Bob W. – Sober 21 Years

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. Interestingly, Bob’s sobriety through active participation in the Program had little impact on his other addictive behavior, which he struggled with for years after he got sober from alcohol. But, with the help of a sustained AA program, Bob finally surrendered his other addiction on his road of recovery. There’s a lot more to this story that you’ll hear shortly. After nearly 14 years of west coast AA, Bob made it back to Houston in 2016, which is where I caught up with him. Though divorced and estranged from his family in California, in the past nearly 5 years he has re-built a new and happier life for himself. His story is one that I admire greatly. I think you will, too. So settle back and enjoy the next hour of my interview with my good friend and AA brother, Bob W. 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 Join our Facebook Group and share your own experience, strength, and hope with other AAs. 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.]