He Can’t Claim the Success of Others Because He’d Have to Accept the Failure – Bobby C.

About This Speaker Tape

Philadelphia, a row home with ten people and no booze in the house. Bobby C. grew up craving attention, polishing off half-empty beers in his grandparents' basement bar. He describes himself as a "lying, thieving, stinking, falling down violent drunk" who operated without principles to be accepted. From robbing lockers at a Jesuit high school to running onto a Phillies game to shake hands with Dave Winfield, Bobby lived for the story, not the truth.

As a cop, he saw the ravages of addiction daily while hiding his own. The wreckage peaked when he ran over a child on a bicycle and threw the boy off the street like a piece of trash. After failed suicide attempts involving a blow dryer and a fifth-floor window, a clipped newspaper ad led him to a psychiatric unit. Even sober, he "carried the disease," faking sponsorship and taking pleasure when others relapsed so he could move up the seniority board. He admits he was "crazy as a bed bug" until a man nicknamed Troubles saw through the act.

Topics

Timestamps

• 0:00 Bobby C. introduces himself and discusses his blue-collar Philly upbringing.
• 5:15 Story about jumping the fence at the Phillies game to meet Dave W.
• 12:40 Discussion of his time as a Philadelphia police officer and the 'handwriting on the wall'.
• 17:50 The wreckage of his drinking: hitting a child with his car and subsequent suicide attempts.
• 22:10 The moment of clarity and the phone call from a glass-enclosed phone booth.
• 26:30 His first encounter with Eddie M. and the realization that he was an alcoholic despite only drinking beer.
• 31:15 The trauma of finding his mother after her suicide attempt and his subsequent hatred of the Higher Power.
• 36:40 Laughter: The 'Sober but still a creep' phase and the baseball bat incident.
• 41:20 Working the first three steps with his sponsor, Troubles.
• 48:10 Detailed experience with the Fifth Step and the importance of not doing it with a priest to avoid secrecy.
• 54:30 The 11th Tradition: A deep dive into personal anonymity vs. secrecy.
• 1:05:10 The 'Sober Mummers' and the philosophy of enjoying life in recovery.