The Honest Truth About Being an A**hole – Bruce A.

About This Speaker Tape

A bottle of beer at seven years old, a father’s voice claiming he was "no good," and a childhood spent hiding behind houses so no one would see him walking alone. Bruce A. spent decades as a fugitive—first from the law, fleeing Michigan for ten years with his back to the door in every bar, and then from himself. He built a life of wreckage: a marriage abandoned, a daughter missed for six years, and a second marriage defined by a "sick unit" of TVs in separate rooms.

The bottom wasn't a crash, but a motel room and a phone book. After a psychiatrist told him he was an alcoholic and a wife who finally stopped chasing him, Bruce found a room of men who lived his same wreckage. He learned that not drinking wasn't enough—he was still an "asshole." Through a Higher Power and the grit of the steps, he tracked down a mother he hadn't seen in 40 years, trading self-pity for a fragile, honest peace.

Topics

Timestamps

• 0:45 Bruce A. shares his sobriety date: August 14, 1982.
• 2:15 Childhood memories of his grandfather's silver dollars and the early influence of alcohol.
• 5:30 The 'hypocrite' comment from the minister and early legal troubles.
• 8:10 Spending nine months in maximum security and the role of a lawyer's connection in his sentencing.
• 12:40 Laughter: The irony of his 'Fugitive' phase and crying over the TV show.
• 17:15 The psychiatric evaluation and the diagnosis of alcoholism.
• 21:00 The 'donut shop' discovery and his wife's involvement in Al-Anon.
• 24:30 The 'last drunk' and the decision to call AA from a restaurant phone book.
• 27:50 Meeting Wally and the early days of sobriety and sugar cravings.
• 32:10 Discussion of the Fourth Step and the struggle with emotional honesty.
• 36:40 The emotional journey to Florida to see his mother after 40 years.
• timecode Closing thoughts on the 10th, 11th, and 12th Steps and his current divorce.