They Tricked Me: I Came for Alcohol but the Problem Was Me – Mark H.

About This Speaker Tape

Mark H. from Dallas, TX speaks about what he calls 'the dash' — the line between birth and death dates on a gravestone and what we do with it. He divides his life into four segments: childhood fear, twenty years of drinking, his first ten years in AA that ended in a psychiatric hospital, and the surrender that followed. Mark describes the fabric of his being as interwoven with fear from his earliest memories, the instantaneous ease and comfort alcohol provided, and how the disease systematically compromised every value he had.

At nine-and-a-half years sober, his mind drove him insane. In a psychiatric hospital, he said the Third Step prayer from the very bottom of his heart and experienced a letting go that changed everything. He speaks powerfully about how alcoholism robs people of emotional security, the importance of a solid first step, and the cast of characters (the CEO, the jock, Mr.

AA) that make up the ego — none of whom know the others exist.

Topics

Timestamps

• 0:00 Mark H. from Dallas, TX speaks about what he calls 'the dash' u2014 the line between birth and death dates on a gravestone and what we do with it.
• 13:00 He divides his life into four segments: childhood fear, twenty years of drinking, his first ten years in AA that ended in a psychiatric hospital, and the surrender that followed. Mark describes the...
• 26:00 At nine-and-a-half years sober, his mind drove him insane. In a psychiatric hospital, he said the Third Step prayer from the very bottom of his heart and experienced a letting go that changed every...
• 39:00 He speaks powerfully about how alcoholism robs people of emotional security, the importance of a solid first step, and the cast of characters (the CEO, the jock, Mr. AA) that make up the ego u2014 no...