Good Monday morning, friend! Whether you're starting your week strong or just trying to make it through today, we've got some incredible stories lined up that'll remind you why this journey is so worth it. From finding love in sobriety to accidentally becoming a service junkie, this week's speakers share the kind of real, messy, beautiful recovery stories that hit right in the heart.

This Week's Episodes

They Told Me I'd Never Feel Love - AA Proved Them Wrong - AA Speaker - Wayne B.

They Told Me I'd Never Feel Love - AA Proved Them Wrong - AA Speaker - Wayne B.

Wayne B.

871 views

Step 4 - Resentments & Inventory Sponsorship Emotional Sobriety

Wayne spent five years drinking his way through AA meetings before his sponsor casually mentioned the program works better if you don't drink - and what happened next almost got one of them killed.

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From Eight Years of Warming a Chair to Finally Reading the Book - AA Speaker - Bart R.

From Eight Years of Warming a Chair to Finally Reading the Book - AA Speaker - Bart R.

Bart R. - Airmont, NY

705 views

Big Book Study Step Work Sponsorship

Bart spent eight years in AA meetings without raising his hand once - until someone's sponsor made him so angry from the podium that he showed up at the guy's store the next morning ready to fight, and walked out two hours later with a sponsor and a big book.

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The Book Gets Bigger Every Time I Read It  -  AA Speaker  -  Charlie P.

The Book Gets Bigger Every Time I Read It - AA Speaker - Charlie P.

Charlie P. - Austin, TX

642 views

Big Book Study Spiritual Awakening Sponsorship

Charlie loved AA from the start, but eventually learned that meetings, friends, and fellowship could not replace the spiritual experience the book was pointing him toward. He shares about drifting on fellowship alone and later realizing that outwardly looking fine was not the same as staying spiritually fit.

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I Borrowed My Sponsor's God Until I Found My Own  -  AA Speaker  -  Shelly S.

I Borrowed My Sponsor's God Until I Found My Own - AA Speaker - Shelly S.

Shelly S. - Hot Springs, AR

530 views

Spiritual Awakening Sponsorship Step 12 - Carrying the Message

Shelly shares about getting sober young, falling in love with AA before fully working the program, and the day her sponsor walked her through the steps fast enough to save her life. With sharp Big Book experience and a deep focus on action, she talks about inventory, amends, sponsorship, and learning that God could handle far more than she was willing to hand over.

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Going to Meetings and Not Drinking Doesn't Treat Alcoholism - AA Speaker - Paul M.

Going to Meetings and Not Drinking Doesn't Treat Alcoholism - AA Speaker - Paul M.

Paul M. - Chicago, IL

469 views

Step 4 - Resentments & Inventory Steps 8 & 9 - Making Amends Step 10 - Daily Inventory

Paul got sober in 1947 and spent his first year convinced he had the program figured out - until a friend told him he'd missed the whole program. At 83, with nearly six decades sober, Paul shares old-timer humor, Navy stories, and a hard message about what actually treats alcoholism.

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I Got Sober and Accidentally Became a Service Junkie - AA Speaker - Andrew W.

I Got Sober and Accidentally Became a Service Junkie - AA Speaker - Andrew W.

Andrew W. - Bloomington, MN

463 views

Sponsorship Acceptance Step 4 - Resentments & Inventory

Andrew came into AA feeling awkward, young, and afraid of being seen, then found that service gave him a way to belong without having to become somebody else. He shares about getting sober at 17, learning to live without alcohol as his solution, and slowly finding his place in AA through sponsorship, meetings, amends, and service.

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In Case You Missed It

My Ego Wants Me Dead but Will Settle for Me Drunk  -  AA Speaker  -  Peter M.

My Ego Wants Me Dead but Will Settle for Me Drunk - AA Speaker - Peter M.

Peter M. - Minneapolis, MN

3,759 views this month

Peter went through seven treatment centers, lived on the streets of Lower Manhattan, and cursed God with everything he had - then begged Him for help from the same hallway a few weeks later. He got sober in Minnesota in 1988 and built a life on continuous step work, prayer, and meditation that goes far deeper than just not drinking.

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Step of the Month: Step 5

Step 5 is where we finally exhale. We've looked at ourselves honestly on paper, and now we get to say it out loud to another human being - which turns out to be exactly what we needed all along, even though we were terrified of it. Frank M. takes you column by column through his actual written inventory from this year - thirty-plus years sober and he still does this work like his life depends on it, because it does. Patti O. didn't just survive ten years in prison or the chaos of blackout drinking - she had to survive the hardest part, which was finally being willing to tell the truth about all of it.

Related Episodes:

Shelly S. - Show Notes

Frank M. - Show Notes

David A. - Show Notes

From the Grapevine

Latest from the AA Grapevine podcast

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Leslie recalls being hospitalized and a doctor giving her a meeting book. She tells Olis and Don that people smiled at her at the first meeting and...

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The Best Day of My Life [Season 10, Episode 18]

It's a new Month and Don and Sam welcome Tracy to share about her recovery and her article, The Best Day of My Life, in the May issue of Grapevine ...

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Upcoming AA Events

Gopher State Roundup

May 22-24, 2026 - Minneapolis, MN

51st annual

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International Convention

June 5-7, 2026 - Zadar, Croatia

23rd international convention

Desert Roundup

June 11-14, 2026 - Indian Wells, CA

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