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[This is an encore of Episode 41, originally released August 25, 2021] The original episode is available on this podcast by searching for or scrolling down to Episode 41 on your podcast app or by visiting aarecoveryinterviews.com.
Dan D. showed up in the rooms of Alcoholics Anonymous at the tender age of 18. His undeniable qualification for the Program was gleaned from a difficult childhood that included divorced parents at age 3, after which a rageful alcoholic became Dan’s stepfather at age 6. From a childhood rife with family dysfunction, fear, and uncertainty, Dan emerged into adolescence where he found alcohol and drugs to sooth the inner-turmoil and emotional pain. Left largely unchecked by his disarrayed family, Dan was free to run the streets as a teenager while his budding alcoholism and drug addiction paved the way to certain ruin. By the time he was an older teen, cocaine had taken over his Dan’s life, and he started stealing from his employer and robbing houses to support his habit. At age 18, he’d stepped over the line by robbing his parents’ home for the umpteenth time Their ultimatum to Dan was either go into treatment or be booted out onto the street. He spent 90 days in treatment followed by an intensive AA program in which he was guided by a thorough sponsor and several old timers into service-oriented sobriety that continues to this day.
But Dan’s story became truly extraordinary in 1994 when, with eight years in AA, he somehow managed to stay sober after being diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis. MS is an incurable and disabling disease that attacks the brain, spinal cord, and the entire central nervous system. After eight years of sobriety, Dan’s prospects with MS were those of certain pain, constant struggle, and debilitation of his entire body. But he has endured MS by utilizing the spiritual tools of the Program with to battle that chronic disease. What amazes me most about Dan is how he has taken his experience fighting MS and put it into practical use in his AA program. Residing in the center of “double A”, as Dan calls it, his service work with newcomers and as a sponsor is incredibly inspiring to anyone seeking sobriety. I’ll let Dan tell you the rest of the story. I’m confident you’ll come away with a new perspective of experience, strength, and hope told from Dan’s unique and inimitable point of view. So listen closely for the many gifts over the next hour served up from my friend and AA brother Dan D.
If you’ve enjoyed my AA Recovery Interviews series and my Big Book podcast, have a listen to Lost Stories of the Big Book, 30 Original Stories Missing from the 3rd and 4th Editions of Alcoholics Anonymous. It’s an engaging audiobook I narrated to bring these stories to life for AA members who’ve never seen them. These timeless testimonials were originally cut to make room for newer stories in the 3rd and 4th Editions. But their vitally important messages of hope are as meaningful today as when they were first published. Many listeners will hear these stories for the first time. 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 if you’d like to read along with the audio.
I also invite you to check out my latest audio book, “Alcoholics Anonymous: The Story of How More Than One Hundred Men Have Recovered From Alcoholism”. This is the word-for-word, cover-to-cover reading of the First Edition of the Big Book, published in 1939. It’s a comfortable, meaningful, and engaging way to listen to the Big Book anytime, anyplace. Have a free listen at Audible, i-Tunes, or Amazon.
[Disclaimer: AA Recovery Interviews podcast strictly adheres to AA’s 12 Traditions and all General Service Office guidelines for safe-guarding anonymity on-line. I pay all podcast production costs and no one receives financial gain from the show. AA Recovery Interviews and my guests do not speak for or represent AA at-large. This podcast is simply my way of giving back to AA that which has been so freely given to me. -Howard L.]