[This is an encore of Episode 25, originally released May 5, 2021].  The original episode is available on this podcast by searching for or scrolling down to Episode 25 on your podcast app or by visiting aarecoveryinterviews.com.

Gordon R. got sober AA four months before Neil Armstrong put his foot on the moon. By the age of 28, in the spring of 1969, Gordon’s rapid descent into full-blown alcoholism had taken him from a burgeoning career as a globe-trotting engineer to panhandling on the streets of New York City. Fortunately, when he found the Program, the old-timers who’d been sober since the very earliest days of AA took Gordon under their care and helped him build the solid foundation on which his Program stills stands strong and thrives more than a half-century later.

Gordon’s story of sobriety is one of both triumph and tragedy, of a path well-traveled thanks to his consistent involvement in Alcoholics Anonymous. Gordon’s rich experiences in working an active program, which includes frequent meetings, are both instructive and inspirational to all who wonder about the possibility of actually achieving long-term sobriety. Today’s show with Gordon R. is about 90 minutes long with the best audio quality Zoom was able to provide on interview day. But, whether you listen to it straight-through or in segments, my hope is that you’ll find what you’ve been waiting to hear. With that, I welcome to AA Recovery Interviews my good friend and AA brother, Gordon R.

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.]