The Total Package of Sponsorship, Steps, and Home Group – Kent C.

About This Speaker Tape

Sandusky, Ohio. A young man stands in Wino's Alley with the old-timers, the only difference being that when the sun goes down, he has a door to go home to while they have nowhere. Kent C. describes himself as a "walking encyclopedia of perfectly useless information," a parrot who could quote scripture and give marital guidance at Brown Lee's Tavern while his own life was a wreck

. He speaks of the "total package"—sponsorship, the steps, and a home group—as the only way out of the ditch. He recalls the grit of his early days at the Easy Does It Club, watching two groups: those staying sober and those who looked worse every time they returned from a binge.

From the "automatic whoopings" of a strict childhood to the crushing loss of his brother in 1972, Kent traces a life of self-centeredness and mental obsession. He found his footing not in theory, but in the coffee locker, learning that he was "homeless in AA" until he took a service commitment.

Topics

Timestamps

• 0:00 Opening prayer and reflections on the 80th anniversary of AA.
• 7:15 Laughter: The 'softball sponsor' vs. the AA sponsor.
• 12:40 The 'Homeless in AA' concept and the importance of a home group.
• 16:20 Story about the 'coffee locker' and learning how to make coffee from Herb.
• 22:10 Discussion of the 'Doctor's Opinion' and the mental obsession to drink.
• 27:45 The 'Allergy' example: watching a neighbor drink one beer and stop.
• 33:10 A breakdown of the 12 Steps as principles he was taught in childhood but never practiced.
• 42:15 The tragedy of his brother's death in 1972 and the resulting feeling of difference.
• 51:30 The first drink: 10 quarts of Schlitz and the 'switch' flipping in his head.
• 58:10 The 'Parent Abuser' confession and the cost of his drinking to his family.
• 1:05:20 The 'moment of clarity' and the physical collapse of alcohol poisoning.
• 1:15:40 Final warning against 'meeting-hopping' without working the steps.