Liz B. on the 50th Annual Florida State Convention — Part 2

About This Speaker Tape

1939, a courthouse in Baltimore. Liz B. stands at the altar crying her heart out, not from sorrow, but because she finally trapped Mr. Bailey into marriage. It was the sorriest day of his life and the start of a wreckage that spanned decades. Liz describes a childhood of rice wine and "King Kong" bathtub booze, selling pitchers for 40 cents while watching her father get beaten in the streets. She recalls the total insanity of her drinking years: burning furniture with cigarettes, putting her hands through plate glass, and trying to fry frozen chicken while blackout drunk.

She describes herself as Jekyll and Hyde, a woman who lived on park benches despite having a bedroom set three blocks away. After a desperate scream in a basement, she found a Higher Power and a tough sponsor who told her to "sit on the pot or get up off it." Now, Liz views her scars as stars, having survived cancer and the deaths of her children without picking up a drink.

Topics

Timestamps

• 0:00 Liz B. opens with gratitude and warns against the danger of the 'fanfare' of being a speaker.
• 5:15 Liz describes her childhood in New York, watching her father be beaten and the start of her drinking at age twelve.
• 10:20 The 'King Kong' bathtub gin era and selling booze in Manhattan at age fourteen.
• 15:45 Marriage to Mr. B. and the descent into 'total insanity' and guilt.
• 22:10 The near-suicide attempt and Mr. B.'s reaction to her jumping out the window.
• 28:30 The basement prayer and the decision to try AA in July 1952.
• 35:10 Laughter: Liz discusses her early days in AA, her 'bad mouth,' and the tough love from her sponsor, Little Flo M.
• 42:00 Liz discusses the necessity of lifelong sponsorship and the importance of the 12 Steps.
• 48:15 The reconciliation and final amends made to Mr. B. before his death.
• 55:30 Liz reflects on the loss of her son and daughter and the strength found in the fellowship.
• 62:00 Liz discusses her battle with cancer and her philosophy of living one day at a time.
• 68:45 Closing remarks on gratitude, the Lord's Prayer, and the importance of staying in the rooms.