Sponsorship and the Riddle of the Three Frogs on a Log – Paul L.

About This Speaker Tape

A 12-gauge double-barrel shotgun in the mouth, two triggers pulled, and the safety still on. Paul L. was ready to die after a blackout drive left a man dead in the road and his own life in wreckage. He describes a descent from a blue-collar childhood in the Monongahela Valley to the screams and four-point restraints of a locked mental institution. He was a "taker of life," a shell of a man who woke up to find himself charged with manslaughter and sentenced to twelve years in Florida State Prison.

His turning point came through a sponsor named Bob and a riddle about three frogs on a log: one decides to jump, but the others remain. Bob used the riddle to show Paul how to empty himself of self and fill himself with a Higher Power. From serving grits at 5 a.m. in the "Reality House" to regaining his professional license by a vote of four to three, Paul traces a path from the prison bus to a reclaimed dignity.

Topics

Timestamps

• 2:15 Paul L. describes growing up in the blue-collar Monongahela Valley.
• 6:40 The 'keen alcoholic mind' and the move to Florida with $600.
• 9:10 The first encounter with AA after trying to break into his own house.
• 13:50 The fatal car accident and the subsequent suicide attempt with a shotgun.
• 17:20 Thanksgiving 1990: Release from a locked mental institution and first meeting.
• 22:10 Working the steps with sponsor Bob and the Third Step Prayer.
• 26:40 Sentencing to 12 years in Florida State Prison.
• 30:15 Laughter: The 'grits man' shift and the lesson on anger.
• 34:50 The miracle of regaining his professional license as a speech pathologist.
• 38:10 Reflecting on his daughters' growth and the note in the sock drawer.