Roger H. on Step 1, Sponsorship, and Government Cheese

About This Speaker Tape

Rural Kentucky, a field of green beans, and the scent of government cheese. Roger H. grew up in a world where his father, a man called "Butterball," could wire a truck together with log chains but couldn't button his shirt over his belly. For Roger, life was a series of wrong turns and "buzzes" chased for thirty years, leading him through a haze of Orange Rock vodka and the inside of a penitentiary. He describes the grit of the pen—the filthy floors and the relentless determination of a cellmate named Hambone who begged him to pray.

It took a church tract found while picking up highway trash and a Higher Power to pull him out of the wreckage. From a toothless "lizard" who couldn't control his tongue to a man with a wedding ring, Roger credits a tough-love sponsor named Charlie. Charlie made him clap his hands so he couldn't steal while waiting for lemonade, forcing a thief to finally be honest, open, and willing.

Topics

Timestamps

• 0:00 Roger R. opens with a joke about sleeping through the first talk.
• 2:15 Laughter: Roger R. discusses his lack of teeth and being called a 'lizard' by his sponsor.
• 5:40 Roger R. describes his childhood in rural Kentucky and his father, Butterball.
• 10:15 The family's move to Louisville and the 'shotgun houses' of the rough neighborhood.
• 15:30 Roger R.'s first 'buzz' and the introduction to Orange Rock vodka with Charlie C.
• 21:00 The turning point in the penitentiary and the influence of Hambone.
• 26:45 Roger R.'s surrender to a Higher Power on the filthy floor of a prison cell.
• 31:20 Sponsorship: Roger R.'s first steps with Charlie C. and the 'clapping' rule.
• 36:10 The story of meeting Beth and the process of getting his teeth back.
• 42:00 The emotional account of adopting Christian and the courtroom battle.
• 48:30 Applause: Roger R. concludes by crediting the 12 Steps for his total life transformation.