Topic: Step 12 - Polly PTopic: Step 12 - Polly P
Sober Cast: An (unofficial) Alcoholics Anonymous Podcast AA
Long-time AA member Polly P shares how Step 12 and a life of service have kept her sober since 1977, from early detox to sponsoring others worldwide. She reflects on spiritual awakening, forgiveness, and turning painful experiences into a joyful commitment to helping other alcoholics.
51:15•1 Apr 2026
Step 12 in Action: How Service Keeps Polly P Sober Since 1977
Episode Overview
- Step 12 for Polly means active, ongoing service: taking women from detox to meetings, sponsoring, and showing up wherever AA is needed.
- She describes her recovery as God working in her life without her permission, through detox stays, a court order, and people who carried the AA message to her.
- Early sponsorship began almost immediately, with the simple guidance to "stay a step ahead" of those she was helping.
- Forgiveness is presented as essential to emotional sobriety, especially in releasing deep resentments by recognising her own part.
- Intensive work with other alcoholics is framed as the best safeguard against drinking and a powerful antidote to depression.
“"God works in my life without my permission."”
What drives someone to seek a life without alcohol? In this talk from the 31st Annual Mt Baker Roundup, long-time AA member Polly P shares how Step 12 has shaped every part of her life since getting sober back in 1977.
Speaking from Florida to a crowd dear to her heart in the Pacific Northwest, Polly mixes humour, honesty and a lot of gratitude as she reflects on her early days in detox, a suicide attempt, and being court committed to treatment. She repeatedly points to something bigger at work in her story, saying, "God works in my life without my permission," and credits AA for turning pitiful demoralisation into a life of service.
You’ll hear how her sponsor put her to work almost immediately: with just six weeks sober, she was already driving women from detox to meetings. From there, sponsoring others, reading the Big Book, and visiting hospitals, detoxes and treatment centres became the heartbeat of her sobriety. For Polly, Step 12 isn’t optional; it’s the thing that keeps her sane, connected and sober.
She also talks openly about recent emotional pain in sobriety, including a deep resentment that wouldn’t shift until she confronted her own part and practised real forgiveness. Her story shows how "practising these principles in all our affairs" goes far beyond meetings, into caring for a severely ill husband and showing up for her grandchildren after years of not being able to look after her own children.
This is a warm, story-filled session for anyone who wants to see how Step 12 can turn service into joy, even after decades sober. It might just leave you asking: where could sharing your experience help someone else stay alive and sober today?
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