The Sobriety That Died With a Smile – Eddy R.

About This Speaker Tape

Memorial Service - 1979

A gathering of grieving alcoholics in a church building coming together to honor the life of Eddie R. a man described as a 'peacemaker' and a 'vulnerable sentimental Irishman.' Through a series of tributes the room recalls Eddie R.'s relentless talking—a tactic he used to exhaust newcomers until their problems felt small—and his peculiar habits from his obsession with the Civil War to his tendency to walk around naked in his own home. The narrative shifts from the wreckage of early sobriety to the dignity of a man who died sober leaving behind a legacy of sponsorship and a 'treasure' of love. The speakers paint a portrait of a man who was a 'tremendous success as a human being,' whose presence was a stabilizing force in the print shop where he spent his days drinking coffee with other drunks and who faced his end with a smile and a newspaper in his hand.

Topics

Timestamps

• 0:00 Opening remarks and a reading from the Gospel of John about washing the feet of disciples.
• 4:15 Clint H. shares memories of Eddie R.'s love for the law and his instructions to avoid lawyers.
• 7:30 Jack T. tells the story of Eddie R. filing his tooth with a metal file.
• 10:15 Len W. shares a message from Mike R., describing Eddie R.'s death with a smile and a newspaper.
• 15:40 Ralph R. discusses his sponsorship with Eddie R. and the lesson that life is not a popularity contest.
• 20:10 John L. describes the 'coffee pot' atmosphere of Eddie R.'s print shop and the importance of sponsorship.
• 25:30 Clancy E. recalls resenting Eddie R. as an old-timer and Eddie R.'s failure to be 'vicious' in the parking lot.
• 31:10 Jenna G. explains Eddie R.'s strategy of talking people into sharing their secrets.
• 36:40 Chuck S. reflects on Eddie R. 'making the program' by dying sober.
• 42:10 Terry T. recalls a slow drive in a dirty Pontiac.
• s45:00 Carol R. shares her perspective as an alcoholic's daughter.
• 47:30 Closing reading from the Gospel of Matthew and the Lord's Prayer.