Caring and Sharing

In 1987, Flossie Lewis, sometimes called the “mother of AA” in Long Beach, spoke with Elizabeth S. about her life and the early days of AA in the Harbor Area. A lifelong teetotaler, Flossie and her husband, Clarence, who began his recovery from alcoholism here in Long Beach, were mainstays of the early recovery community in the Harbor Area. Their house served as the first local Central Office and Flossie is often credited with having started one of the first meetings in the country for spouses of alcoholics, beginning the movement that was later to become Al-Anon. This month’s offering from the archives comprises an excerpted version of her remarkable story.