The Equalizer in a Life of Chaos – Norm A.

About This Speaker Tape

Pasadena, 1946. A smashed car, a hit-and-run, and a jail cell. Norm A. describes himself as a thief by trade and an alcoholic by absorption, a "general manager of the universe" who spent years driving Cadillacs and building castles in the air to impress people he didn't like

. He recalls the "invisible line" where drinking became a compulsive search for an answer in a quart of whiskey, leading to a life of "rim driving" on flat tires and sliding under pay-toilet doors. He details the wreckage of a marriage to a red-headed Irish woman and the slow grind of a disease that strips away self-respect.

After years of "mental gymnastics," Norm found his equalizer in the rooms. He warns the new arrival that sobriety is a game of seconds and inches, and that the only way to survive the rotten jungle is to stop the act, lay it all down, and rely on a Higher Power and the experts in the business.

Topics

Timestamps

• 0:00 Norm N. opens by welcoming newcomers and emphasizing the importance of an open mind.
• 4:15 Laughter: Norm N. discusses the 'mental gymnastics' of wondering why he is an alcoholic when his family just drinks heavily.
• 8:30 Norm N. describes his early life as a car thief in the San Gabriel Valley.
• 12:45 The 'invisible line': Norm N. recounts his transition to compulsive drinking and his time in the Navy.
• 17:20 The Pasadena hit-and-run and the encounter with Sully in the jail cell.
• 23:10 Norm N. describes the volatility of his marriage and the 'clothes-packing alcoholic' cycle.
• 31:40 The moment of surrender in February 1954 and the call to the L.A. Central Office.
• 36:15 Sponsorship: Norm N. describes his 'hard-hearted' sponsor and the requirement to walk if you can't afford the bus.
• 42:00 Norm N. recounts his first meeting and the speaker who had nine and a half years of sobriety.
• 50:10 The 'eight-year itch' in 1962 and the near-relapse in Miami Springs.
• 55:30 Norm N. reflects on the restoration of his family and the joy of being a present father and grandfather.