy the next hour or so of AA Recovery Interviews with my friend and AA sister, Helen M.

If you’ve enjoyed my AA Recovery Interviews series and my Big Book Podcast, have a listen to Lost Stories of the Big Book, 30 Original Stories Missing from the 3rd and 4th Editions of Alcoholics Anonymous. It’s an engaging audiobook I narrated to bring these stories to life for AA members who’ve never seen them. These timeless testimonials were originally cut to make room for newer stories in the 3rd and 4th Editions. But their vitally important messages of hope are as meaningful today as when they were first published. Many listeners will hear these stories for the first time. Lost Stories of the Big Book is available on Audible, Amazon, and iTunes. It’s also available as a Kindle book and in Paperback from Amazon if you’d like to read along with the audio.

I also invite you to check out my latest audio book, “Alcoholics Anonymous: The Story of How More Than One Hundred Men Have Recovered From Alcoholism”. This is the word-for-word, cover-to-cover reading of the First Edition of the Big Book, published in 1939. It’s a comfortable, meaningful, and engaging way to listen to the Big Book anytime, anyplace. Have a free listen at Audible, i-Tunes, or Amazon.

Jim H. is one of those alcoholics whose unabated drinking created serious medical problems amidst all the other destruction of career and family. He did not drink much in high school. But in college, he was a tie-died in the wool hippie, with a penchant for marijuana, hashish, LSD, and psilocybin mushrooms. He used amphetamines to achieve academic success. But it was the alcohol that took him down rapidly during his early career as an attorney. He became a daily drinker and was ultimately hospitalized with alcohol-induced cardio myopathy that was destroying his heart muscle. But he somehow survived through white-knuckle sobriety, until he felt better. Then he drank again. Jim repeated this pattern over and over until 1996 when diminishing liver function and gastro-intestinal distress made it impossible to nourish his skeletal body. His bottom reached, he crawled into a treatment facility, and shortly thereafter into AA.

I met Jim in his earliest days of AA nearly 25 years ago. As with all new members, I had no idea of whether this very sick man would make it. But he kept coming back to the same meetings I attended. I got to know him and see demonstrated his ardent desire to stay sober. Sponsored by a good friend of mine, Jim worked the steps and continued to stay in the middle of the Program. His physical health was restored. Given the opportunity, Jim has shared about the bodily destruction that alcohol can cause even in the early years of the disease. Were anyone who’s slipped to hear Jim’s story, they might be moved to make it back to the rooms of AA sooner than later. The importance of his message cannot be understated.

This is the 29th interview in this podcast. I’m certain you will find of immense interest. So please enjoy the next hour and ten minutes of AA Recovery Interviews with my long-time friend and AA brother, Jim H.

[This is an encore of Episode 29, originally released June 2, 2021].

If you’ve enjoyed my AA Recovery Interviews series and my Big Book Podcast, have a listen to Lost Stories of the Big Book, 30 Original Stories Missing from the 3rd and 4th Editions of Alcoholics Anonymous. It’s an engaging audiobook I narrated to bring these stories to life for AA members who’ve never seen them. These timeless testimonials were originally cut to make room for newer stories in the 3rd and 4th Editions. But their vitally important messages of hope are as meaningful today as when they were first published. Many listeners will hear these stories for the first time. Lost Stories of the Big Book is available on Audible, Amazon, and iTunes. It’s also available as a Kindle book and in Paperback from Amazon if you’d like to read along with the audio.

I also invite you to check out my latest audio book, “Alcoholics Anonymous: The Story of How More Than One Hundred Men Have Recovered From Alcoholism”. This is the word-for-word, cover-to-cover reading of the First Edition of the Big Book, published in 1939. It’s a comfortable, meaningful, and engaging way to listen to the Big Book anytime, anyplace. Have a free listen at Audible, i-Tunes, or Amazon.

Jim H. is one of those alcoholics whose unabated drinking created serious medical problems amidst all the other destruction of career and family. He did not drink much in high school. But in college, he was a tie-died in the wool hippie, with a penchant for marijuana, hashish, LSD, and psilocybin mushrooms. He used amphetamines to achieve academic success. But it was the alcohol that took him down rapidly during his early career as an attorney. He became a daily drinker and was ultimately hospitalized with alcohol-induced cardio myopathy that was destroying his heart muscle. But he somehow survived through white-knuckle sobriety, until he felt better. Then he drank again. Jim repeated this pattern over and over until 1996 when diminishing liver function and gastro-intestinal distress made it impossible to nourish his skeletal body. His bottom reached, he crawled into a treatment facility, and shortly thereafter into AA.

I met Jim in his earliest days of AA nearly 25 years ago. As with all new members, I had no idea of whether this very sick man would make it. But he kept coming back to the same meetings I attended. I got to know him and see demonstrated his ardent desire to stay sober. Sponsored by a good friend of mine, Jim worked the steps and continued to stay in the middle of the Program. His physical health was restored. Given the opportunity, Jim has shared about the bodily destruction that alcohol can cause even in the early years of the disease. Were anyone who’s slipped to hear Jim’s story, they might be moved to make it back to the rooms of AA sooner than later. The importance of his message cannot be understated.

This is the 29th interview in this podcast. I’m certain you will find of immense interest. So please enjoy the next hour and ten minutes of AA Recovery Interviews with my long-time friend and AA brother, Jim H.

[This is an encore of Episode 29, originally released June 2, 2021].

If you’ve enjoyed my AA Recovery Interviews series and my Big Book podcast, have a listen to Lost Stories of the Big Book, 30 Original Stories Missing from the 3rd and 4th Editions of Alcoholics Anonymous. It’s an engaging audiobook I narrated to bring these stories to life for AA members who’ve never seen them. These timeless testimonials were originally cut to make room for newer stories in the 3rd and 4th Editions. But their vitally important messages of hope are as meaningful today as when they were first published. Many listeners will hear these stories for the first time. Lost Stories of the Big Book is available on Audible, Amazon, and iTunes. It’s also available as a Kindle book and in Paperback from Amazon if you’d like to read along with the audio.

I also invite you to check out my latest audio book, “Alcoholics Anonymous: The Story of How More Than One Hundred Men Have Recovered From Alcoholism.” This is the word-for-word, cover-to-cover reading of the First Edition of the Big Book, published in 1939. It’s a comfortable, meaningful, and engaging way to listen to the Big Book anytime, anyplace. Have a free listen at Audible, i-Tunes, or Amazon.

[Disclaimer: AA Recovery Interviews podcast strictly adheres to AA’s 12 Traditions and all General Service Office guidelines for safe-guarding anonymity on-line. I pay all podcast production costs. AA Recovery Interviews and my guests do not speak for or represent AA at-large. This podcast is simply my way of giving back to AA that which has been so freely given to me. -Howard L.]

Marci's first exposure to Alcoholics Anonymous was at age 12 when she witnessed her father receiving his one year anniversary chip. But though her father maintained his sobriety until the end of his life through AA, little was spoken of alcoholism in her home growing up. Like many AA members who were raised in or around the Program, Marci’s decisions to drink were largely unaffected by her family of origin. By the time she started drinking in high school and increased her alcohol consumption in college, Marci enjoyed the pleasant aspects of drinking, though she often blacked out and was once hospitalized for alcohol poisoning. With few consequences along the way, she embarked on a career chockful of travel and drinking. Married at 26, the issue of her excessive boozing was raised and allayed many times as her functional alcoholism provided plenty of excuses for continuing to drink. By her early 40s, the fraying fabric of Marci’s life was being torn apart by her drinking. Countless vain attempts to stop were fueled by her desire to please others, but her own desire to quit drinking did not occur until after she’d lost her job and marriage. Thoroughly beaten by the disease, Marci’s desperation turned into a willingness to do whatever she was told to stay sober. For the first time, she became accountable to her sponsor who methodically worked her through the 12 Steps. Combined with studying the Big Book, praying daily, and being of service to her AA fellows, Marci’s efforts to embrace AA for herself finally paid off with a sobriety date that hasn’t changed since May of 2021.

Marci’s willingness to share her story has been a gift to me and I’m pleased to share it with you. It’s a story with sufficient similarities to be of value to AA novices and old-timers alike, yet enough differences to assure even the most skeptical listeners that Alcoholics Anonymous really works for those who do it. for those who do it..is effective beyond any shadow of a doubt.

So please enjoy the next 60 minutes AA Recovery Interviews with my friend and AA sister, Marci P.  

If you’ve enjoyed my AA Recovery Interviews series and my Big Book Podcast, have a listen to Lost Stories of the Big Book, 30 Original Stories Missing from the 3rd and 4th Editions of Alcoholics Anonymous. It’s an engaging audiobook I narrated to bring these stories to life for AA members who’ve never seen them. These timeless testimonials were originally cut to make room for newer stories in the 3rd and 4th Editions. But their vitally important messages of hope are as meaningful today as when they were first published. Many listeners will hear these stories for the first time. Lost Stories of the Big Book is available on Audible, Amazon, and iTunes. It’s also available as a Kindle book and in Paperback from Amazon if you’d like to read along with the audio.

I also invite you to check out my latest audio book, “Alcoholics Anonymous: The Story of How More Than One Hundred Men Have Recovered From Alcoholism”. This is the word-for-word, cover-to-cover reading of the First Edition of the Big Book, published in 1939. It’s a comfortable, meaningful, and engaging way to listen to the Big Book anytime, anyplace. Have a free listen at Audible, i-Tunes, or Amazon.

Sex, drugs, and rock & roll were more than a cliché in the life of Elliott M. As a prominent rock musician and song-writer for years before alcoholism drove him into Alcoholics Anonymous, Elliott’s drinking ran parallel to his rise to stardom. Ironically, his best song-writing and performances were largely free from the influence of alcohol and drugs. But offstage, his drinking and drugging were decimating  every facet of his life. His dissent to the bottom occurred during the five years preceding his 1985 sobriety date. Like many of his contemporaries, Elliott’s career had soared in the midst of his functional alcoholism before booze became the malefactor hell-bent on ruining his life. With his options running out, the answer to his prayer for release showed up in the form of a simple AA questionaire given him by the woman he later married. After his last drink, Elliott entrée into AA launched his new life in which sobriety is his number one priority. His relocation to Paris 35 years ago allowed him to continue active participation in AA and performances for his European fans. In a sober career chockful of accomplishments, including more than 40 albums, Elliott readily gives credit to his higher power for every step in his success. His ongoing commitment to regular meetings and AA fellowship keep him humbly connected to the Program. He readily extends the hand of AA to anyone who reaches out for help.

One of my previous guests on AA Recovery Interviews attends meetings with Elliott whenever he’s in Paris and suggested Elliott for the show. Meeting Elliott by Zoom has been a treat and I think you’ll enjoy hearing his captivating story. So please enjoy the next 60 minutes with my friend and AA brother, Elliott M.

If you’ve enjoyed my AA Recovery Interviews series and my Big Book Podcast, have a listen to Lost Stories of the Big Book, 30 Original Stories Missing from the 3rd and 4th Editions of Alcoholics Anonymous. It’s an engaging audiobook I narrated to bring these stories to life for AA members who’ve never seen them. These timeless testimonials were originally cut to make room for newer stories in the 3rd and 4th Editions. But their vitally important messages of hope are as meaningful today as when they were first published. Many listeners will hear these stories for the first time. Lost Stories of the Big Book is available on Audible, Amazon, and iTunes. It’s also available as a Kindle book and in Paperback from Amazon if you’d like to read along with the audio.

I also invite you to check out my latest audio book, “Alcoholics Anonymous: The Story of How More Than One Hundred Men Have Recovered From Alcoholism”. This is the word-for-word, cover-to-cover reading of the First Edition of the Big Book, published in 1939. It’s a comfortable, meaningful, and engaging way to listen to the Big Book anytime, anyplace. Have a free listen at Audible, i-Tunes, or Amazon.

In a story is wrought from a difficult childhood, Diane was the youngest of four and was largely ignored by her parents, especially when her father was drinking. Until he died at 56, his alcoholism also fed a mean streak that landed hard on her family, with verbal abuse and derision often aimed at Diane. As a teenager, she found alcohol as a way to escape and her drinking followed her into four booze-soaked years in the air force. At age 22, she met and married the father of her two children with high hopes of a happy marriage. She dreamed he would support and encourage her pursuit of a career as an attorney. But her continued drinking, and lack of support from her husband, resulted in her filing for divorce after a rocky 10-year marriage. On her own, with two kids to raise in the midst of a escalating alcohol use, Diane somehow managed to work as a paralegal and also attend law school in the evenings. Through God-given talent, and the tenacity of a functional alcoholic, Diane’s career as a lawyer took shape. Unfortunately, as her drinking increased, as did her alcoholic behavior. The subsequent years took their toll until she hit the wall shortly after Christmas in 1996. With little knowledge of AA, her chance encounter with a woman in the Program, led Diane to her first AA meetings and onto the road of recovery.

Diane’s is a classic AA success story of full immersion in the Program. She got a sponsor, worked the steps, went to lots of meetings, and sponsored women along the way. But the greatest enrichment of her life, via service work, took the form of helping others find sobriety through her work as an attorney in the civil and family court systems. Laying her own personal anonymity aside, Diane has become an ambassador for sobriety by helping clients and their families find treatment alternatives. As importantly, she also imparts her knowledge, understanding, and first-hand experience to other lawyers and judges throughout the family court system. She’s also passionately involved in a lawyer assistance program that helps those with substance abuse find the right solutions.

Diane’s selfless and successful work in recovery, both within AA and in the legal system, demonstrate the overall quality of a solid Program. I’m grateful to be her friend and am impressed by her efforts in helping others. I think you’ll be impressed, too, as you spend the next hour and ten minutes with my friend and AA sister, Diane S.

[This is an encore of Episode 40, originally released August 18, 2021].

If you’ve enjoyed my AA Recovery Interviews series and my Big Book podcast, have a listen to Lost Stories of the Big Book, 30 Original Stories Missing from the 3rd and 4th Editions of Alcoholics Anonymous. It’s an engaging audiobook I narrated to bring these stories to life for AA members who’ve never seen them. These timeless testimonials were originally cut to make room for newer stories in the 3rd and 4th Editions. But their vitally important messages of hope are as meaningful today as when they were first published. Many listeners will hear these stories for the first time. Lost Stories of the Big Book is available on Audible, Amazon, and iTunes. It’s also available as a Kindle book and in Paperback from Amazon if you’d like to read along with the audio.

I also invite you to check out my latest audio book, “Alcoholics Anonymous: The Story of How More Than One Hundred Men Have Recovered From Alcoholism.” This is the word-for-word, cover-to-cover reading of the First Edition of the Big Book, published in 1939. It’s a comfortable, meaningful, and engaging way to listen to the Big Book anytime, anyplace. Have a free listen at Audible, i-Tunes, or Amazon.

[Disclaimer: AA Recovery Interviews podcast strictly adheres to AA’s 12 Traditions and all General Service Office guidelines for safe-guarding anonymity on-line. I pay all podcast production costs. AA Recovery Interviews and my guests do not speak for or represent AA at-large. This podcast is simply my way of giving back to AA that which has been so freely given to me. -Howard L.]