The Bell That Isn’t a Bell Until You Ring It – Joe P.

About This Speaker Tape

Duluth Roundup - 2006

An eye patch was the only solution Joe P. could find for the blind spots of a drunk drive from Baltimore to Ocean City Maryland. He spent seventeen years chasing the delusion of control convinced he wasn't an alcoholic because he still owned a wristwatch and a house. He describes the 'total wasting of the spirit' that left him weighing 118 pounds and turning gray before a long-distance phone call from an old drinking buddy provided a tiny strand of hope. Joe P. maps the transition from 'foxhole prayers' to a disciplined spiritual life emphasizing that sobriety is an endurance contest an alcoholic will always lose without the 12 Steps. He details the gritty reality of his early days—clinching fists and gritting teeth—until a simple prayer and a blunt sponsor taught him that the only way to get sober is to not drink and to stop pretending he was in charge.

Topics

Timestamps

• 0:00 Joe P. opens with gratitude for the hospitality in Duluth.
• 4:15 The eye patch story: driving drunk from Baltimore to Ocean City.
• 10:20 Discussion on denial and the 'wristwatch' as a sign of not being an alcoholic.
• 16:45 The 'total wasting of the spirit' and the physical collapse to 118 pounds.
• 24:30 The phone call from North Carolina and the 'moment of truth'.
• 31:10 First meeting in Joppa Town and the advice: 'Don't drink'.
• 38:50 Day five of sobriety: The introduction of the simple prayer to a Higher Power.
• 45:10 Sponsor relationship: Learning the difference between being 'right' and admitting you are 'wrong'.
• 52:00 Step 1: The necessity of unconditional surrender and the 'war is over' metaphor.
• 58:15 Step 4 and 5: The process of discovery and the 'healing from within'.
• 1:05:20 The impact of Al-Anon on his marriage to Dottie.
• 1:12:00 Closing thoughts on humility and the 'Pass It On' theme.