The Arrogance of the Man Who Thought He Was His Own Master – 1962 – Tom P.

About This Speaker Tape

A Methodist minister and former engineer Tom L. describes a life of high-functioning arrogance and periodic blackouts that eventually left him shoeless on a bench in Jackson Square New Orleans. He recounts the failure of his 'one-step program'—admitting powerlessness but ignoring the spiritual requirements—which led to five intentional drunks.

After hitting a bottom that left him sick of his own lies he found a Higher Power not in theology but in the simple presence of others and the quiet of a swamp at dawn. He speaks on the danger of professionalizing recovery and the necessity of maintaining a spiritual life over a religious one emphasizing that the only way to survive the world outside the retreat is to carry the truth of the fellowship into every affair.

Topics

Timestamps

• 0:00 Tom P. opens with jokes about his 15th birthday and complaints about the coffee cups.
• 4:15 Tom L. begins his talk, joking about his matching coat and britches.
• 8:30 Laughter: The story of the revenue agent and the applejack still.
• 15:40 Tom L. discusses his career as an engineer and the blackout that led to his first encounter with AA.
• 22:10 The bottom in New Orleans: swapping shoes for 'Dago Red' and the 4th of July rescue.
• 27:50 Discussion of the 'one-step program' and the struggle with the spiritual components of the 12 Steps.
• 34:10 The 'morning of awakening' and the beginning of honest work with sponsor Jack W.
• 38:20 Metaphor: The duck hunt in the Chickahominy Swamps and the light of a Higher Power.
• 45:10 A poignant account of the final days of sponsor Jack W. and his last ride through Richmond.
• 52:00 Tom L. reflects on his son Mike's recovery from paralysis and the presence of a Higher Power.
• 58:15 Warning against the 'professionalization' of recovery and the importance of truth over organized religion.
• 64:30 Closing prayer: The group joins in the Lord's Prayer.