The Phenomenon of Craving and the Physical Difference – Don G.

About This Speaker Tape

Intellectual arrogance, in the history of Don G., becomes a cautionary tale about the absurdity of the alcoholic mind. He recounts a disastrous attempt to cure hangovers with salt tablets and a surreal sequence where he accidentally barbecued his couch then attempted to dispose of it while wearing a bathrobe and driving it through the streets of California in a blaze of glory. A former attorney who was once told he was unfit for the law Don G. eventually ascended to the appellate bench reflecting on the irony of power and powerlessness

. He dismantles the idea of willpower arguing that the only thing separating the alcoholic from the non-alcoholic is the physical phenomenon of craving. He views sobriety not as a dark tunnel of endurance but as the beginning of a life where every single moment is a once-in-a-lifetime event.

Topics

Timestamps

• 0:00 Don G. opens with a joke about treasurers disappearing and 'geographic' flight.
• 2:15 The 'alcoholic fish' metaphor regarding the nature of the disease.
• 4:30 Laughter: Story about the salt tablet 'cure' for hangovers.
• 8:15 The narrative of the 'barbecued' couch and the bathrobe drive.
• 14:20 Discussion on the 'phenomenon of craving' and the physical difference of the alcoholic.
• 18:45 Don G. discusses his struggle with the Lord's Prayer and his 'translation' of it to fit his atheist background.
• 22:10 The story of the son's birth and the realization of absolute dependence on a Higher Power.
• 27:30 The contrast between the law firm's rejection and his appointment to the appellate bench.
• 31:15 Reflection on the 'priceless days' and the value of every single moment in sobriety.