Tom Tuesday: Pass It On - Tom ITom Tuesday: Pass It On - Tom I
Sober Cast: An (unofficial) Alcoholics Anonymous Podcast AA
AA member Tom I shares his journey from a maximum‑security prison to decades of sobriety, focusing on service and carrying the message. He reflects on 12‑step calls, group building and working with institutions while keeping AA’s primary purpose at the centre.
1:03:00•8 Sept 2026
Passing It On: Tom I on Service, 12‑Step Calls and AA’s Primary Purpose
Episode Overview
- AA’s primary purpose is carried out through action, not just holding pleasant meetings.
- Practical service jobs like setting up chairs or making coffee help newcomers feel they belong.
- 12‑step calls create strong bonds of loyalty and are a powerful way to reach alcoholics where they are.
- Cooperation with hospitals, probation and other professionals can replace barriers like court cards and rigid systems.
- Following the Twelve Steps as laid out in the book can transform guilt and despair into a sense of genuine freedom and usefulness.
“Sometimes you’ve got to figure out how to get rid of the barriers instead of just how to drag somebody in.”
How do people find strength in their journey to sobriety? In this talk from the "Pass It On" series, long‑time AA member Tom I shares more than half a century of experience focused on one thing: carrying the message to the alcoholic who still suffers. Speaking with warmth and dry humour, Tom looks back to his first AA meeting in 1957, when he was 24, fresh into a maximum‑security penitentiary after a drink‑driving tragedy.
He admits, "I’ve never felt more out of place anywhere in my life than I did in Alcoholics Anonymous," and yet that same group showed him how service and the Twelve Steps could turn misery into real freedom. You’ll hear vivid stories from the early days of AA: rat‑hole 12‑step calls, bootleggers, and holding a drunk in his arms with nowhere to take him. Those experiences shaped Tom’s fierce loyalty to AA’s primary purpose.
For him, it’s never just about having a "good meeting", it’s about action: chairing, making coffee, cleaning the pot, sponsoring, and going out to meet alcoholics where they actually are. Tom also talks about more modern challenges: treatment centres closing doors, detox wards turning away people without insurance, and courts mandating AA attendance with little slips of paper.
He explains why his area stopped signing court cards, how they built strong relationships with hospitals, probation and professional bodies instead, and why he believes "sometimes you’ve got to get rid of the barriers instead of just dragging somebody in." This is aimed at anyone in recovery who’s wondering how to be more useful in AA, from newcomers wondering where they fit, to old‑timers feeling worn down by revolving doors.
If you’ve ever asked yourself whether your service really matters, Tom’s stories might just nudge you to pick up a chair, a broom, or a phone and pass it on. What’s the next simple action you could take for the person coming in after you?
Do you want to link to this podcast?
Get the buttons here!
More From This Show
The latest episodes from the same podcast.