I Didn't Know the Problem Was in My Hand - AA Speaker - Bob C.

Bob was holding a beer and asking what was wrong with his life. His AA story follows the answer through a family intervention, a sponsor who challenged "my program," and a phone call that changed two alcoholics' lives. ☀️ Sober Sunrise App Listen to Sober Sunrise AA speaker talks anytime, track your sober time, take a daily pledge, and keep recovery support close throughout the day. 📱 https://sober-sunrise.com/app If you enjoy the app or find it useful in your recovery, a quick rating or review on the App Store would mean a lot and helps more people find Sober Sunrise. ☀️ Sober Sunrise Episode Archive Hundreds of AA speaker tapes and recovery stories: https://sober-sunrise.com/episodes 🧡 Sober Sunrise Merch https://sober-sunrise.com/merch 🌴 Sober Sunrise Newsletter https://sober-sunrise.com/newsletter Bob got sober on November 8, 1989, after agreeing to family counseling and discovering that his whole family had gathered for an intervention. He grew up in a loving Akron home, found acceptance and relief through drinking as a teenager, and built a marriage, a family, and a career while alcoholism quietly took over. Missed school events, unpaid utility bills, two lost homes, and the hurt in his children's eyes became problems he tried to wash away with another drink. At the intervention, his ten-year-old daughter's poem finally reached him, and four days in treatment introduced him to AA through people who brought coffee, shared their own stories, and read from the Big Book. The death of a beloved neighborhood father brought grief and the first real permission to cry, an experience Bob connects with the lifting of his compulsion to drink. Sobriety still required more than putting down the bottle. Nearly two years in, his sponsor challenged him to stop relying on "my program" and begin living the Twelve Steps as a way of life. Years later, after that sponsor died, Bob found himself isolated and struggling despite meetings, sponsorship, and service commitments. A phone call from a mountainside in California restored his connection with another alcoholic who was struggling too, giving him his own AA arithmetic: one plus one equals three when God enters the relationship. He closes with a child praying for a suffering drinker at Dr. Bob's house and a reminder that working with others means reaching out, staying accountable, and carrying the message. Bob C. from Akron, OH speaking at the Aberdeen Wednesday Night Group's Quarterly Meeting in Aberdeen, SD - 2007 Music: Deep by KaizanBlu