Recovery Speakers

02/16/2026

Historic A.A. talk — Ernie G. (Adrian, MI) | 1973

An early member sponsored by Dr. Bob shares firsthand stories from the Akron era and the foundations of sponsorship.

Full talk now on our channel:
https://youtu.be/FI11pdgzDwY?si=4Au4X9L0o1WPjQrk

02/16/2026

ERNIE G. — A.A. #78 | Adrian, MI (1973)

Long before recovery was widely known, it was carried one person at a time.

Ernie G. was an early member of A.A., sponsored by Dr. Bob in Akron. In this rare 1973 recording, he shares firsthand reflections from the formative years — when meetings were small, sponsorship was personal, and the message was simple: one alcoholic helping another.

There were no large conventions.

No digital archives.

Just trust, spiritual action, and service.

This is not just a talk.

It’s living history.

🎙 Watch the full historic recording here:
https://youtu.be/FI11pdgzDwY?si=u2j2lr1Z55wgr397

New historic releases posted weekly.
https://youtube.com/

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This rare 1973 recording features Ernie G. of Adrian, Michigan — an early member of Alcoholics Anonymous whose sponsor was Dr. Bob, co-founder of A.A.Ernie c...

02/14/2026

❤️ This Valentine’s Day, we’re grateful for connection.

Long before social media, long before podcasts, long before digital archives — recovery has always been built on one simple thing:

One person reaching another.

A sponsor answering the phone.
A newcomer walking through the door.
A voice on a recording that says, “I was just like you.”

At Recovery Speakers, we have the privilege of preserving thousands of those voices — messages of hope, honesty, and transformation.

Today we celebrate the love that recovery makes possible:
Love of fellowship.
Love of service.
Love of a new way of living.

If a voice ever helped you stay sober, you’re part of this story.

We’re grateful for you. ❤️

🎧 RecoverySpeakers.com
📺 New talks posted weekly on YouTube

02/14/2026

Clarence S. of Cleveland, sober since 1938, was one of the pioneers of early Alcoholics Anonymous.

Taken through the Steps by Dr. Bob, Clarence helped shape what became known as “Big Book sponsorship” — personally working with newcomers page by page.

In 1939, he was the “Mr. X” in the sermon Mr. X and Alcoholics Anonymous, one of the earliest widely circulated descriptions of A.A.

This rare 1960 recording from Amarillo, Texas captures Clarence sharing firsthand experience from the formative years of the fellowship.

This is living recovery history.

🎧 Explore 20,000+ historic recordings at:
RecoverySpeakers.com

New talks released weekly
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https://youtu.be/BfOs7w6SBwI

Clarence S. of Cleveland, sober since 1938, was one of the pioneers of early Alcoholics Anonymous.Taken through the Steps by Dr. Bob, Clarence helped shape w...

02/14/2026

Clarence S. (Sober 1938) – Cleveland AA Pioneer 🔥
Taken through the Steps by Dr. Bob.

A pioneer of Big Book sponsorship in Cleveland.
This is Clarence S. speaking in 1960 — firsthand history from the early days of Alcoholics Anonymous.

Full historic talk our our channel https://YouTube.com/

02/13/2026

Celebrating 61 Years of the International Women’s Conference in A.A. 💛

This weekend, women from across the country — and around the world — are gathering in Des Moines, Iowa (and online) for the 62nd International Women’s Conference.

What began in 1965 with just 45 women in Kansas City, led by Bernadette O’K and other courageous A.A. women, has grown into an annual tradition spanning more than six decades.

It started with a simple but powerful idea:

Women in recovery needed a space to share openly, support one another, and strengthen their sobriety together.

From that small beginning, the International Women’s Conference became a traveling celebration of unity, service, sponsorship, and sisterhood in Alcoholics Anonymous.

Over the years, countless women — including pioneers like Marty Mann and Geraldine Delaney — helped shape the broader landscape of women’s recovery, showing the world that women suffer from alcoholism… and women recover.

Today, thousands gather each year because a handful of women said “yes” in 1965.

To every woman attending this weekend:

May you feel the power of shared experience.

May you hear something that changes your life.

May you know you are part of a living history.

To learn more about the International Women’s Conference, visit their website:
https://internationalwomensconference.org

We celebrate you 💛

https://www.recoveryspeakers.com/speakers/alcoholics-anonymous/peggy-m-bellevue-ne-at-31st-annual-international-womens-conference-omaha-ne-2-16-19-95/

02/12/2026

Greetings from the 2026 International Women’s Conference (IWC) ♥️

02/12/2026

Our Story: Preserving the Voices of Recovery

Long before podcasts, streaming, or digital archives, a few people understood something sacred:

If these voices aren’t preserved, they disappear.

In the mid-20th century, Bill and Arbutus O’Neal began recording Twelve-Step speakers,not for recognition or profit, but simply to save the message. Those reel-to-reel tapes became the foundation of what is now Recovery Speakers.

In 2006, that collection was entrusted to new hands, not as a business, but as a responsibility.

Today, Recovery Speakers hosts 20,000+ recordings spanning AA, Al-Anon, and other Twelve-Step fellowships, with rare and historic talks still being restored and released.

This work has always been about one thing:
keeping recovery’s history alive, accessible, and free.

If these voices have ever helped you,
you’re part of this story too 📖

🎧 RecoverySpeakers.com
📺 New talks released weekly on YouTube https://YouTube.com/

02/11/2026

Today we honor Clarence S. of Cleveland, sober since February 11th, 1938, one of the great pioneers of early recovery.

In 1939, a Cleveland sermon titled “Mr. X and Alcoholics Anonymous” helped carry the message across the Midwest. “Mr. X” was Clarence.

Taken through the Steps by Dr. Bob, Clarence helped shape what became known as early Big Book sponsorship, sitting down with newcomers and working the book page by page.

Cleveland’s message was simple and powerful:
Trust God. Clean House. Help Others.

Bill W. later wrote that Cleveland proved three essentials:
• The power of personal sponsorship
• The value of the Big Book
• That this program could grow soundly to great size

Today, we’re sharing rare archive audio and a First Edition (12th Printing, 1948) Big Book inscribed by Clarence — available now at RecoverySpeakers.com.

The full talk will be launching soon on our YouTube channel.

We stand on the shoulders of these pioneers.

If this history matters to you, leave a comment or share what sponsorship has meant in your life.

📺 Subscribe for weekly releases
https://YouTube.com/

02/10/2026

𝟒𝟎,𝟎𝟎𝟎 𝐯𝐨𝐢𝐜𝐞𝐬. 𝐎𝐧𝐞 𝐬𝐡𝐚𝐫𝐞𝐝 𝐩𝐮𝐫𝐩𝐨𝐬𝐞.
We’re incredibly grateful for every person who has chosen to listen, learn, and help preserve the spoken history of recovery. What began as a small effort to protect important recordings has grown into something shared by tens of thousands, and we don’t take that lightly.

Recovery Speakers exists to preserve the voices, stories, and lived experience of recovery: past, present, and future, and to keep them freely accessible to anyone who may need them.

If you’re new here, welcome ☕️
If you’ve been with us for years,
thank you for walking alongside us.🙏

Explore our full archive at RecoverySpeakers.com

Find our newest and most up-to-date talks on our YouTube channel, https://YouTube.com/ where we’re now sharing new content weekly.

Be sure to like, subscribe, and turn on notifications so you don’t miss what’s coming next.

From all of us, thank you for being part of this. 🎙️🤍

02/09/2026

Ebby T. brought the message to Bill W.
Jim Burwell helped widen the door.
🎞️ Reel-to-reel to digital 🎶

▶️ Full talk on YouTube:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cU367U76174

✅ Subscribe to Recovery Speakers:
https://youtube.com/?sub_confirmation=1

Learn more about our mission at RecoverySpeakers.com

11/09/2024

Live now!

. It will feature presentations on key aspects of recovery history, including the deep impact of The Mayflower Foundation Collection to the field. Held at th...