[This is an encore of Episode 45 originally released September 22, 2021].
Jason's moment of clarity materialized with the barrel of a cocked revolver resting against his head. That he didn’t pull the trigger, and managed to un-cock the hammer of the pistol while still drunk, gave him a singular pause to ask his higher power for help. That he’s still sober some 27 years later is proof positive that a good sober life can be built and sustained by active participation in AA. Jason’s journey to the doors of AA is similar to other alcoholics I’ve interviewed: Drinking in early adolescence, followed by marijuana and beer through high school, lead to his often drunken participation in a college fraternity. His problem became so evident and acute that his fraternity brothers actually tried to stage an intervention to get him help. When that didn’t happen, Jason continued the all too common metamorphosis into a functional alcoholic. He finished school, got a good job, and got married, only to find his drunken blackouts getting worse and literally dissembling every aspect of his life. By the time his second wife told him she was leaving, his alcoholism had progressed to the point of a gun aimed at his own head. Fortunately, the resulting wake up call became a call for help which AA answered immediately.
As you listen to Jason’s story, you’ll also hear about a malady both he and I share in our otherwise solid AA-driven lives, clinical depression. Perhaps you’ll identify with our experience of the fighting the mental illness of depression while trying to maintain sobriety. Fortunately, for Jason and me, outside medical intervention was sought and applied. Today, while living enriched sober lives, we both are unhesitant to discuss our experience with depression inside the rooms of Alcoholics Anonymous.
Though I’ve known Jason for about a year-and-a-half through a weekly Zoom meeting we both attend, I feel as if I’ve known him for years. His calm wisdom and the quiet confidence expressed in his sobriety is that of a man who found AA right at just the right time, thanks to a power greater than himself and his earnest work in the program one day at a time.
So, without further delay, please enjoy the next 55 minutes with my friend and AA brother, Jason G.
If you’ve enjoyed my AA Recovery Interviews series, 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. 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.]