The Periodic Drunk Who Thought He Could Stop – 1950 – Bill Y.

About This Speaker Tape

Bill Y. traces a long jagged line from the prohibition era to his 72nd year mapping a life of high-end suits bootleg booze and the wreckage of a dental supply salesman. He describes the physical toll of his drinking—the 'sea lions' of his vomiting—and the professional chaos of riding a Harley sidecar to deliver teeth.

The narrative cuts through the wreckage of multiple marriages a betrayal by his brother and the devastating loss of two sons to suicide. Bill dismantles the illusion of control admitting he was a 'periodic drunk' who thought he could kick the door down until the program finally caught him. He makes his case for sobriety not through a polished spiritual awakening but through the grit of surviving the unthinkable eventually finding a steady peace in the simple act of helping others and the realization that his worst sober day beats his best drunk day.

Topics

Timestamps

• 0:45 Bill Y. discusses his childhood and the 'phenolax family' moving habit.
• 4:10 The 'Dago Red' wine and the first time he got 'bombed' at age 13.
• 8:30 The 'hotel dancing' era and the bootleg booze scraped off the bottom of boats.
• 14:20 The Harley Davidson sidecar days delivering dental supplies.
• 19:15 Reading the Saturday Evening Post article on Alcoholics Anonymous for the first time.
• 24:40 The 'snake pit' experience at the San Francisco Psychopathic hospital.
• 32:10 The mother-in-law's intervention and Bill's first AA meeting.
• 38:50 Bill's struggle with the spiritual side of the program as an agnostic.
• 45:10 The betrayal by his brother and the collapse of his second marriage.
• 51:20 The tragedy of losing his sons to suicide.
• 56:40 Discussion of hypoglycemia in alcoholics and his daughter's health.
• 62:15 Reflecting on the luck of not ending up in San Quentin Prison.