Peggy M. Uses Public Information to Show the World That Sobriety Is Possible

About This Speaker Tape

CPC Conference - 2001

A Porsche a case of stolen port wine and a bathtub that nearly became a coffin. Peggy M. doesn't lead with a traditional lead instead she explores the 'power of example' through the wreckage of her drinking and the quiet ripples of her recovery. From rigging elections as a drunk receptionist in D.C. to lying to a psychiatrist about a 'giant complex,' she maps the distance between the person who stole liquor from her parents' closet and the woman who eventually made amends to a former teacher. The narrative pivots on the realization that small seemingly insignificant gestures—a hand held in a crowded room a letter to a professor—can be the catalyst for another person's sobriety. She reflects on how her own struggle influenced her father a Lieutenant General to pioneer alcoholism treatment in the Air Force proving that recovery is often a silent collective effort.

Topics

Timestamps

• 0:00 Peggy M. opens by discussing the 'power of example' and the role of CPC and PI committees.
• 4:15 Laughter: Story about drinking six-packs at the Shrine of Our Lady of the Snows and a narrow escape from a cop.
• 7:20 The bathtub incident: Peggy describes nearly drowning and deciding to quit bathing instead of drinking.
• 10:45 The wreckage: Stealing a case of port wine and the resulting esophageal varices and internal bleeding.
• 14:30 The encounter with the Air Force doctor who was secretly a sober member of AA.
• 17:10 Discussion of her father's influence in the Air Force and the creation of treatment programs for alcoholics.
• 21:15 The D.C. job: Drinking vodka from her purse and rigging an election for a lobbying group.
• 25:40 The 'giant complex' and her interactions with a psychiatrist in Washington D.C.
• 28:10 The history of the first Washington Area Alcathon and the role of Public Information (PI).
• 32:00 Making amends to Naomi L., a former professor at Washington University.
• 36:15 The story of the 'glass crutch' and how a small PI announcement saved a life.
• 39:40 The final reflection on Mrs. Norma W. and being told she was the 'most worthwhile student' after years of recovery.