The Creator of The Global Sober Series of Giant Books

The Global Sober Series grew out of the Anonymous author’s first book 101 Shares that featured 101 meeting starter topics.  Wanting to reach a wider audience with his book and message he had it translated into Spanish and Russian.Already an avid and extensive traveler, the author expanded the scope of his travels to share and distribute his book to fellow AA members and AA associations around the world.  It was during that time that the author gradually came to realize how the book gave himself and the trips around the globe his True Purpose.  The author and his sponsor took the initial idea and came up with the idea of creating an oversized, colorful, coffee table book that could tie together the history of AA and the people of AA all around the world.In order to bring his vision to life, he hired a designer is Rhode Island to bring this idea to life.  Coincidently, the designer was located a stone’s throw from Rowland Hazard’s gravesite. Rowland Hazard is mentioned in Chapter 2 of the Big Book of Alcoholics Anonymous, There is a Solution. In the story, the European psychiatrist Carl Jung told Rowland “there appear to be in the nature of huge emotional displacements and rearrangements, ideas, emotions”. The author felt that this was a nice coincidence as he, himself had had huge emotional rearrangements. Thus began, the Global Sober Series of coffee table books — evolved from the anonymous author’s travels to seek out the true nature of AA around the world. 

GlobalSoberSeries

Q. If you are in recovery, what was your Drug of Choice? When did you stop using?
A. Alcohol. My sobriety date is November 10, 1985

Q. Do you think addiction is an illness, disease, a choice or a wicked twist of fate?
A. Disease

Q. Do you log on to ZOOM 12-step meetings? How often? Do you share?
A. 4 a day, I share often

Q. Where did you grow up? 
A. Finland, Holland and Washington, DC

Q. From what school or teacher did you learn the most?
A. Connecticut College Art History

Q. Do you have any children? 
A. Yes, 2

Q. If you ever retire would you prefer to live by the ocean, lake, river, mountaintop or penthouse?
A. By the ocean

Q. Who has had the biggest influence on you throughout your life? 
A. My present sponsor

Q. What books are you reading now?
A. Hola magazine

Q. Are you bingeing on any TV series? If so, which ones?
A. I haven’t watched TV in 30 years.

Q. What is your FAVORITE Band/composer/musical artist?
A. Rolling Stones

Q. What is the best piece of advice you’ve been given?
A. Start writing in sobriety about sobriety.

Q. What is the best piece of advice YOU’VE given?
A. Eat right and exercise.

Q. What is the greatest risk you have ever taken?
A. Getting on airplanes 5 times a month or more.

Q. What is your biggest regret?
A. Not having maintained and preserved the 600-plant kiwi fruit vineyard I created during my first ten years of sobriety.

Q. What is your favorite Weekly News Bulletin?
A. Addiction Recovery E Bulletin

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