Sandy B. on Obsession, Underage Drinking, and Family Dynamics

About This Speaker Tape

East Coast Convention -

A childhood spent as the 'nothing' child in a family of seven Sandy M. describes a life where her solutions were always worse than her problems—starting with drinking iodine at age seven just to avoid second grade. She spent her youth as a professional alcoholic treating the pursuit of booze as a career which led to her father nailing her bedroom window shut and her mother marking her thighs with permanent marker to stop her from rolling up her skirts. After years of blackouts that left her waking up in Ohio and stealing road barriers for her apartment she found a way out through a tough-as-nails sponsor and the fellowship. The wreckage is replaced by a role as a birth coach for her sister and a trusted caretaker for her mother proving that the girl once banned from the driveway is now the one with the key to the house.

Topics

Timestamps

• 0:00 Sandy M. introduces herself and her home group in Ypsilanti.
• 3:15 Childhood story about drinking iodine to avoid second grade.
• 6:20 The first drink of Warm Pax Blue Ribbon Beer at age 14.
• 10:15 Laughter: The story of her father nailing the window shut and the bedroom door being removed.
• 14:30 Description of blackouts and waking up in Yerkesville, Ohio.
• 17:45 The 'road barriers' story and making amends for stealing them.
• 21:10 The 'Carl's Hot Mix' moonshine incident and the hospital visit.
• 25:30 Entering the program and the realization that alcohol was just a symptom.
• 30:15 The role of her first sponsor and the requirement to pick up chairs for two months.
• 34:45 The loss of her father and the support of the fellowship (Friends of Bill).
• 38:20 Discussing the benefits of serving at the district level and group conscience meetings.
• 42:10 Reflecting on the miracle of having the key to her mother's house.