Corby first entered AA in 2017, only to be sidetracked by a relapse in 2020. Fortunately, he survived that slip and was able to claim a new sobriety date two years ago. Corby’s relapse story is one that’s grown more common these days, as the prescribed use of opioids for legitimate pain turns into misuse and then addiction. In Corby’s case, intense back pain and the ensuing abuse of pain-killers lead him back to alcohol despite all he’d been doing in AA. By the time he made it back to the Fellowship after inpatient treatment, he had been whipsawed by the voracity of the disease. Clawing his way back into the middle of the Program, he redoubled his commitment to stay sober and established new lines of accountability to his sponsor and those he was closest to AA. With a renewed spirit of service to AA, he became more active than ever in his Club and offered both newcomers and those who’d relapsed his hard-won experience and growing wisdom.

I’m grateful to have the opportunity to see Corby in a few meetings each week and observe first-hand the very real change that has come to him as the result of earnestly working the Program of Alcoholics Anonymous. His involvement in the Fellowship extends well-beyond the conclusion of each meeting. I often see him sticking around to chat with newcomers and old-timers alike, with his affable manner that everyone loves.

Corby’s story will resonate with anyone who has turned to alcohol for respite from doubt, uncertainty, and fear. That he survived his disease’s attempt to permanently take him out of pain and misery is strong evidence for the efficacy of the AA Program. That he now lives each day to stay sober and help others demonstrates the transformation that can occur as the result of doing the hard work the Program requires.

I believe you’ll find Corby’s story to be both engaging and informative. His is a message that we alcoholics need to hear over and over again. So settle in for the next 65 minutes of this episode of AA Recovery Interviews with my friend and AA brother, Corby M.

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 testamonials 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 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.]