AA Recovery Interviews with Howard L.

“Crazy Ray” G. shares his remarkable journey from a booze-soaked, drug-addled life and mounting DUIs to recovery. After years of failed attempts and a final shot at redemption, Ray found AA. Twenty years later, he’s sober, grateful, and dedicated to a life of maximum service.

Tilda B. shares how AA carried her from alcoholism in London to lasting sobriety in Kenya, proving that recovery, fellowship, and hope truly have no borders.

Growing up amid music, success, and the chaos of an alcoholic home, Gary followed a path that led from the music business to alcoholism. After years of failed attempts to quit on his own, a chance encounter with a sober friend led him to Alcoholics Anonymous. In this inspiring episode, Gary shares how wholehearted commitment to AA and daily practice of its principles have sustained decades of sobriety through life's greatest challenges and blessings.

Some alcoholics drink hard from the start. Chris S. didn’t. He rarely drank until his early 40s, despite a lifetime of loneliness, low self-esteem, and quiet emotional pain. But when alcohol and cocaine finally entered his life, they seemed to offer everything he had been missing—until they nearly destroyed him. After multiple relapses, six desire chips, and a life-changing sponsor, Chris finally found lasting sobriety and the freedom he had searched for all along. Today he’s a trusted sponsor, devoted servant, and carries the AA message into Texas prisons. Join me for an inspiring conversation about persev...

Jeff’s drinking took hold in his late teens, fueled by isolation, low self-esteem, and a lack of purpose. As alcoholism and work addiction consumed his life, his marriage began to collapse. Faced with an ultimatum and urged by a therapist, he turned to Alcoholics Anonymous. Though the marriage ended, Jeff embraced AA’s program, built a rewarding life in recovery, married a woman he met in the Fellowship, and became a devoted husband, grandfather, and servant to others. His story is a powerful reminder that recovery is possible and AA works for those willing to do the work.

In this episode, guest Maryrose M. shares her journey to sobriety, detailing how alcoholism developed later in life despite earlier signs of its growing impact on her life. After facing escalating binges, blackouts, and deep self-reproach, she embraced a well-worked AA program to achieve over five years of continuous sobriety. Listeners will hear an inspiring story illustrating how finding similarities and shared experiences can be the key to lasting recovery.

Corby’s story is one of pain, relapse, survival, and redemption—an honest reminder that alcoholism can reemerge even after meaningful time in recovery. After entering AA in 2017, Corby later faced a devastating relapse when prescribed pain medication for severe back problems gradually led him back to alcohol. What followed was a difficult journey through addiction, treatment, and ultimately a return to the Fellowship.

But this episode is not primarily about falling—it’s about getting back up. Corby shares how accountability, sponsorship, service, and fully engaging in the Program of Alcoholics Anonymous helped him reclaim his sobriety...

C.T.’s story begins with loss and instability— Like many recovering alcoholics, C.T. grew up in a fractured family. His mother died when he was five and he’d never met his biological father, early family contention centered on where C.T. should stay. He never knew why his grandparents didn’t take him in, C.T. ended up being raised by his “Auntie” Irene, from whom C.T. learned values, virtues, and how to be a decent human being in a society where the pursuit of ease and comfort could morph into serious addiction to alcohol and drugs. Durin...

April T., experienced the kind of nightmare that recovering alcoholics refer to when we say, “There, but for the grace of God, go I”. April’s road trip of terror began while drunk during a 4-hour drive on a major interstate. Halfway into the trip, while drinking vodka from a plastic bottle, she crossed the median at over ninety miles an hour, and crashed head-on into a car of three people, ejecting the driver. Injured and barely coherent, with a blood alcohol level four times the legal limit, April over-heard the EMT’s radio that the driver was dead at the scen...

This episode is another deeply personal story—one that reflects the courage it takes to face alcoholism head-on and the transformation that becomes possible through recovery. My guest, Rudy T., has been sober for 27 years. What he shares is not just a timeline of events, but a lived experience of what it means to surrender, to grow, and to stay the course over time. It’s also a brilliant  example of revealing one’s own higher power, by praying for another. As always, we honor the principle of anonymity. You won’t hear last names, see photographs, or find links tied to o...

Like many I’ve had the privilege to interview, today’s guest, Julie R., took her first drink at 14 and felt immediate relief from fear, sadness, and anxiety at home. Her early binge drinking didn’t stand out much in high school or college, but it quietly laid the groundwork for deeper struggles with alcohol and cocaine. Though she began to suspect alcohol was part of the problem, quitting wasn’t yet on her radar. In a twist, it was her husband who took her to treatment just six months into their unhappy marriage . He insisted that she get well. At rehab...

Craig came to AA later in life, getting sober at 63. For years he appeared to manage his drinking while building a highly successful business and providing a rich lifestyle for his family. But alcoholism is patient—and progressive. As control slipped and cocaine entered the picture, the consequences grew harder to ignore. Anxiety mounted. Relationships suffered. The very abilities that built his success began to erode. In a courageous moment of clarity, Craig walked into an AA meeting and asked for help. He found a strong sponsor, committed himself to the work, and has built nearly five years of solid so...

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 grade. The habitual use of alcohol carried her through a wild and colorful journey until she briefly tried AA in her early 20’s to ease her growing troubles. Unfortunately, she saw only the diffe...

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 area of his life. By the time he was in his mid-20s and early 30s, he was gradually losing his ability to be a functional alcoholic. Despair from that realization, plus p...

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 off the drugs thanks to vodka. Unfortunately, drinking upwards of two quarts of vodka, while still smoking marijuana and snorting cocaine, soon confirmed how out-of-control his alcoholic life ha...

Kelvin's life was defined and dominated by booze and drugs. Though there are similarities to other sobriety tales, many parts of his story contain things that most alcoholics must be referring to when they say, “There but for the grace of God go I” or “That could have been me”. Drinking, smoking crack, gang membership, desperate crimes, jail, broken probation, prison, and parole violations all occurred in within five years after his first drink. Raised in a home rife with family secrets, Kelvin’s mother did her best to help keep her kids out of trouble. But desegregation during his middle sch...

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 was able to ease her negative feelings and fit in, but such escape lead to problems. With difficulties at home and a stint at college cut short by alcohol, Sarah set off on the road to destruction, adding co...

Dan C.'s story challenges conventional wisdom about alcoholism and recovery. We often think of alcoholism/addiction as a young person's struggle, a disease that wrecks lives early and publicly. But what happens when a cunning, baffling, and powerful disease lies dormant for decades, only to combust when a seemingly successful life hits an unexpected turn? This is Dan C.'s powerful and eye-opening story. For more than 45 years, Dan lived what many would call a remarkable life. A highly respected criminal justice attorney, he built a prominent career, earned accolades, and navigated the world with confidence and control—or so...

Kyle’s hard-fought battle with addiction and alcoholism was one he thought he could win on his own. He even managed to stay dry without AA for five years. But they were miserable years packed with trouble in every aspect of his life. So, back to drinking he went for ten more years, during which his disease rode him hard to the bottom. As his life swelled with problems and his options were dwindling, Kyle finally found recovery in Alcoholics Anonymous three years ago. Though his period of continuous sobriety is relatively brief compared to double-digit sobriety, the “how it was”...

Patrice T. has known alcoholism from both sides—first as the child of an alcoholic, and later as an alcoholic herself. For a time, her drinking overlapped her father’s struggle, until both of their lives were transformed by sobriety. Patrice grew up amid the turmoil of her father’s disease, yet like so many of us, she began drinking as a teenager anyway. Alcohol offered relief and escape as her life grew more chaotic. By her early 20s, while working as a nurse, drinking had shifted from social to daily—and felt impossible to stop. Around the same time, her fath...

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 hims...

Victoria started drinking early to deal with the strife of abuse she suffered as a child and the trauma she experienced at 15 witnessing the aftermath of a bloody massacre in the Philippines. Living with the shock and horror were more than enough propel her alcohol-dominated life for the next 20 years. Then she found AA. Victoria is the first guest on AA Recovery Interviews whose spouse, Wes H., shared his story on an earlier podcast. They got sober together within days of each other over 30 years ago. Hearing both their stories provides unique context to their journeys before and after getting...

Jackie's story illustrates one of the most cunning aspects of alcoholism--the erroneous belief that going to AA meetings without necessarily doing the work is enough to stay sober. In Jackie’s case, she had survived her dysfunctional family and alcohol-infused failures at higher education, only to emerge as a full-blown binge drinker. As escalating alcoholism continued to addle her decisions, she escaped her first toxic marriage with two young children only to find herself drinking more than ever. Her second marriage produced three children and one still born baby. The early-onset deterioration of that marriage caused by alcoholism persisted for 17 ye...

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 daily horrors, William found alcohol at 11, and proceeded on an 8-year odyssey during which he lived on the streets of south London. For years, he remained isolated in worsening mental illness that was increasingly fu...

A Viet Nam veteran from a family fraught with alcoholism, Bob’s post-war progression into the disease of alcoholism accompanied a long and hard-driven business career in the banking industry. But, by the time he had raised three children and accumulated a great deal of material success, Bob’s alcoholism and other addictive behaviors severely bit into his home life. His marriage unraveled and his relationship with his adult children deteriorated. Completely dispirited by his late 50’s, Bob contemplated the same deadly exit plan his father had taken some 25 years earlier. Fortunately, his turning point was towards sobriety and AA. Intere...

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 alcohol and abhorrent behavior. By the time he was married and had two young children, Tom’s bitter and self-righteous temperment had recreated the same k...

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...

My guest on today’s episode of AA Recovery Interviews is David D., a man whose story of descent into alcoholism—and steady climb back through the Program of Alcoholics Anonymous—reminds us that no one is immune to the reach of this disease. Born into a relatively normal family and raised in a stable environment, David’s early life was free of the turmoil that marks so many stories of addiction. His introduction to drinking came later, during college, where fraternity life provided both the social setting and the permission to drink freely. In those years, his drinking appeared typical...

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 mostly a binge drinker, the negative effects of the disease were happening more frequently when, at 21 years of age, Courtney checked herself into an inpatient treatment center in Canada. Ironically, despite her emotional gloom and...

A "Man of the Cloth", Jimmy G.'s earliest aspirations were to be in service to the Episcopal Church. Though strict in many ways, when it came to drinking, Jimmy and his friends found plenty of opportunities to raid liquor cabinets across their neighborhood. By his teens, Jimmy was outdrinking his friends. His years in college and then seminary were rife with drinking as Jimmy wrestled with deep-seated feelings that left him at odds with Church teachings. By the time he was ordained as a priest, with the accompanying stress and strain of the job, Jimmy’s use of alcohol fl...

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 teenage years when he found alcohol as a ready-made solution to his feelings of isolation, fear, and shame. Curiously, at a relatively young age, he reflected on his own drinking and...

Today’s podcast is my interview is with Ron B., a man whom I’d just met  at a Friends of Bill W. meeting on an enormous cruise ship earlier this year. As we had both attended floating AA meetings before, neither of us was surprised when the two of us were the only attendees. After talking for a while, I asked Ron if he’d like to share his story of 43 years of sobriety. Seeing it as an opportunity to help others, he immediately said “yes”. So, as the ship made its way from its home port in Galveston Texas to th...

Ray’s difficult road to sobriety was paved with many failed attempts to get sober over the years. Each attempt was thwarted by the belief that his situation was somehow different than the people he met in 6 different treatment centers and sporadic AA meetings. The similarities of his loneliness and wanting to fit in were eclipsed by the differences he saw in his social standing and material advantages he enjoyed via his family of wealth and privilege. Each alcoholic debacle he encountered over the years, such as totaling 3 new BMWs and facing multiple DUI charges, was met by his parents’ earn...

[This is an encore of Episode 84 originally released June 29, 2022] 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 continued to ramp up his drinking throughout high school and college. By the time his career as an airline pilot took off, so did his drinking. To quell any concerns from...

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 Canada after the war, her childhood was a wretched time in her life, during which her mother was beaten by her stepfather, while Nadia was abused both verbally and physical...

By age 15, Kristina 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, Kristina was already engaging in self-harm (cutting) and other behaviors to cope. By her adolescence, she had added alcohol and drugs to her escalating means of escape, and even attempted suicide. By 15, her parents had ru...

Richard's life-long battle with alcoholism was abated for nearly two decades in AA. But he let up on his Program and ultimately relapsed on "thimbles" of moonshine in a Mississippi bar. His drinking resumed and he quickly found himself back in the same alcoholic quagmire that AA had extricated him from years earlier. Depleted physically, mentally, and emotionally, Richard found himself at the jumping off point. He was finally ready to accept help from two sober sisters and his mother, all of whom encouraged him to go s to AA. As the inevitability of an alcoholic death loomed large, Richard...

Welcome back my friends to AA Recovery Interviews. I’m your host, Howard L. and I’m an alcoholic, sober since January 1, 1988, one day at a time. I’m grateful you’ve joined us. AA Recovery Interviews is the podcast where Alcoholics Anonymous members from around the world share their timeless and extraordinary stories of experience, strength, and hope. There are over 180 interviews in this podcast series, all of which you can enjoy on aarecoveryinterviews.com and all podcast apps. As disturbing as some personal stories can be, most take place before sobriety. But in the case of today’s guest, Ted...

Richard's life-long battle with alcoholism was abated for nearly two decades in AA. But he let up on his Program and ultimately relapsed on "thimbles" of moonshine in a Mississippi bar. His drinking resumed and he quickly found himself back in the same alcoholic quagmire that AA had extricated him from years earlier. Depleted physically, mentally, and emotionally, Richard found himself at the jumping off point. He was finally ready to accept help from two sober sisters and his mother, all of whom encouraged him to go s to AA. As the inevitability of an alcoholic death loomed large, Richard...

Nancy K. is an extraordinary woman whose 53 years of  continuous sobriety is a stunning achievement built upon the trials and tribulations of everyday life. Growing up in a home dominated by a violent alcoholic father, Nancy started drinking at age 12 to quell the constant fear and self-loathing she felt daily. Seemingly “rescued” at age 17 by her first failed marriage, Nancy continued to drink heavily with her husband, hastening the inevitable divorce. Her second marriage involved the same kind of abuse, dysfunction, and divorce. but was further complicated by three children. Lacking interest and skills in child-raising, Nancy turned to the bottl...