After 55 years sober, Mel brings rare firsthand AA history, hard-earned recovery wisdom, and one of the funniest definitions of emotional sobriety you’ll ever hear.
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Mel shares his journey from a fearful childhood in Nebraska and teenage drinking through military service, jail, hospitalization, and the surrender that began his sobriety at 24. He recalls falling in love with Alcoholics Anonymous at his first meeting, learning that sobriety meant facing life rather than escaping it, and remaining close to the fellowship for more than five decades. Mel also opens an extraordinary window into early AA history, including hearing one of the co-founders speak in 1951, contributing to the manuscripts that became Pass It On, spending time at Stepping Stones, and photographing one co-founder at the other’s gravesite. With humor, humility, and stories gathered across thousands of meetings, he explains how gratitude becomes action: receive the message, live it, and pass it on. Mel closes by singing his original tribute, “Once There Were Founders.”
Mel B. from Toledo, OH speaking at the Northern Colorado Intergroup "DecaDance" in Fort Collins, CO - February 26th 2006
Music: Deep by KaizanBlu
