The wisdom MaryCeline conveys is that of one who’s fought hard and suffered much in her battle for sobriety. With multiple stints in AA since 1999, her relapses became increasingly miserable and hopeless. When she finally claimed her current sobriety date in 2013, it was at the desperate end of round-the-clock drinking. From the ashes, her AA program was reignited under the careful guidance of a loving sponsor whom it appears God placed in her life. Together they launched MaryCeline's ongoing commitment to reside in the middle of the Program, replete with the kind of service upon which truly solid sobriety can be based.

As you listen to MaryCeline’s story, you’re likely to identify with many of her experiences, as did I. Her cautionary, yet instructive, tale inspires gratitude that the teller survived and returned to the Program to convey such a vital message of experience, strength, and hope. That she survived to become an active member with contented sobriety, living in the middle of the herd, is proof that surpasses understanding that AA does indeed work, if we work it.

For this podcast, the 28th episode of AA Recovery Interviews, please allow me to share with you the next 60 minutes with my friend and AA sister, MaryCeline L.

[This is an encore of Episode 28, originally released May 26, 2021].

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 testimonials 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 and in Paperback from Amazon if you’d like to read along with the audio.

I also invite you to check out my latest audio book, “Alcoholics Anonymous: The Story of How More Than One Hundred Men Have Recovered From Alcoholism”. This is the word-for-word, cover-to-cover reading of the First Edition of the Big Book, published in 1939. It’s a comfortable, meaningful, and engaging way to listen to the Big Book anytime, anyplace. Have a free listen at Audible, i-Tunes, or Amazon.

[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.]