Jason's moment of clarity materialized with the barrel of a cocked revolver resting against his head. That he didn’t pull the trigger, and managed to un-cock the hammer of the pistol while still drunk, gave him a singular pause to ask his higher power for help. That he’s still sober some 27 years later is proof positive that a good sober life can be built and sustained by active participation in AA. Jason’s journey to the doors of AA is similar to other alcoholics I’ve interviewed: Drinking in early adolescence, followed by marijuana and beer through high school, lead to his often drunken participation in a college fraternity. His problem became so evident and acute that his fraternity brothers actually tried to stage an intervention to get him help. When that didn’t happen, Jason continued the all too common metamorphosis into a functional alcoholic. He finished school, got a good job, and got married, only to find his drunken blackouts getting worse and literally dissembling every aspect of his life. By the time his second wife told him she was leaving, his alcoholism had progressed to the point of a gun aimed at his own head. Fortunately, the resulting wake up call became a call for help which AA answered immediately. As you listen to Jason’s story, you’ll also hear about a malady both he and I share in our otherwise solid AA-driven lives, clinical depression. Perhaps you’ll identify with our experience of the fighting the mental illness of depression while trying to maintain sobriety. Fortunately, for Jason and me, outside medical intervention was sought and applied. Today, while living enriched sober lives, we both are unhesitant to discuss our experience with depression inside the rooms of Alcoholics Anonymous.

Though I’ve known Jason for about a year-and-a-half through a weekly Zoom meeting we both attend, I feel as if I’ve known him for years. His calm wisdom and the quiet confidence expressed in his sobriety is that of a man who found AA right at just the right time, thanks to a power greater than himself and his earnest work in the program one day at a time.

So, without further delay, please enjoy the next 55 minutes with my friend and AA brother, Jason G.

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.]