Rosemary started drinking at age 6 with a sip of beer. But unlike other children, whose experience with beer was an occasional sip, Rosemary's beer drinking became an everyday occurrence. Her parents, distracted by their own severe alcoholism, allowed her to continue drinking daily from age 6 until she got sober in her 20’s. As the oldest of five children in a very dysfunctional family, Rosemary also became the chief caregiver for her younger siblings, essentially raising them while her parents’ disease made them oblivious to the needs of their own children. When she finally escaped the alcoholic madness of her childhood home, Rosemary’s daily drinking, bolstered by a variety of drugs, left her on the streets of New York City where her alcoholism and drug addiction flourished. But an early marriage to an alcoholic led to a pregnancy that was the turning point in her life. Scared by the prospects of having a baby with medical problems, Rosemary quit the alcohol and drugs cold turkey. Ironically, the DTs she suffered were mistaken for symptoms of morning sickness and neither she nor any of her doctors connected the dots. Fortunately, the baby was born healthy and Rosemary was sober for the first time in her life. A brief stint in Al-Anon re-directed her to the doors of AA, where she became a compliant and active member of the Program.

Rosemary’s story has quite a few twists and turns, including a period of sobriety during which she attended few meetings. But she never strayed too far. Years of intensive trauma therapy helped realign her ability and willingness to both share in meetings and work with others. Her experience in therapy combined with a strong AA program, is one that many of us sober alcoholics have in our sobriety stories. In Rosemary’s life, that experience has been indispensable. Interestingly, she directly credits her success in business to what she learned at the hand of alcoholic parents, as well as what she experienced on the streets of New York. As you listen to Rosemary’s story, her soft-spoken words convey the importance of coming to terms with past demons. The sobriety she’s crafted over the past 40 years reflects both hard work in the program and a heart-felt desire to help others. So sit back and enjoy the next 60 minutes with my friend and AA sister, Rosemary B.

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.]