This story appears in all four editions of "Alcoholics Anonymous", but the original version of Our Southern Friend printed in 1939 was considerably longer than subsequent editions. It contains at least 15 additional paragraphs and other verbiage that were edited out of the second edition. This includes three paragraphs that begin the story and three that end it, as well as other changes within. If you have read the story in the third or fourth editions, you will be thrilled to hear these "new" portions of the text as it was originally written. Its impact is as fresh as ever and its message still rings true to this day. Howard L, sober since 1988, presents an impassioned reading of Our Southern Friend with fresh meaning and significance, making it as relevant today as it was 80 years ago. Enjoy listening on our website, BigBookPodcast.com, or download and subscribe to the podcast for free at Apple Podcasts or wherever you get your podcasts. And, if you have a minute, please leave a rating and review!

The 1st and 2nd editions of the Big Book (out-of-copyright and in the public domain) are used for this podcast.