Moving from Victim to Hero in Your Own Story – Paul P.

About This Speaker Tape

A physician and pharmacist who stole Demerol from his patients, Paul P. spent his life dodging the label of alcoholic. He describes a clinical almost detached relationship with narcotics and the irony of being committed to a 'nut ward' where he only found AA as a way to secure a discharge pass.

Through a series of comedic contradictions he traces his shift from a 'victim of life' to a 'hero' in his own story admitting that while he may be a 'mild alcoholic,' the program saved him from a lifelong habit of mental obsession and the crushing weight of his own internal dialogue. He emphasizes the practical application of the Steps as a universal toolkit for any problem from marital strife with Max M. to the persistent annoyance of a small bladder.

Topics

Timestamps

• 0:00 Paul P. opens with jokes about the crowd standing in the back and the 'jumpy' meeting.
• 3:15 Discussion of suicidal ideation and the specific, clinical plan to use magnesium sulfate.
• 5:40 Laughter: Story about stealing Demerol from patients and the 'correct' way to inject it.
• 8:20 Comedy bit on the difference between abusing a person and 'abusing a pill'.
• 11:10 Describes how he only joined AA to get a pass out of the psychiatric ward.
• 15:30 The 'contagious' nature of alcoholism and how he 'turned into' an alcoholic by listening to others.
• 18:45 Physical allergy: Describes the sensation of being 'paralyzed from the ears down' while drinking.
• 22:10 The 'Act like a winner' philosophy and avoiding the trap of boredom.
• 26:40 Sponsorship: The 'five words' and the 'non-word' (hmm) for effective sponsoring.
• 29:15 Step 12: Discussion of the 'we' program and the distinction between 'steps' and 'principles' in the Big Book.
• 32:00 Higher Power: Moving from the Higher Power of childhood to a Higher Power of his choosing.
• 34:10 Closing thoughts on the Big Book (page 132) and the insistence on enjoying life.