Episodes

  • Marianna L. -Sober Since December 1991

    Marianna L. -Sober Since December 1991
    Oct 8 2026

    What happens when you run from your past, only to discover that your addiction comes with you? Marianna L.’s remarkable journey from alcoholism, homelessness, and despair to more than three decades of sobriety is a powerful story of recovery, resilience, and the transforming power of Alcoholics Anonymous.

    Raised in a family that moved frequently throughout the United States and Europe, Marianna struggled with loneliness and isolation beneath a lively, outgoing exterior. Alcohol became an early companion. Her considerable talents as an artist, writer, model, and actress brought success in her late teens and early twenties, but escalating drinking and drug use gradually overwhelmed her life.

    Hoping a change of scenery would provide a geographic fix, Marianna moved to London. Instead, her addiction followed her. By age 25, alcoholism had left her mostly homeless, hopeless, and unable to stop drinking. With little left to lose, she turned to Alcoholics Anonymous as her last hope.

    Since getting sober in 1991, Marianna has embraced the AA Program and its principles as a foundation for virtually every part of her life. She married a fellow recovering alcoholic, raised a daughter, and discovered the gifts of long-term sobriety. Those gifts also helped sustain her through profound challenges, including breast cancer.

    Marianna openly discusses the ups and downs of her recovery, including periods when she attended fewer meetings. Yet she never lost her connection to AA. In recent years, Zoom meetings have brought her back into the fellowship with renewed spiritual confidence and a deep commitment to service.

    Warm, candid, instructive, and often entertaining, Marianna’s story offers hope to anyone struggling with alcoholism or seeking a path to lasting sobriety.

    Enjoy this episode of AA Recovery Interviews with my splendid friend and AA sister, Marianna L.
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    1 hr and 12 mins
  • Paul D. – Sober Since July 1984 (Encore Episode)

    Paul D. – Sober Since July 1984 (Encore Episode)
    Sep 12 2026

    Paul’s liver disease, the result of years of heroin use and heavy drinking, nearly killed him three years ago. With no liver function and two failed transplants, survival seemed impossible. A last-minute transplant, more surgeries, and 17 days in ICU gave Paul another chance. Today, he credits his Higher Power and AA fellowship for his life—and his renewed commitment to the Program. His story is a powerful testament to sobriety, recovery, and hope.
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    1 hr and 17 mins
  • Ryan A. – Sober Since April 2017

    Ryan A. – Sober Since April 2017
    Sep 3 2026
    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 fix what was wrong with his life, Ryan opened the throttle on his growing disease during his teenage years. By 19, Ryan’s behavior warranted a short stint in AA where his half-hearted attempt was largely ineffective. Five more years of drinking and drugging landed him at inpatient treatment, followed by IOP, but once again prideful intellectualism and ego conspired with his alcoholism, and forced another slip. Landing in the same mire as before, Ryan continued to flail the disease and the mounting problems it caused during the next five years. By April of 2017, his quality of life deteriorating, Ryan finally came to AA with the willingness and desire to do whatever was necessary to achieve sobriety. With a new commitment to stay sober, Ryan implemented all of the tools needed to succeed at sobriety. He got a sponsor and worked the steps. He attended daily meetings. He took on service responsibilities, including staffing the coffee bar four days-a-week at a large AA club. He also found time to sponsor men and attend AA retreats. The net effect of all his sincere efforts was a spiritual awareness and awakening that wholly enriched the quality of his Program. I’ve learned a lot from Ryan during the time we’ve spent together and am pleased to see his outstretched hand of welcome to those who attend the meetings we go to each week. But for those who are relatively new in sobriety, Ryan’s demonstration of a well-worked Program will provide significant hope and inspiration for a brighter future. So please enjoy listening to this episode of AA Recovery Interviews as you spend the next 65 minutes with my good friend and AA brother, Ryan A. If you’ve found meaning, hope, or inspiration through my AA Recovery Interviews podcast, I invite you to go even deeper with a truly essential resource for recovery:“Alcoholics Anonymous: The Story of How More Than One Hundred Men Have Recovered From Alcoholism.” This is a word-for-word, cover-to-cover reading of the First Edition of the Big Book, originally published in 1939—brought vividly to life through careful narration that lets the wisdom, clarity, and power of the text fully land. Listening allows the Big Book to meet you wherever you are: at home, on the road, or in moments when opening the book just isn’t possible. It’s a comfortable, meaningful, and deeply engaging way to enrich your AA program through focused listening.You can listen to a free at Audible, iTunes, or Amazon. I also invite you to explore my latest audiobook,Lost Stories of the Big Book: 30 Original Stories Missing from the 3rd and 4th Editions of Alcoholics Anonymous. Narrated by me, this audiobook restores powerful, long-forgotten personal stories that many AA members have never encountered. These original testimonials were removed to make room for newer stories in later editions—but their messages of surrender, transformation, and hope are just as vital today as when they were first written. For many listeners, this will be the first time hearing these voices speak again—honest, raw, and deeply human. 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 for those who wish to read along while listening. Whether you’re newly sober or decades into the journey, these audiobooks are must-have companions—designed to deepen understanding, strengthen connection, and help keep the message alive, one careful listen at a time.
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    1 hr and 12 mins
  • Ray G. – Sober 20 Years

    Ray G. – Sober 20 Years
    Aug 12 2026

    “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.
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    1 hr and 5 mins
  • Tilda B. – Sober Since February 1994

    Tilda B. – Sober Since February 1994
    Jul 29 2026

    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.
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    1 hr and 4 mins
  • Gary G. – Sober Since February 1983

    Gary G. – Sober Since February 1983
    Jul 15 2026

    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.
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    1 hr and 3 mins
  • Chris S.- Sober Since June 2009

    Chris S.- Sober Since June 2009
    Jul 1 2026

    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 perseverance, recovery, and the extraordinary transformation that happens when we refuse to give up.
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    1 hr and 12 mins
  • Jeff A. – Sober Since December 1992

    Jeff A. – Sober Since December 1992
    Jun 17 2026

    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.
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    59 mins