The Primary Purpose That Nobody Can Take Away From Her – Virginia T.

About This Speaker Tape

Promises in Paradise - St. Thomas - 2004

April 8 1966 marks the day Virginia T. crawled into the rooms more dead than alive. She describes a life of wreckage—negligent motherhood to eight children hustling 47-cent bottles of Gallo wine and a childhood spent barefoot and hungry. Her recovery is a study in surrender to the 'dumb' directions of a sponsor who lived in a gated community and drove a BMW a woman who forced her to stop wearing short dresses and surveying the crowd for 'Mr. Goodbar.' Through a series of gritty miracles—from a stranger delivering hot dogs and milk to a jackpot win in Vegas—Virginia maps the shift from a needy self-serving hustler to a woman who finds peace in the basics. Now 73 she views her sobriety not as a destination but as a daily maintenance project avoiding the 'dump in a million dollar neighborhood' by staying wide open to the grace of her Higher Power.

Topics

Timestamps

• 0:00 Virginia T. opens by acknowledging her threefold disease and her Higher Power.
• 3:15 Virginia describes her childhood and the physical/mental difference of the alcoholic.
• 6:40 Laughter: Virginia discusses her early attempts to pick a sponsor based on wealth and mink coats.
• 10:12 Virginia describes the 'stopgaps' her sponsor put on her behavior to keep her from hunting for 'Mr. Goodbar'.
• 15:30 Virginia discusses the First Step and her struggle with a 'lousy husband' and a false belief system.
• 20:45 A story about returning a stolen pint of vodka to the liquor store.
• 24:10 Virginia recounts the 'miracle' of receiving groceries for her eight children while writing her First Step.
• 30:15 Virginia shares her experience with a jackpot win in Las Vegas and the shift in her belief system.
• 35:50 Virginia discusses her career shift and her current role coordinating recovery services.
• 41:20 Virginia reflects on the importance of maintaining sobriety to avoid a 'dump in a million dollar neighborhood'.
• 45:10 Virginia discusses her current sponsor and her relationship with her husband.
• 48:30 Closing prayer and applause.