Sponsorship Without the Roman Numeral – Sterling H.

About This Speaker Tape

A tall can of cold 45 was the only solution Sterling H. had for a mind that felt 'not wrapped too tight' while growing up in the South Bronx. He spent years as a full-time drunk and part-time GI in the Air Force eventually hitting a wall in northern Japan where he drove down the middle of the road and faced the threat of a military discharge.

After a stint in inpatient treatment and a period of 'half-measuring' his recovery Sterling found a turning point in Omaha Nebraska where a sponsor forced him to wear a shirt and tie to meetings. He describes a shift from the isolation of the 'fort' to a life of service working as a TV weatherman and building a family eventually realizing that the fellowship is the only thing that keeps his internal noise manageable.

Topics

Timestamps

• 0:00 Sterling H. opens with gratitude and a joke about the 'oohs and aahs' of the crowd.
• 5:12 Recounts growing up in the South Bronx and the early allure of cold 45.
• 12:45 Describes his time in the Air Force and the 'blooming' of his alcoholism in Japan.
• 18:20 The ultimatum from his Captain: volunteer for inpatient treatment or be discharged.
• 24:15 First impressions of the fellowship: the missing spring in the newcomer's sofa and the 'weird' smiling people.
• 31:10 Laughter: Story about his 'unofficial' sponsor Pete and the emotional floodgates opening.
• 38:40 Discusses the danger of 'half-measuring' the program and his second demoralization at five years sober.
• 45:12 Meeting his Omaha sponsor and the requirement to dress up for meetings.
• 52:30 A story about getting lost in Bellevue and the 'coincidence' of meeting Rick.
• 58:15 Reflections on the 'magic' of AA and the transition from survival to 'soccer practices' and taxes.
• 1:04:20 Closing metaphor of the puzzle and the importance of putting the 'man' together first.