Leigh P. – Sober 26 Years

Born and raised in London, Leigh's love affair with alcohol began in neighborhood public houses, or pubs. These establishments were and still are the centers of gathering in the town where Leigh grew up. Despite the fact that he was underage, having a pint or two of beer at the local pub was an unremarkable occurrence largely ignored by those around him. But, as he came of age, Leigh’s drinking in and outside of pubs escalated above and beyond the realm of normal drinking. He quickly found himself drinking much more than his mates. Like many budding problem drinkers, he became a functional alcoholic, achieving scholastic success by day, while drinking and often blacking out during the evenings and on weekend binges. By the time he was well into his first job after college, Leigh’s drinking had become problematic and obvious to everyone but him. After moving to Texas early in his career in the oil industry, his daily alcohol consumption and blackouts were mostly managed, though his first marriage succumbed to the ruinous effects of alcoholism. But the moniker of “functional alcoholic” faded quickly as his drinking spiraled out of control. Finally, after a two-week blackout, he awoke strapped down to a psychiatric hospital bed and realized he was finished. A visit shortly thereafter by a responsible fellow of AA coincided with a brief interval of clarity for Leigh. He soon found his way into the rooms of Alcoholics Anonymous. He started doing the work and the results followed. In many ways, Leigh’s story is cut from the same cloth as many recovering alcoholics, and his 26 years of sobriety reflect the very fundamentals of AA. Whether his service work was taking AA into prisons or working with sponsees, Leigh combined those commitments with regular attendance at AA meetings to create a Program centered in the “middle of the bed”, as many of my British friends like to call it. As you take in Leigh’s simple, yet practical, wisdom for working the Program, I think you’ll sense his quiet confidence that his Higher Power is indubitably running the show. Though it’s the product of 26 years in AA, Leigh’s story may likely inspire and invigorate your experience in the Program no matter how long you’ve been sober. With that, I give you today’s AA Recovery Interview for the next 65 minutes with my friend and AA brother, Leigh P.  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.]