Robert got sober when he was just 13, after a brief, but vicious, struggle with alcoholism and hard-drug addiction. Twenty-two years later, he’s a living testament to what long-term recovery in AA can mean for those who get sober young. Robert’s family tree was infested with alcoholism, so his life seemed pre-destined to the ravages of the disease. Fortunately, both his parents and grandfather were active members of AA and they intervened early before they would have lost him to booze and hallucinogens. Miraculously, treatment and an alternative peer group took hold in his young life. He soon found himself sitting alongside his father and grandfather in a men’s AA meeting, where I first met him.  Though his father struggled with multiple relapses through the years, Robert never stopped working his AA Program. Incentivized by his grandfather’s promise of a fully-paid college tuition, Robert took the skills and maturity he had gained from AA into his higher education. He ultimately earned a Ph.D., launching a 17 year career in the field of addiction and mental health that encompasses private practice, clinical supervision, and the creation and management of clinical programming. He still credits AA with this gift and others in sobriety, including a loving wife and four children, close friends, and a spiritual practice that keeps him centered on helping others. With such a busy and fulfilling life, Robert still makes time for the very same basics he learned in AA when he was barely a teenager. Meetings, sponsorship, fellowship, and prayer continue to serve him, and are a model for others seeking long term sobriety in AA.

Robert is one of many members of Alcoholics Anonymous whom I’ve known from their first days of sobriety. Watching him grow into a man of integrity, intention, and purpose while staying sober has been a huge blessing for me and countless others. His story is remarkable in many ways, but absolutely epitomizes the impact AA can have for those who want what we have, young and old. It’s a story you’ll likely want to listen to more than once. So, please lend your attention for the next hour and ten minutes to my excellent friend and AA brother, Robert H.

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

[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. No advertising is allowed. 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.]