The Experiment of the Four Zeros – Sandy B.

About This Speaker Tape

Crested Butte 2006 - 2006

Sandy B. traces the parallel timeline of his own life against the founding of AA noting that while he was in second grade the Big Book was being written. He maps out a descent from the halls of Yale to the cockpit of a Marine fighter jet where he flew while battling withdrawal symptoms and near-misses. After a grand mal seizure and a stint in a straitjacket in a mental ward Sandy B. found a sponsor who remained with him for 42 years. He dismantles the 'four zeros' of his early sobriety—zero prayer zero meditation zero church and zero spiritual reading—and explains how he was forced to choose between a spiritual basis or an alcoholic death. He describes the shift from the 'life sucks' glasses to a spiritual perspective emphasizing that the fellowship is the only thing that keeps the old glasses from sliding back on.

Topics

Timestamps

• 0:00 Sandy B. opens by reflecting on the global reach of AA and the 'personality change' required for recovery.
• 3:15 Laughter: Sandy B. describes the 'spiritual filter for Google Earth' and the bursts of energy at meetings.
• 7:45 Sandy B. recalls his childhood fear of the crucifix in the Catholic church and his decision to stop talking to people.
• 12:10 The 'technicolor world' of the first drink at Yale and how alcohol removed his social barriers.
• 18:30 The intensity of his drinking in the Marine Corps and the moment a mentor told him he wouldn't let him drink in a future squadron.
• 23:15 The danger of flying with withdrawal symptoms and the near-miss of shutting off his engine 10 feet off the ground.
• 28:40 The descent into the 'nut ward' and the experience of being put in a straitjacket in 1964.
• 33:10 The phone call on Pearl Harbor Day 1964 and meeting his long-term sponsor.
• 37:20 The encounter with Betsy L. and the simple assurance that 'it's going to be alright'.
• 42:15 The 'high class resentment' over a missed promotion and the realization that he avoided a fatal plane crash.
• 50:10 The 'four zeros' spiritual inventory and the struggle of the agnostic.
• 58:30 The metaphor of the 'new pair of glasses' and the necessity of the fellowship to maintain a spiritual awakening.