Maryann G., is one of those rare recovering alcoholics who has successfully implemented the tools of the Program to both stay sober and sustain a long, happy marriage to a fellow AA she met early in her Program. But, it wasn’t easy.

Growing up in a constant state of fear in a home with an alcoholic father and mentally ill mother, Maryann sought relief from the family dysfunction by starting to drink at age 12. Though she found refuge in school work and academic achievements, she continued to drink through high school, college, and a lofty corporate career well into her twenties. To her emerging alcoholism, she added impulsive spending and dangerous relationships in a futile effort to quell her growing fear and unhappiness.

By early 1985, with her façade as a successful businesswoman wearing thin, Maryann finally hit bottom and joined AA. The rest, as they say, is history. But Maryann’s inspirational story is one of first working the Program to stay sober, then practicing AA principles to simultaneously build a successful career and a happy marriage. Maryann’s matter-of-fact approach to AA and its many gifts is one I admire greatly. I think you will, too.

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

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

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 strict 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.]