The Physical Allergy and the Illusion of Control – Don G.

About This Speaker Tape

A bathrobe, a week of whiskers, and a couch on the roof of a car shooting flames thirty feet into the air as he drove through the streets of California. Don G. describes the "Herculean strength" of the panic-stricken alcoholic, recounting how he tried to dispose of a scorched piece of furniture before his wife noticed he had barbecued himself in his sleep. He rejects the idea that alcoholics lack willpower; instead, he argues they possess a terrifying dedication to a losing game.

For Don G., the turning point was not emotional, but a realization of the physical allergy—the "phenomenon of craving." He uses the image of a child fighting a play suit to illustrate the necessity of a Higher Power: just as a baby is powerless and must trust a father to dress him for the cold, Don G. learned to stop resisting the pain of growth and lower his thumbs. From the wreckage of a career that once left him unfit for a law firm, he rose to the appellate bench.

Topics

Timestamps

• 0:45 Don G. discusses the division of meetings following a domestic separation.
• 2:15 Laughter: The story of the stolen Eskimo story from Reader's Digest.
• 5:30 Don G. argues that non-alcoholics can live with resentment and self-pity without consequence.
• 8:10 Discussion of the 'phenomenon of craving' and the physical allergy of alcoholism.
• 11:45 The narrative of the flaming couch and the attempt to dispose of it in a bathrobe.
• 16:20 Don G. explains the 'How It Works' section of the Big Book.
• 18:40 The play-suit metaphor: a breakthrough in accepting a Higher Power.
• 22:10 Don G. reflects on the pain of growth and shedding old skin.
• 26:30 The story of the applying for a job at a law firm and the partner's disbelief.
• 29:15 Applause: Don G. describes his appointment to the appellate bench.