Step 3 Hit When He Prayed Three Words from a Jail Cell – 1970 – Dave R.

About This Speaker Tape

1941, East Tennessee. A hillbilly lawyer with a Baptist pedigree and a Mason’s ring finds himself staring at the wreckage of a life he dismantled hammer and tongs. Dave R. didn't have a sociable interlude; he got sick the first time he drank and stayed hooked. He traces the slide from a respected alderman to a government employee in Washington who specialized in "intestinal flu" every payday, eventually landing in a "Siberia" posting in Montana.

The wreckage mounts: commingled funds from the American Legion, a bankrupt practice, and daughters who treat him like a skunk. He describes the "conspiracy" he imagined against him, only to realize he was the one in the bear trap. After five consecutive nights in the Knoxville City Jail, waking up on a cold iron bunk, the delusion broke. He faced the choice between a cup of cheap drinks or a new life. Powerless and eyeing a staged suicide, he finally surrendered to a Higher Power, the shepherd for the one lost sheep.

Topics

Timestamps

• 0:00 Dave R. introduces himself as a Baptist, Mason, and hillbilly lawyer.
• 2:15 Dave discusses the physical allergy, noting he got sick the first time he ever drank.
• 7:40 Laughter: Story about the 'intestinal flu' and government sick leave in Washington D.C.
• 12:10 Dave describes the 'commingling of assets' regarding American Legion dues.
• 16:45 Dave recounts the 'family conference' and his brother's attempt to rescue him.
• 22:30 Dave describes the 'conspiracy' of lawyers and the bank president trying to disbar him.
• 27:10 The cycle of jail: Dave's experience in the Knoxville City Jail and the interaction with the probation officer.
• 31:20 Dave discusses the 'unpardonable sin' and his desperate prayer for help.
• 34:10 Dave describes his first AA meeting in a hotel showroom in Knoxville.
• 37:50 Dave reflects on forgiving his brother and reconciling with his daughters.