The Smartest People in Mensa Found Out Alcoholism Is Caused by Drinking 😂 – Cliff R.

About This Speaker Tape

1970, a dump on the beach. Cliff R. sat on a screen porch watching a sunset and realized he had lost the respect of his sixteen-year-old son. For years, Cliff had been a "functioning alcoholic," a high-achieving debate coach who spent his days screaming at students and his nights in a dented '58 Chevy. He lived for "the eight minutes"—that brief window of peace after a half-pint of hot vodka where he finally felt like he was enough.

He describes himself as an overeducated, pompous loser who spent five years smirking from the back row of meetings. The turning point came on his knees, reading page 63 of the Big Book, where he felt engulfed by a "great laughing love." Cliff rejects the idea of childhood trauma as a cause, noting that two Mensa members once studied the disease only to conclude that alcoholism is caused by drinking. Now, he finds his Higher Power in the "power in the eyes" of a newcomer and the grit of 12-step calls.

Topics

Timestamps

• 0:45 Laughter: Cliff jokes about his wife's 'pre-Al-Anon grimace'.
• 3:15 Cliff describes the 'lampshade-on-the-head' phase of his drinking.
• 6:20 Discussion of the 'not enough' internal condition and childhood trauma.
• 10:10 The ritual of the 'eight minutes' of peace in the 58 Chevy.
• 14:30 The bottom: conversation with his son, Dave.
• 16:15 Step 3: Kneeling on the beach and the prayer for relief from the bondage of self.
• 21:40 The philosophy of service and the '15%' who do the work.
• 26:10 The 'good guy, bad guy' 12-step calls.
• 31:20 Experience as a General Service delegate and the 'blood on the floor' at the conference.
• 35:45 The 'fruit of service is peace' quote from Mother T.