Chained to the Hydrant. – Jerry J.

About This Speaker Tape

Jerry J., a recovering lawyer, shares his story of confronting his alcoholism, despite years of denial and professional success. He illustrates the cunning nature of the disease through the vivid analogy of his bulldog, Patches, relentlessly attacking a hog he couldn't handle—a metaphor for his own powerlessness and unmanageability over alcohol. His wife's unexpected engagement with Al-Anon becomes a pivotal, if initially infuriating, catalyst for his self-reflection.

Jerry recounts his failed attempts at controlled drinking, his resistance to the program's principles, and a deeply personal analogy of a self-centered man managing a fishbowl. He describes his eventual coming to believe in a Higher Power and the profound spiritual shift that allowed him to remain sober through his mother's harrowing battle with cancer. Ultimately, he finds a unique purpose in carrying the message and working with newcomers, emphasizing that the program grants freedom from the desire to drink and a life bounded by fear.

Topics

Timestamps

• 0:00 Introduction: A recovering lawyer and spouse of an Al-Anon, living 'better than I deserve'.
• 4:30 The 'Patches the Dog and the Hog' analogy for unmanageability begins.
• 15:00 His wife attends Al-Anon, becoming a catalyst for Jerry's self-reckoning.
• 23:00 Jerry's failed controlled drinking experiment and the 'voice' of his disease.
• 30:00 December 31, 1972: Passing out leads to his last drink and calling AA.
• 41:00 The 'Fishbowl' analogy: Self-centeredness and control.
• 49:00 Mother's cancer: Sobriety holding firm in the face of immense adversity.
• 56:00 Finding purpose in working with newcomers, carrying the message.