Dan D. showed up in the rooms of Alcoholics Anonymous at the tender age of 18. His undeniable qualification for the Program was gleaned from a difficult childhood that included divorced parents at age 3, after which a rageful alcoholic became Dan’s stepfather at age 6. From a childhood rife with family dysfunction, fear, and uncertainty, Dan emerged into adolescence where he found alcohol and drugs to sooth the inner-turmoil and emotional pain. Left largely unchecked by his disarrayed family, Dan was free to run the streets as a teenager while his budding alcoholism and drug addiction paved the way to certain ruin. By the time he was an older teen, cocaine had taken over his Dan’s life, and he started stealing from his employer and robbing houses to support his habit. At age 18, he’d stepped over the line by robbing his parents’ home for the umpteenth time Their ultimatum to Dan was either go into treatment or be booted out onto the street. He spent 90 days in treatment followed by an intensive AA program in which he was guided by a thorough sponsor and several old timers into service-oriented sobriety that continues to this day.

But Dan’s story became truly extraordinary in 1994 when, with eight years in AA, he somehow managed to stay sober after being diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis. MS is an incurable and disabling disease that attacks the brain, spinal cord, and the entire central nervous system. After eight years of sobriety, Dan’s prospects with MS were those of certain pain, constant struggle, and debilitation of his entire body. But he has endured MS by utilizing the spiritual tools of the Program with to battle that chronic disease. What amazes me most about Dan is how he has taken his experience fighting MS and put it into practical use in his AA program. Residing in the center of “double A”, as Dan calls it, his service work with newcomers and as a sponsor is incredibly inspiring to anyone seeking sobriety. I’ll let Dan tell you the rest of the story. I’m confident you’ll come away with a new perspective of experience, strength, and hope told from Dan’s unique and inimitable point of view. So listen closely for the many gifts over the next hour served up from my friend and AA brother Dan D.

Visit the AA Recovery Interviews website for more information and to contact me, Howard L.

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. Subscribe for free on Apple Podcasts or wherever you get your podcasts. Or listen on https://bigbookpodcast.com

To contact Alcoholics Anonymous World Services, visit aa.org.

[Disclaimer: In strict adherence to 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.]