Think back: If you had lost your eyesight—went blind—would you have stopped drinking? If an alcohol-induced stroke then paralyzed half your body, would you have stopped then? And, if, while being both blind and paralyzed, you had alcoholic seizures, would that been enough to give up drinking?     

My guest, Chuck B., kept drinking through blindness, paralysis, seizures and lasting pain. The powerful disease of alcoholism had prevailed over all of the medical reasons for quitting, providing its own perverse justification for continued drinking amidst all Chuck’s problems. Finally, in the fall of 2007, facing certain demise, Chuck had had enough. His desperate cry for help finally broke the strangle-hold of his alcoholism long enough for him to get sober and find AA. Now, 13 years later, Chuck still lives with blindness, paralysis, and constant physical pain, but his life has actually been enriched through working the 12 steps of AA. His solid program of meetings, sponsorship, service work, fellowship, and prayer provides a brilliant example of how to live sober through daily challenges and adversity. Chuck is one of my heroes in Alcoholics Anonymous and I hope he’ll become a new hero to those who hear him today.

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 word-for-word reading of all 11 chapters and more than 50 original stories most people have never seen. If you’ve only read the Fourth Edition, these amazing stories will be brand new to you. Subscribe on Apple Podcasts or wherever you get your podcasts. Or listen on https://bigbookpodcast.com

[Disclaimer: In accordance with A.A.’s traditions, my anonymous guests and I speak for ourselves only, not for Alcoholics Anonymous at large. We share only our personal experiences with A.A. recovery. We acknowledge that AA’s sole concern is the recovery and continued sobriety of those alcoholics who turn to the Fellowship for help. As members of AA, our primary purpose is to stay sober and to help other alcoholics achieve sobriety. – Howard L.]