George T. – Step Two – Step Two And The Rallying Point To Sanity – 2009

About This Speaker Tape

George maps out the transition from the 'uptown drunk' living in a cardboard box under the 59th Street B. to a man who accepts he isn't the center of the universe. He dismantles the delusion of the 'intellectual' alcoholic, admitting he used his brain power as a prideful balloon to float above others.

George traces his path from a state of belligerent defiance—where he viewed sobriety as a 'rubber room' for the mentally deranged—to a place of humility. He describes the gritty reality of his early days: the 'ick' left behind when the alcohol is gone, the obsession with planning Saturday's bender on Monday morning, and the struggle to accept a Higher Power when he felt he was the only sane person in the room. Through the guidance of sponsors who tricked him into service work and a lesson on the faith required to sit in a folding chair, George finds a way to believe in the possibility of recovery.

Topics

Timestamps

• 0:45 George discusses his initial assumptions about sanity and his 'spiritual beliefs' upon entering recovery.
• 4:12 Laughter: George describes the 'Alcoholics theme song' and the self-centeredness of the early drinker.
• 6:30 George discusses the 'uptown drunk' and living in a cardboard box under the 59th Street Bridge.
• 10:15 Mention of Step 2 and the 'contempt prior to investigation' principle.
• 14:40 The story of the folding chair and the definition of faith.
• 18:20 George breaks down the difference between humility and humiliation.
• 22:10 Discussion on the 'intellectual' type of alcoholic and the need to 'get stupid'.
• 26:45 George reflects on his 'warped perception' and the prayer he sent to a church to be delivered to a temple across the street.
• 30:10 The 'X-lax' story and the realization that he is not Higher Power.
• 33:50 George concludes with the importance of service work—making coffee and sweeping floors—as a path to an open mind.