A Daily Reprieve Contingent on Spiritual Maintenance — Bobby C., Philadelphia Cop, 33 Years Sober

About This Speaker Tape

Bobby C. shares his story from a Philadelphia Irish-Catholic family of immigrants, where he took his first drinks as a kid polishing off half-empty glasses at family parties in his grandparents' basement bar. Needing acceptance and hiding behind nicknames like 'Crazy Coyle' and 'Bullshit Bob,' he drank hard through a Jesuit prep school, the Air Force (where three friends were killed in an incident he missed), and 22 years on the Philadelphia Police Department. A drunken Memorial Day 1988 night ended with him running over a kid on a bicycle, throwing the boy and his crumpled bike to the side of the street like trash, and driving back to the bar.

Three days later, after a failed hotel bender meant to build courage to end his life, he tried to jump from a fifth-floor window, tried to electrocute himself in a bathtub with a hair dryer, and finally drove up East River Drive intending a head-on collision. He pulled over at Boathouse Row, found a Daily News clipping in his wallet with a hotline number, called, and was admitted to Hahnemann Psychiatric, then the VA in West Philly and Coatesville. He got sober June 2, 1988, but spent his first two years lying in meetings, beating a man with a baseball bat at 23 months sober, and putting his service weapon in his mouth a month after his second anniversary.

A hardcore neighborhood guy named Bobby 'Troubles' finally sponsored him, told him he was full of it, walked him through the Big Book, and took him through a real Fourth and Fifth Step — where Bobby learned his sponsor had also taken a life and done prison time. Service, young people's conferences (first ICYPAA Salt Lake City 1989), and the Traditions opened his life up. He married at 51, survived cancer, lost a baby in the second trimester, got stabbed in the line of duty, and was elected president of Philadelphia's municipal police union.

Now 33+ years sober and 61, retired from the job but consulting for the union, he credits a daily reprieve and a program of action — home group, sponsor who has done the steps, apprentice-to-journeyman model — and closes by welcoming a newcomer named Pat to his first AA meeting.

Topics

Timestamps

• 0:00 Bobby C. identifies himself, sober June 2, 1988, thanks Jerry for the reminder call
• 3:00 Philadelphia childhood, first drinks in his grandparents' basement bar at family parties
• 7:30 Jesuit prep school, nickname Crazy Coyle, weekend runs across the bridge to Jersey for 18-year-old drinking age
• 11:00 Enlists in Air Force at 17, three friends killed in an incident he was detailed away from
• 16:30 Drunk at Veterans Stadium, runs onto the field, shakes Dave Winfield's hand, gets a thumbs-up from Tug McGraw
• 23:00 Memorial Day 1988, driving a city vehicle drunk, runs a kid down on a bicycle, throws him off the hood
• 27:30 Hotel suicide attempts: fifth-floor window, hair dryer in the bathtub, head-on collision plan on East River Drive
• 30:00 Boathouse Row phone booth, Daily News clipping, call to Hahnemann, VA West Philly and Coatesville
• 40:00 At 23 months sober beats a man with a baseball bat, at 25 months puts his service weapon in his mouth
• 44:00 Asks Bobby 'Troubles' to sponsor him, gets told he is full of it, walked through the Big Book and the Third Step prayer
• 52:00 Married at 51, cancer survivor, second-trimester miscarriage, elected president of Philadelphia municipal police union
• 58:00 Apprentice-to-journeyman sponsorship pitch, welcome to newcomer Pat