The Arrogance of the High-Bottom Alcoholic – 1966 – Tom P.

About This Speaker Tape

19th South Carolina convention - 1966

A Yale graduate and former combat soldier Tom P. Jr. describes a life spent as a 'professional cynic' and a 'little snot' before the booze took hold. He admits to being a 'parasite' on the fellowship as a twelve-year-old mascot absorbing the truth but refusing to apply it until he hit a wall of spiritual bankruptcy. His wreckage includes stealing $420 from the U.S. government and a disastrous stint in the Army where he fought a private campaign of hate against his superiors. The turning point arrives not through a low bottom but through the sheer terror of watching a fellow alcoholic commit suicide after being told by a psychiatrist that he could drink again. Now twenty months sober he warns against the 'small dose of AA' and the danger of the high-bottom ego.

Topics

Timestamps

• 0:00 Introduction of Tom P. Jr. and his father, Tom P.
• 2:15 Tom P. Jr. discusses being the 'group mascot' at age 12 and his early exposure to AA.
• 5:40 Analysis of his character defects: resentment, arrogance, and a 'spiritual disease' of depression.
• 9:10 The first drink: drinking 'medicinally' to cure college depressions.
• 13:20 The Berlin crisis and his resentment-filled service in the Army.
• 18:45 The theft of $420 from the government and his 'private campaign of hate'.
• 23:10 The 'dry heaves' and the struggle to overcome arrogance to seek help.
• 27:30 Laughter: Discussion of his first 12-step call and the tragedy of the man who committed suicide.
• 31:15 The importance of the Fourth and Fifth Steps for those with high-bottom stories.
• 35:00 Closing thoughts on the necessity of 'a lot of AA' for young people.