Sober at Twenty-Two — the Old-Timers in That Basement Taught Me Checkbooks, Amends, and How to Grow Up – Greg C.

About This Speaker Tape

Greg shares his story of getting sober at 22 after bottoming out quickly as a young drinker. The son of an alcoholic father now sober 48 years, Greg first encountered recovery when he picked up his dad's Big Book off the coffee table at home — and moved out the next day. He went from age 18 to 22 in full-blown alcoholism, experiencing terrifying blackouts including disappearing for four days in a borrowed car in Athens, Georgia, and waking up in a hotel room 30 miles from his last drink with no memory of driving there.

After calling home to find a meeting, Greg landed in a smoke-filled basement meeting in Macon, Georgia in 1981 where everyone was decades older than him. An old-timer named Roland Chester sat him on a swing outside the church and asked if he was cross-addicted, then pointed him toward NA as well. His father gave him three suggestions — 90 in 90, get a sponsor, and "number three, I ain't it" — knowing he couldn't sponsor his own son. The people in AA essentially raised Greg, teaching him life skills from balancing a checkbook to managing money, eventually guiding him all the way through the service structure to state treasurer.

Greg traces his spiritual journey from Southern Baptist roots through years of exploration to a spiritual tradition he has followed for about 38 years, one that involves ceremonies and singing and extensive travel with his wife. He worked in treatment centers, became a massage therapist for 20 years, then joined the fire department in Cherokee County after a chance conversation in a barbecue line. The job brought traumatic experiences that required professional therapy beyond what the rooms could provide — a therapist who understood recovery helped him dig into issues the steps alone had not fully addressed. Now 67 with 45 years of sobriety, Greg travels to conventions across the country and internationally, maintains a home group, and came to speak tonight alongside his father.

Topics

Timestamps

• 0:00 Greg introduces himself with his father present, talks about their friendship today and doing plumbing together
• 2:30 Background: son of an alcoholic, found his dad's Big Book on the coffee table and moved out the next day
• 5:00 Blackout stories: disappearing four days in Athens and waking up 30 miles from his last drink
• 8:00 First meeting in Macon, Georgia — smoke-filled basement, Roland Chester on the swing outside
• 11:00 Father's three suggestions: 90 in 90, get a sponsor, and I ain't it
• 14:00 AA taught him life skills — from emptying ashtrays to becoming state treasurer
• 18:00 Spiritual journey from Southern Baptist to finding his own path through exploration
• 24:00 Working the steps with his sponsor — the magic of amends and people reappearing in his life
• 30:00 Career path: treatment centers, massage therapy, then firefighting after a barbecue-line conversation
• 35:00 12th-step call gone wrong — nearly dying in a house fire, and advice to newcomers