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With an astonishing 48 years of sobriety, Dyanne credits her longevity to the AA service work she has done since the earliest days of her Program. Whether it was making coffee, cleaning up after meetings, or representing her groups at the district or area levels, Dyanne refers to this vital service work as both “life-changing” and absolutely necessary to her sobriety. Of particular importance was the role she played as Area Secretary, which required intensive listening during business meetings to accurately record the minutes. As she honed her listening skills, she found that her focus shifted from herself onto others. She discovered a new love for her fellows in AA by simply listening more. Over the many years, her service activities, as well as sponsorship of many women, have anchored Dyanne firmly in the middle of the Program.
Forty-eight years is an unfathomable amount of time, especially when viewed by newcomers to the Program. It naturally creates some apprehension about even approaching “old-timers.” But Dyanne goes out of her way to welcome newcomers and help them understand the relationship between service performed and sobriety maintained. She embodies the truism that long-term contented sobriety is the natural result of staying actively engaged in the Program on a daily basis.
Dyanne’s story is chocked-full of simple wisdom that anyone can use to stay sober a day, a week, a month, years, or even decades. Her sobriety date is the only part of her story that sounds old. The rest of her message is a fresh as the next meeting of Alcoholics Anonymous and just as inviting.
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.]