Dr. S. and the Allergy Manifested by Mental Compulsion – Marco W.

About This Speaker Tape

For Marco W., the road was paved with geographical cures and 'behavioral principles' that never quite worked. He traces his descent from moonshine in the hills of Virginia to the 'RID disease'—restless irritable and discontented—and the wreckage of a career that included sleeping through a fire call as a night fire chief in Kentucky. He describes a marriage to Rosemary R. that began in a bar and nearly ended in a murder-suicide pact of sorts before both found the program

. Marco W. dismantles the delusion of the 'morning drink' and the 'social level' of drinking eventually finding a Higher Power in a moment of quiet by a pond in St.

Leo's. He emphasizes the grit of the Fourth Step admitting he wrote seven or eight versions of his inventory before he stopped lying to himself and argues for the essential role of old-timers in keeping the fellowship from becoming a mere 'taxi service' for newcomers.

Topics

Timestamps

• 0:00 Marco W. opens with a story about sneezing in a prison meeting.
• 4:15 Laughter: The story of the Chihuahua and the Doberman.
• 8:20 Discussion of Dr. S. and the 'allergy' of alcoholism.
• 12:45 Marco W. describes the 'RID disease' (Restless, Irritable, and Discontented).
• 17:10 The wreckage of the night fire chief job in Kentucky and sleeping through a fire call.
• 21:30 The 'drunk car' and the 1954 Cadillac.
• 26:15 The story of meeting Rosemary R. in a bar and their early marriage.
• 31:40 The 'green flag' moment and the progression of the disease.
• 36:20 The moment of surrender by a pond in St. Leo's and his date of sobriety: August 17, 1972.
• 40:10 The struggle with the Fourth Step and writing multiple dishonest inventories.
• 44:30 The Fifth Step experience with a preacher.
• 48:15 The 12th Step and the importance of keeping old-timers involved.