The Simplicity of a Daily Commitment to Sobriety – Joe P.

About This Speaker Tape

21st Tampa Bay Fall Roundup - 2007

An eye patch was Joe P.'s solution to the blind-spot of a three-hour drunk drive to Ocean City Maryland—a perfect image of the alcoholic's desperate attempt to solve the unsolvable. After seventeen years of trying to control the wreckage Joe P. hit a physical and spiritual zero weighing 118 pounds and waking up in Fort Lauderdale without knowing how he got there. His recovery began with a phone call from a former drinking buddy who had lost everything and found a way back. Joe P. focuses on the brutal simplicity of the 12 Steps the necessity of a sponsor to avoid the 'endurance contest' of white-knuckling and the daily prayers that keep him from the 'alcoholic death.' He describes the slow process of rebuilding a shattered family culminating in a face-to-face amends in Minnesota where his son told him he hoped to grow up to be just like him.

Topics

Timestamps

• 0:00 Joe P. introduces his four pillars of recovery: home group, sobriety date, sponsor, and Higher Power.
• 4:15 The Ocean City story: Driving drunk and the 'solution' of the eye patch.
• 11:30 The 'total wasting of the spirit' and the physical collapse to 118 pounds.
• 16:45 The phone call from a sober friend and the 'moment of truth' regarding how bad he wanted to get.
• 21:10 First meeting experience: Wondering where the actual alcoholics were because everyone looked too neat.
• 26:30 Laughter: The 'alcoholic's prayer' and the arrogance of questioning Higher Power's role in sobriety.
• 33:15 Sponsorship: The 'endurance contest' metaphor and the danger of sobriety without the 12 Steps.
• 38:20 Detailed breakdown of the daily implementation of Step 1, Step 2, and Step 3 prayers.
• 44:10 Family recovery: The 'Al-Anon dinner' and the reconciliation with his children.
• 48:50 The 9th Step experience: Making direct amends to his son in Minnesota.
• 54:10 Discussion on the 'alcoholic death' vs. spiritual principles.
• 58:30 The 7th Step and the story of the woman in Minnesota who humbled him.