The Voodoo of Alcoholics Anonymous – Danny T.

About This Speaker Tape

A 1959 crash-landing into a Friday night speaker's meeting—armed with tire irons pipe and a case of beer—marks the start of a long winding road for Danny T. He describes the 'voodoo' of the program: the warning that one either stays sober or dies goes insane or goes to jail. Between stints in the penitentiary and the chaos of the streets Danny T. found a way out by embracing the role of the 'chief servant,' learning to do things for others without expecting a 're-woward.' From mowing lawns for a neighborhood witch to training actors in boxing on the set of Runaway Train he maps the shift from a violent weapon-carrying 'scaredy cat' to a man who finds peace in the simple weight of keys in his pocket and the sobriety of his children.

Topics

Timestamps

• 0:45 Danny T. discusses the 'fortune teller' aspect of predicting the outcome of a relapse.
• 2:15 Laughter: Story about crashing a meeting in 1959 with tire irons and beer.
• 5:10 The 'curse' of AA: die, go insane, or go to jail.
• 8:20 Discussion on the 'cunning, baffling, and powerful' nature of the disease and the 'I know' button.
• 11:40 The importance of working with newcomers to keep the disease asleep.
• 14:10 The 'brain broke' mantra from his first sponsor, Frank R.
• 17:30 Stories of doing service for the neighborhood 'witch' and the value of helping others.
• 21:15 The story of how helping a newcomer led to his first movie role in Runaway Train.
• 25:40 The struggle of seeing his children struggle with addiction while he spoke to schools.
• 28:10 Advice for newcomers: removing the words 'I know' from their vocabulary.