The Attrition: Where Did Everybody Go and Why – Frank M.

About This Speaker Tape

Frank M. from the Lamont Oaks Group near Chicago shares at the AA Spring Conference in Sioux Falls, South Dakota in May 1995 with nearly 24 years of sobriety. He starts a home group of six guys who decide to do AA the old-fashioned way, and it grows to 600. He tells newcomers Carrie and Troy the brutal truth: more people leave AA than stay, and just don't drink is not a program.

He builds an invisible test tube with the audience, filling it with fear, guilt, loneliness, and self-loathing — and nobody puts alcohol in, because even newcomers know alcohol is just a symptom. He shares how alcohol once made every ingredient in that test tube better, until the day it stopped working and intensified everything instead. His attempt to control his drinking with green creme de menthe landed him with green lips for three days and a missed court appearance.

Topics

Timestamps

• 00:00 Starting a home group of six that grew to 600
• 08:00 Telling newcomers the brutal truth — more leave than stay
• 16:00 Building the invisible test tube of fear, guilt, and self-loathing
• 24:00 How alcohol once made every ingredient in the test tube better
• 32:00 The day alcohol stopped working and intensified everything
• 40:00 Green creme de menthe, green lips for three days
• 48:00 Just don't drink is not a program
• 56:00 Nearly 24 years of sobriety and doing AA the old-fashioned way