Applying Principles in the Moment of Tragedy – Sandy B.

About This Speaker Tape

North Carolina State Convention - 2010

Sandy B. maps out a life defined by the gap between perception and reality. He traces his path from a childhood of religious dread in Connecticut to a high-flying career as a Marine Corps fighter pilot where he flew the Crusader while battling alcoholic withdrawals and panic attacks in the cockpit. He recounts the crushing shame of being forced out of the cockpit and the later surreal discovery that his squadron had actually loved him. Sandy B. dismantles the idea of the 'unchangeable' past arguing that truth can rewrite memory. He focuses heavily on the mechanics of staying 'undisturbed' through the 10th Step and the visceral transformation of his daughter Conway C. who went from a 'class A alcoholic' to the family's rock during a period of devastating loss including the murder of one daughter and the death of another to the disease.

Topics

Timestamps

• 0:00 Introduction and welcome to Sandy B.
• 4:15 Sandy B. discusses the murder of his daughter and the loss of another to alcoholism.
• 7:30 The lesson of immediate forgiveness: Sandy B.'s reflection on a news story about a grieving mother.
• 12:45 Laughter: Sandy B. describes his daughter Conway C.'s transformation from a 'class A alcoholic' to the family's strength.
• 18:20 Sandy B.'s childhood perceptions of the Catholic Church and the fear of the crucifix.
• 24:10 The 'spiritual experience' of the first few drinks in college and the subsequent binge.
• 32:40 The danger of flying fighter jets during alcoholic withdrawals and the 'panic attacks' in the air.
• 38:15 The story of the 'oxygen emergency' that ended his flying career.
• 45:30 Meeting a former squadron mate 42 years later and discovering the truth about his past.
• 52:10 The 'Spirituality of Being Wrong' and the struggle to admit he was wrong.
• 58:45 Step 10: The process of self-restraint, honest analysis, and making amends or forgiving.
• 65:20 Discussion of the Big Book as a 'do-it-yourself' manual and the 'Big Bang' of AA history.