AA Recovery Interviews with Howard L.

Chris lived a relatively contented life until the disease of alcoholism took over and landed him in AA at age 48. Unlike many in the rooms of AA who grew up in dysfunctional families where alcoholism and abuse riddled their formative years, Chris describes his childhood and adolescence as idyllic. Despite drinking in college and later the Navy, Chris’ adulthood was largely unscathed by his drinking. While he managed to marry, raise a family, and build a successful career, his generally moderate use of alcohol slowly escalated into full-blown abuse by his forties. Drinking with greater frequency and ferocity, he sought to hide the growing disease, but with waning effect. By the time Chris’ employers confronted him on his drinking, his career was in serious trouble and his marriage was strained. To save both his livelihood and his family, Chris entered AA. He immediately and enthusiastically embarked on a Program that became integrated into every facet of his life. The charmed life he had been living, until alcoholism took the helm, was reinvigorated by his work in AA and he now gratefully claims the happiest years of his life have been in sobriety.

I’ve had the blessing to know Chris since we first got sober 6 weeks apart in 1988 and the privilege to attend literally thousands of meeting with him over the years. My relationship with Chris exemplifies the “brother” in brotherhood and I’m grateful to share his cheerful approach to the Program and his optimism for a future of contented sobriety. So please settle back and enjoy the next hour of AA Recovery Interviews with my close friend and AA brother, Chris S.

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.

Check out my Big Book Podcast, the complete unabridged audio version of the First and Second Editions of Alcoholics Anonymous. The Big Book Podcast is an engaging cover-to-cover, word-for-word reading of all 11 chapters and Personal Stories, many of which were left out of the Third and Fourth Editions. Follow us on Apple Podcasts or wherever you get your podcasts. Or listen on https://bigbookpodcast.com

[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 and no one receives financial gain from the show. 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.]

After nearly 50 years in AA, Pat's sobriety correlates beautifully with his half-century of his active service and continuous participation in Alcoholics Anonymous. Raised in a dysfunctional family where alcoholism was rife, Pat found ease, comfort, and a sense of belonging by drinking and using drugs. Use, overuse, and abuse of these substances quickly progressed. Pat’s life devolved into the morass that is alcoholism. By his late teens, the disease was controlling every facet of his existence. Reaching AA at age 20, he dug into the Program with “old-timers” who taught him the very fundamentals of staying sober and helping other alcoholics achieve sobriety. Remarkably, Pat’ unwavering involvement in AA has impacted countless people over the years. He has served as a model for other who aspire to all the gifts God fulfills for those who work the Program. That he stayed sober through divorces, grave illnesses, and family-of-origin upheavals is proof-positive that help and support sought from AA fellows is there for all.

In the process of staying sober, Pat has become expert at passing on what he has learned to others. In a humble and loving way, he has given back to AA that which he was given so freely over the decades.

With 49½ years of AA recovery, Pat’s story is a joy to listen to and packs a wallop of inspiration and hope for new-comers and old-timers alike. Frankly, no introduction I could do would pay sufficient tribute to the accomplishments that Pat has graciously gleaned from his on-going involvement in Alcoholics Anonymous. I believe you will find this episode of AA Recovery Interviews of great interest and I invite you to listen carefully for the next hour to the words of wisdom expressed by my good friend and AA brother, Pat C.

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.

Check out my Big Book Podcast, the complete unabridged audio version of the First and Second Editions of Alcoholics Anonymous. The Big Book Podcast is an engaging cover-to-cover, word-for-word reading of all 11 chapters and Personal Stories, many of which were left out of the Third and Fourth Editions. Follow us on Apple Podcasts or wherever you get your podcasts. Or listen on https://bigbookpodcast.com

[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 and no one receives financial gain from the show. 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.]

Every alcoholic raised in a dysfunctional family will readily identify with George's story. The unpredictable rage of his father and an emotionally deficient relationship with his mother set George on-track for alcoholism and drug use from the very start early in his teens. Lacking the basic direction and support from his parents, he migrated toward a life in which solace and comfort were provided by the substances he used and the people with whom he hung out. Dropping out of school after the 8th grade, George’s direction in life followed the route of wrong decisions made under the influence of drugs and alcohol. Brief stints in two rehab facilities in his teens ended with no handoff to AA and inevitably failed. Finally, a third rehab experience connected him with AA when he got out. That was over 30 years ago during which time George became firmly ensconced in an active and accountable AA Program.

George’s success with personal recovery in AA has manifested itself in service to young people. Sharing his experience as an alcoholic teenager strikes a responsive chord with kids facing that very real prospect in their own lives. In the process of making his AA-guided service to others both a mission and vocation, George’s impact on the recovery community is broad, admirable, and transformative. As you listen to his story, you’ll gain a perspective of what it takes to use success in AA to make a difference to those young people who need it now or sometime down the road.

I believe you will find enjoyment and inspiration in the next hour of AA Recovery Interview with my friend and AA brother, George Y.

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.

Check out my Big Book Podcast, the complete unabridged audio version of the First and Second Editions of Alcoholics Anonymous. The Big Book Podcast is an engaging cover-to-cover, word-for-word reading of all 11 chapters and Personal Stories, many of which were left out of the Third and Fourth Editions. Follow us on Apple Podcasts or wherever you get your podcasts. Or listen on https://bigbookpodcast.com

[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 and no one receives financial gain from the show. 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.]

Bill's turbulent life was ruled by alcoholism and nearly ended in suicide before he was saved by AA. Trouble started early for him when his father died of alcoholism when Bill was 18 months old. Any lessons to be learned were snuffed out by his step-father who spoke badly of Bill’s biological dad. The journey to ruination accelerated through Bill’s childhood and adolescence, as he found relief from alcohol for his unhappiness, self-loathing, and fear. With his problems exacerbated by bad behavior and drinking, Bill found himself kicked out of the house and on his own at 16. He somehow managed to cobble together a life amidst a disease that addled every decision. By the time he was in his mid-20’s, Bill had endured multiple DUIs and 3 trips to prison. He’d even been sentenced to treatment and AA meetings, but didn’t believe he had a problem. Even working off-shore on an oil rig, where no drinking was possible for weeks at a time, did little to abate the escalating disease every time he was back on shore.  By the time he was in his mid-30s, Bill’s life was unravelling quickly as he became more and more isolated. His moment of clarity came on the verge of self-annihilation when he finally realized his powerlessness over alcoholism and the unmanageability of his life. Fortunately, the thought of AA divinely supplanted his use of the gun and he finally came into the rooms for good and all.

Bill’s 8+ years in Alcoholics Anonymous have rebuilt his life in many ways. Diligent work in the Steps allowed him to address lingering resentments from his earlier life and make amends for his alcoholic behavior over so many years. With sincere humility, he acknowledges the service work in his Program and the importance of regular meeting attendance. Bill’s life-tale since getting sober is one filled with God-given gifts and sober awareness of the significance of living the Program one day at a time. I think you’ll find much to be gained by listening to Bill’s story and invite you to enjoy the next hour and 10 minutes of AA Recovery Interviews with my friend and AA brother, Bill C.

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.

Check out my Big Book Podcast, the complete unabridged audio version of the First and Second Editions of Alcoholics Anonymous. The Big Book Podcast is an engaging cover-to-cover, word-for-word reading of all 11 chapters and Personal Stories, many of which were left out of the Third and Fourth Editions. Follow us on Apple Podcasts or wherever you get your podcasts. Or listen on https://bigbookpodcast.com

[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 and no one receives financial gain from the show. 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.]

Radha's battle with the diseases of alcoholism and drug addiction was complicated by an eating disorder and clinical depression. Growing up in Great Britain, her East African/Asian roots uncomfortably stood out among the mostly white children with whom she grew up. Using food, and later alcohol, Radha blunted the ever-present feelings of fear, isolation, and self-loathing. Those feelings and her desperate desire to fit in, drove her intense efforts in athletics and school. Unfortunately, popularity for her achievements on the playing fields did little to mitigate feelings of emotional isolation from others. Escalating abuse of food, alcohol, and drugs emerged as major mental health disorders controlling much of Radha’s daily life. While years of subsequent therapy were increasingly focused on her eating disorders, including anorexia and bulimia, her alcoholism was left largely unaddressed.  Radha was still functional in her career despite her drinking. But her job performance inevitably began to decline as her alcoholic behavior carried over into her work. By the time she realized what a sick alcoholic she was, Radha was already in an extensive therapeutic program for her other mental health issues. Confronted by her room-mate, her one and only true friend, Radha was finally convinced that no amount of therapy was going to sufficiently help her out of her alcoholic malaise. Fortunately, a series of higher-powered coincidences occurred that led Radha into a London meeting of Alcoholics Anonymous.

In the past 8½ years, Radha has immersed herself in the Program, beginning with the good orderly directions  she received from her sponsor and earnest work on the 12-Steps. She sponsors other women and has gratefully accepted various AA service commitments. In addition to regular attendance at AA meetings, Radha has availed herself of other 12-Step programs to deal with her co-occurring addictions. All in all, it’s a formula for recovery that works well for Radha and greatly inspires others.

Moving the New York City about a month before our interview, Radha dove right into AA in the Big Apple finding vital meetings and meaningful fellowship. It’s another important demonstration of the amazing portability of Program. So, I invite you to enjoy the next hour of AA Recovery Interviews with my new friend and AA sister, Radha B.

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.

Check out my Big Book Podcast, the complete unabridged audio version of the First and Second Editions of Alcoholics Anonymous. The Big Book Podcast is an engaging cover-to-cover, word-for-word reading of all 11 chapters and Personal Stories, many of which were left out of the Third and Fourth Editions. Follow us on Apple Podcasts or wherever you get your podcasts. Or listen on https://bigbookpodcast.com

[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 and no one receives financial gain from the show. 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.]

With two years of AA recovery, Mark's story may strongly resonate with newer members of Alcoholics Anonymous. Longer-term sobriety enjoyed by many AA’s I’ve interviewed may seem unattainable or out-of-reach to people with less than a year or two. But the recency of Mark’s experience with alcohol has an immediate and compelling impact. Raised by divorced parents, Mark’s early life before alcohol reflected many of the same fears, self-doubts, and loneliness familiar to all too many of us. By his early and later teens, liquor became the antidote to his problems and opened new vistas to life. From college on, alcohol loomed ever-larger in his life. Complicated by concurrent food and work addictions, his toxic lifestyle morphed into more than a few miserable years. Mark had accomplished brief stints of sobriety, and even attampted AA for a brief time, yet his half-hearted attempts predicated on wanting to please others met with failure. His opportunities to drink and use Adderall were unleashed by owning his own company with no outside accountability to family or friends. Spiraling out-of-control towards rock-bottom, Mark finally made the decision for himself to quit drinking. He crawled into AA in late 2020 and has been there since.

Unlike his first forays in AA, Mark found a solid group of men who embraced and helped him work his way into the “middle of the herd”. Working the steps with a sponsor, going to daily meetings, enlarging his spiritual life, and sponsoring other men have become Mark’s recipe for success in the Program. The model of AA sobriety he follows has worked undeniably and is available to all who seek it.

Please enjoy today’s episode of AA Recovery Interviews with my relatively new friend, but solid AA brother, Mark D.

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.

Check out my Big Book Podcast, the complete unabridged audio version of the First and Second Editions of Alcoholics Anonymous. The Big Book Podcast is an engaging cover-to-cover, word-for-word reading of all 11 chapters and Personal Stories, many of which were left out of the Third and Fourth Editions. Follow us on Apple Podcasts or wherever you get your podcasts. Or listen on https://bigbookpodcast.com

[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 and no one receives financial gain from the show. 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.]

Shawn's story should be required listening for any recovering  alcoholic facing a devastating loss early in their sobriety. In Shawn’s case, he was three years into the Program when he got word in the middle of the night that his brother had been a passenger in a helicopter that crashed on the East Coast. In the frantic hours that followed, Shawn’s sponsor directed him to a 6:30 AM meeting at a local AA club. By the time he arrived, Shawn learned that there had been one survivor of the crash, but it wasn’t his brother. Crushed by the reality of his brother’s death, Shawn tearfully shared with the group about the horrible loss of his younger brother with whom he’d been incredibly close and had just seen the previous weekend. Immediately after the meeting, Shawn was enveloped by a group of people in a cocoon of love, empathy, and support. By the time he reached New York to bury his brother, Shawn had received more than 100 texts and phone calls of support, including those from AA members he hardly knew. The lessons that Shawn and his AA fellows learned from that terrible event ultimately turned out as a blessing to all. To me, the God-part of it all is that it was Shawn’s brother who’d convinced him to go to AA in the first place.

Shawn’s tale of becoming an alcoholic, despite both his father and sister being long-term AA members, will be readily identifiable to those who were functional alcoholics years before coming to the Program. Like many of us, he was seriously challenged by feelings of low self-esteem and unworthiness. Shawn still managed to carve out an incredibly successful career on Wall Street, albeit as a drunk. But the escalation of his problems related to drinking overtook that success and he quickly spiraled downward. And though he somehow managed to stay dry without AA for four years, and then sober in AA for five years before he relapsed, it wasn’t until he buckled down to the Program eight years ago that his life turned around with the grateful acceptance of God and AA into his daily life.

I’ll leave the rest of the story for you to savor during this episode AA Recovery Interviews with my friend and AA brother, Shawn S.

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.

Check out my Big Book Podcast, the complete unabridged audio version of the First and Second Editions of Alcoholics Anonymous. The Big Book Podcast is an engaging cover-to-cover, word-for-word reading of all 11 chapters and Personal Stories, many of which were left out of the Third and Fourth Editions. Follow us on Apple Podcasts or wherever you get your podcasts. Or listen on https://bigbookpodcast.com

[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 and no one receives financial gain from the show. 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.]

Susan's story draws into sharp focus just how damaging family secrets can be and how they can pave the road to alcoholism and drug addiction. Like some of us recovering alcoholics, Susan experienced a traumatic event when she was a child. The natural need to tell someone and seek understanding and comfort, was quashed with a “not now” attitude by her parents. Having no one to turn to, she repressed the feelings as yet another horrible secret. The continuous fear and self-recrimination darkened the ensuing years, until she found alcohol and drugs as a teenager. Instantaneously, they had the desired effect of obfuscating the negative feelings Susan had bottled up for years. Subsequently, she became a daily user, but still functioned despite the debilitating disease. That made for a life fraught with two failed marriages. It also meant serious parenting issues, while she was befogged alcoholic blackouts, and increasingly dangerous behavior.

By the time Susan finally made it to Alcoholics Anonymous, the disease had essentially whipsawed every aspect of her life. Despite a bleak outlook, Susan went to meetings where she met her sponsor and started working the Steps. However, a couple more traumatic events occurred at five years sober. Her AA life-line was stretched almost to the breaking point. Thanks to another alcoholic who observed the fraying strands, Susan was able to hang on. But for as many meetings as she regularly attended, some of Susan’s most regrettable behavior occurred while she was in AA. Some of her darkest hours ensued during sobriety when lost virtually everything of value and meaning. Thankfully, at some point during the past several years, Susan doubled down on her Program and ardently reworked the steps to address the bad behavior and personal losses during sobriety. That work paid off, as today she lives free of secrets and loss, while imparting her hard-won experience to the women she sponsors. Those noble efforts have grown through the years and helped her establish a stronger connection to her higher power.

With 15 years sober, Susan’s daily life in AA is frequently augmented with insightful spiritual experiences. Her demonstration of the ability to pass that wisdom and hope onto others is a beauty to behold.

So sit back and enjoy the next hour of AA Recovery Interviews with my friend and AA sister, Susan A.

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.

Check out my Big Book Podcast, the complete unabridged audio version of the First and Second Editions of Alcoholics Anonymous. The Big Book Podcast is an engaging cover-to-cover, word-for-word reading of all 11 chapters and Personal Stories, many of which were left out of the Third and Fourth Editions. Follow us on Apple Podcasts or wherever you get your podcasts. Or listen on https://bigbookpodcast.com

[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 and no one receives financial gain from the show. 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.]

Aside from jumping into a crocodile-infested harbor in Darwin, Australia and swimming naked in the sea amongst deadly sharks off the coast of Sydney, Kristen’s story is not unlike many that you hear in AA. Though she grew up in a home where her father was a practicing alcoholic, she didn’t start drinking until she was 18. But from that time until she quit more than 20 years ago, her personal and work lives were the stuff of alcoholic chaos, with intermittent periods of soft-willed attempts to stay dry. Though she functioned in her job and home duties, Kristen’s alcoholism got steadily worse. It reached a crescendo of despair when her marriage and parenting of two small children were hanging in the balance by a very thin thread. After one false start with AA, she got sober and came into the Program willing to do whatever was necessary to maintain sobriety.

Here’s something that intrigues me about Kristen’s story. Because AA didn’t truly evolve in Australia until the 1950s and 60s, the growth of the Program, especially in rural areas, was both slow and tedious. Perhaps it was the geography of the enormous, but sparsely populated, continent where drinking is sewn into the cultural fabric. Or maybe it was the pervasive anti-Yank sentiment that was common in the country. Whatever it was, Kristen found that her early days were spent in meetings with AA members who were staying sober, but largely not working the steps. Among the limited number of women in the Program at that time, she encountered difficulty finding a sober AA woman who would sponsor her through the steps. Finally, at 5 years sober, Kristen asked a senior male member who subsequently worked her through all 12 steps under the condition that she would pass it on to others by taking them through the steps. Learning how she has fulfilled that service promise over and over again is to both admire her commitment and marvel at the growth of the Program in a country where it is very much needed.

In many ways, Kristen’s story illuminates the joy she takes in helping others, while strengthening AA’s vital place in her country. So, while I ask you to ignore the technical glitches of my Zoom call to the other side of the planet, I invite you to relish the next hour of AA Recovery Interviews with my new friend and AA sister, Kristen C.

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.

Check out my Big Book Podcast, the complete unabridged audio version of the First and Second Editions of Alcoholics Anonymous. The Big Book Podcast is an engaging cover-to-cover, word-for-word reading of all 11 chapters and Personal Stories, many of which were left out of the Third and Fourth Editions. Follow us on Apple Podcasts or wherever you get your podcasts. Or listen on https://bigbookpodcast.com

[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 and no one receives financial gain from the show. 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.]

Faisal's remarkable success in business is closely aligned with the success he enjoys as a daily meeting-maker in Alcoholics Anonymous. For over 16 years, he has worked his Program from the middle of the herd with ongoing service commitments to his AA club and continuous sponsorship of other men. Though he functioned with the disease for years and built an outstanding business, alcohol and cocaine abuse dogged him on his road to personal ruin. Along the way he added workaholism to the toxic mix, which made him oblivious to the needs of his family and friends. But it was the fear of not getting what he wanted and/or losing what he had that drove his frantic desire to succeed. By the time Faisal hit the rooms of AA at the age of 37, he was finally ready to concede to his family and his innermost self, that he was indeed an alcoholic in desperate need of help.

Faisal’s story begins with a Pakistani boy raised in a strong, good family whose religious convictions forbade the use of alcohol. His family moved to Beirut when he was 3. After a civil war broke out in Lebanon, Faisal was sent to an elite boarding school in England from ages 7-18. There he encountered, but learned how to overcome, the prejudice leveled at him by students whose aristocratic parents were as absent as his. By the time he was 18, he was ready to shed the image of second-class citizen imposed on him at school. He came to the United States where he attended college and really learned to drink. After college, he founded a company and set out to slay the business world. His familial role and duties as the oldest son created additional pressure on his ceaseless, yet anxious drive to succeed. Unfortunately, alcohol, and later drugs, hitched along on that drive and started the slow, but steady decline. Lost weekends and benders, on top of 16-hour workdays eventually exacted a terrible toll on his life and he found himself in jeopardy of losing his wife and kids. After seriously contemplating suicide, enough was enough for Faisal and he crossed the threshold of the last house on the block, AA. He’s been sober since.

There’s a lot more to Faisal’s story that will enthrall you for the next 70 minutes. I invite you to settle into another excellent episode of AA Recovery Interviews with my friend and AA brother, Faisal N.

Check out Howard’s Big Book Podcast, the complete unabridged audio version of the First and Second Editions of Alcoholics Anonymous. The Big Book Podcast is an engaging cover-to-cover, word-for-word reading of all 11 chapters and Personal Stories, many of which were left out of the Third and Fourth Editions. Follow us on Apple Podcasts or wherever you get your podcasts. Or listen on https://bigbookpodcast.com

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.

[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 and no one receives financial gain from the show. 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.]