AA Recovery Interviews with Howard L.

Marianna's story that will resonate instantly with those of us who’ve been raised in families in which frequent moves disrupted the process of simply growing up. In Marianna’s case, her family moved numerous times around the United States and Europe when she was young. Her gregarious façade, aided by early and regular use of alcohol, hid her true feelings of loneliness and isolation. Her innate ta...

Paul's older brother and sister both died of liver disease caused by their intravenus drug use and untreated alcoholism. Paul’s own liver disease surfaced years into his AA recovery, but the irreparable damage he had done with heroin and heavy drinking in his teens and twenties persisted, only to drop him at death’s door three years ago. With zero liver function and two failed transplant attempts,...

Ryan grew up in a chaotic home where addiction was a best-kept secret. As an only child, Ryan’s family had also moved more than ten times by the time he was 12. Dealing with the constant loss of whatever brief friendships he experienced, the impermanence of his relationships fueled not only feelings of loneliness and isolation, but also the need to act out. Believing that alcohol and drugs would f...

Tilda B. is an AA member from the other side of the world in Nairobi, Kenya. She grew up in London, where she did most of her alcoholic drinking before getting sober over 28 years ago. Within her first several years of sobriety among London’s vibrant AA community, Tilda was offered a dream job in Kenya and has lived there since. Amidst a different culture, with its own norms related to alcoholism,...

Gary grew up in a family in which his father was a well-known band leader and his mother was literally the singer in the band. But, the chaotic lifestyle and his mother’s alcoholism were a constant source of conflict between his parents. High school at a military academy provided some respite from the discord at home, but alcohol still found its way into Gary’s life. By the time he was in college,...

When Chris attended meetings at our AA clubhouse in 2007, many of us watched with concern as he slipped a half-dozen times before locking in his sobriety date two years later. What’s unusual about Chris’ story is that he very seldom drank until he was in his early 40’s, despite the fact that he had experienced abject loneliness and isolation since childhood. Throw in low confidence, poor self-este...

Amy's fascinating story is one of early exposure to her father’s alcoholism and her mother’s active involvement in Al-Anon. But her parents also divorced when she was very young and she and her sister were shuttled back-and-forth to fulfill the terms of joint custody. Like many adolescents of divorced parents, Amy sought relief and release through the alcohol and marijuana she started using in 8th...

Corby first entered AA in 2017, only to be sidetracked by a relapse in 2020. Fortunately, he survived that slip and was able to claim a new sobriety date two years ago. Corby’s relapse story is one that’s grown more common these days, as the prescribed use of opioids for legitimate pain turns into misuse and then addiction. In Corby’s case, intense back pain and the ensuing abuse of pain-killers l...

Kirkland’s family of origin was a difficult place to grow up. Alcoholism was rife and the cause of constant stress and chaos. Wracked with fear and isolation, he inevitably turned to alcohol and marijuana for solace. It didn’t take long for the disease of alcoholism to take hold and thrive. Kirkland’s subsequent use and abuse of alcohol and grass throughout high school and college affected every a...

Courtney’s backstory is not dissimilar to those who grew up in tumultuous families in which alcoholism was present. The seeming frivolity and celebratory aspects of drinking cloaked the actual dysfunction that was occurring in the family. By the time she was drinking on a regular basis in her teenage years, Courtney’s budding alcoholism had become yet another family secret to bear. Though she was...

Growing up in Brooklyn, New York, Gerry’s road to utter ruin began with pot, pills, and intravenous drug use at 15. Living as a heroin addict for the next ten years, his sordid lifestyle supported his addiction until he was able to stop heroin through methadone treatment for the next ten years. With his life spiraling out of control after two decades as a dope addict, Gerry was finally able to get...

Today’s episode is to announce a 3-week summer break I'm taking before releasing my next episode on August 3, 2022. In the interim, please enjoy my back catalogue of 85 episodes which are available by scrolling down on your podcast app. Each episode features a personal story from my AA brothers and sisters. The interview format helps present their stories in a deep and meaningful way. These interv...

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 wer...

Alcoholism nearly ended Justin's marriage and his career as an airline pilot. Then he found sobriety and recovery in Alcoholics Anonymous.  Raised in a family rife with alcoholics, Justin’s role model was a father who suffered with alcoholism and co-occurring mental health issues, and ultimately committed suicide. Though warned by his mother about the family proclivity for alcoholism, Justin conti...

Terri S. first overdosed on pain meds when she was only six years old. Living in a Brooklyn apartment with an alcoholic father and chronically ill mother, who suffered from crohn’s disease, Terri had been given a tablet for stomach pain exacerbated by her dysfunctional home life. Reasoning that if one pill eased her pain, the whole bottle would be even better, Terri found and swallowed all her mot...

At an early age, JB aspired to going to prison. Using at age 12, amidst alcoholism and drug addiction, both in his home and his community, his heroes were neighborhood drug dealers who drove fancy cars and swaggered with large amounts of cash from their illegal trade. Even those who served time for their crimes became role models to JB as he watched them emerge from prison buffed and ready for mor...

William's story speaks to the devastating effects of alcohol on a life already afflicted with mental health issues. Raised in a drug-infested part of London, William describes his childhood as horrible amidst family members who were sex workers. Rather than be shielded as a child from this dysfunctional environment, he was exposed to it to learn the harsh realities of life. Seeking relief from the...

Sarah’s remarkable story begins with a relatively happy childhood in a family with little connection to alcohol. While other addictive behaviors may have been present, Sarah experienced issues with anorexia and bulimia years before her first drink. It manifested into feelings of low self-esteem and negative body-image, causing further shame and fear. By the time she found alcohol at age 16, she wa...

Matt J. describes his family tree as “littered with problem drinkers”, of which he became one all too quickly. As an only child, Matt grew up in a home where verbal and physical abuse reigned supreme. By the time his parents got divorced, his coping mechanisms included locking himself in his room with books and baseball cards upon which he could obsess. Such means of escape followed him into his t...

Incredibly, Tom hadn't had a drink in over nine years when he joined AA. He was "dry", but his behavior during those years was every bit as alcoholic as if he’d been drinking the whole time. Growing up in a very dysfunctional home, Tom’s early life was fraught with daily fear, shame, and lack of direction. His years in the army during the Viet Nam war and his early business career were soaked in a...

Nadia's personal story was published in the 4th Edition of Alcoholics Anonymous in 2001. She’s the first AA member I’ve interviewed whose backstory can be read by anyone with a Big Book. Combined with today’s interview, Nadia’s story comes alive in many ways, beginning with her emigration from France after World War II with her mother who had suffered as a slave laborer under the Nazis. Landing in...

Jay’s foray into alcoholism stemmed from a difficult childhood in a home where his father drank, and fear and confusion reigned. By the time he started drinking in his early teens to quell the fear and ease his dissonance, he had set the pattern for a life of alcoholic behavior. Dishonesty and narcissism both isolated him and caused pain to those who cared about him. As his adult life was rapidly...

Jeff B. rose to very top of major league baseball, only to find alcoholism waiting to take him down. For years, his extraordinary achievements on the field thrilled millions of fans. Off the field, his growing consumption of alcohol set the stage for the disease to take over when a painful and career-ending injury forced him to retire years before he was ready. As Jeff experienced relentless daily...

By age 15, Kristine had already been in treatment for drug and alcohol abuse, self-harm, and a suicide attempt. It took another 14 years for her to find lasting and contented sobriety in AA. Kristina's struggles with addiction, alcoholism, and mental illness began with a difficult childhood. Though raised in affluence, her childhood was marred by a myriad of family chaos and conflict. By age five,...

When he started making the coffee, his life got better.... Thirteen years ago, Dale started attending one of my home groups, a men’s meeting that I’ve been going to for over 33 years. Since he first stepped into that meeting, his service to the group and individual men has solidified his spot in the middle of our herd. In fact, he says it was when he started making and serving coffee in the meetin...