Two Weeks Short of Fourteen Years and I Drank Because I Left the Room – Isla C.

Hello. Hello. Hello. Let's have an AA meeting. Okay. My name is Ellen and I am an alcoholic. Hello. Welcome to the Monday night Blue Chip Speakers meeting at the Napa Club. We're a member of Alcoholics Anonymous with one year or more of sobriety tells his or her story. This reading is based on a passage from page 29 of the big book of Alcoholics Anonymous. Each individual in our personal stories describes in their own language and from their own point of view the way they establish their relationship with God. These give a fair cross-section of our membership and a clear-cut idea of what has happened to their life. We hope no one will consider these self-revealing accounts in bad taste. Our hope is that many alcoholic men and women in our room tonight and listening later on aabloochipspeakers.org desperately in need will hear our speaker. And we believe that it is only by fully disposing ourselves and our problems that any of us shall be persuaded to say yes. I am one of them too. I must have this name. So tonight I'm extremely honored to introduce the speaker. Most of you know that she is my sponsor. And what a blessing. What a blessing she has been in my life. She has worked the steps with me. She has gotten me through two deaths and my family sober. She has been through triumphs with me. With moving into my own apartment and rebuilding the life that I broke down. I'm just blessed. She even went with me to adopt my new puppy. Yeah. That was a special day. And she taught her how to swim this weekend too. In the lake. She's awesome. All I can say is that I hope each and every one of you are blessed one day with a sponsor like this. And with that I give you Isla. If I've seen a little bit of you. Go further. It's not because of superior eyesight. Nor because I'm taller. It's by standing on the shoulders of giants. Ever since I told Tim that I would do this. I've been thinking about this. The giants. Whose shoulders I stood on. And I was thinking too Ellen about the dogs this weekend. About how Ollie went first and he was helping. He was so comfortable in the water. And then he would come back and help. You know give the toy to Princess. And then. And Cole was just totally ignoring them both. But Cole. Ollie had learned to swim years ago on Cole's back. Truly. And I was thinking. about that's exactly how it works in AA you know we come in here we work the steps we get sober and there's so so many reasons to repay or to try to repay and dr. Bob talks about in his story the reasons that he does things like this because I do spend a great deal of time passing on what has been so freely and lovingly given to me and it's part of it is a sense of duty part of it is it is a pleasure and it's also because in so doing I'm paying my debt to the people who took the time to show me how to spend money how to spend money in AA Women AA. And it's also, it has a lot to do with Tim's persistence. Tim, I've never known anybody who does more service work more freely and lovingly than Tim does. And I thank you for the opportunity, Tim. My name is Isla. I am an alcoholic. I am just so grateful to be sober today. And how many of you are in your very first year of sobriety? Will you stand up? Please, let us, thank you for doing that for me. I remember in my first year when there would be a speaker and I would sit over there against the wall where Tyler is. And especially at speaker's meetings. If it turned into a drunk-a-log, I would be groaning inwardly. And I'd be thinking, oh please, I know how to get drunk. Please tell me how to get well. So I hope that's what I'm going to try to do. And I'm going to jump right into that. And then if there's time left over, the hardest part of all of this is in a general way. Because being a woman, I want to tell you something. I want to tell you what I was wearing. And I want to tell you all of the things that led up to it. But the very first meeting was April 3rd, 1975. And I was thinking about that when I walked in the door tonight and that big welcome home sign. This is my home. And when I had a year sober, one year sober. And I said, I want a house within a six-mile radius. Because I had found my tribe. It was, I was here with a roommate. Her name is Joan. And she, I live in her house with her. And we were both flight attendants with Eastern Airlines. I was 31 years old when I walked in the doors. And walked into, we were late. And when I heard the, and it was an all-women's group right behind that wall. When they were talking about the big book, I thought they were talking about the Bible. And I was a little dismayed at that. But as they talked and they shared, of course our biographies were way, way different. But I knew they were just like me. And some of them had six months. I couldn't stay sober two weeks. Years, some of them had years of sobriety. I knew, again, what I walked out of here that night with was that night, I bought the big book of Alcoholics Anonymous. And I bought the 12 and 12. And I bought one of my very, very best tools, which is the 24-hour day book. And I hated, hated, hated AA meetings. Because they were so, so, so, so, so, so, so, so, so, so, so, so, so, so, so, so, so, so, so, They gave me headaches. Because the people in here, we talk about what's real. And we talk about what's important. And I had never shared my true feelings in my entire life unless I was drunk. I would tell you how I felt about things if I got drunk enough. But all of that changed in here. And my sponsor, she was one of the, two of those giants that I had been thinking about were in that very first meeting, and that's how long I've known them. My very best friend today, her name is Linda Mitchell, and she goes up to 81-11. You know her, I'm sure, Richard. Yeah. Yeah. She has been sober since December 29th of 75, and she's never had a drink since. And I talked to her on the phone. I mean, when it talks about the promises and those lifelong friends, those bonds that we share forever and ever, and most of those giants, though truly most of them are dead today, but I'm going to name some. I'm going to name some of them, because Stan Parks, whose name is written right here, always called God Sky Chief. He was wonderful, and he was the only man who could get away with calling me, because he would do it in front of his wife, is how come he could get away with it. He would always, I don't know if he ever knew my name, but he would always call me, Hi, pretty girl. But again, you know, some of you guys can get away, and some of you can't. Well, if you're interested. If you're interested to know, if your wife is standing beside you, go ahead and say it. Or if she were standing beside you, it's okay. Anyway, I knew the hardest part would be keeping it general. Again, so we move on. My sponsor, her name was Peggy Riggs, and how I chose her, she was so off the wall. She was so funny. And all I know today about sponsoring, is how I was sponsored. And all she did, that woman, she never did, I can't remember a time when she ever told me what to do. She loved me, and she listened. And that was what I needed. I have had everything that I've needed ever since I got here. And more. And it's the people. The book, the literature is very, very, very important. The meetings are vital. But it is the people who were so, so memorable. And I could watch them and just be with them. Cheryl Brooks, I used, both Linda, Barbara Keith, and I, we would just follow. I would follow her around just to try and be in her presence. And human, you know, human as could be. So I walked in the door, and they were telling me afterwards. So I walked out with those three items. That 24-hour day book, which I would read even if I didn't go to a meeting. Because everything you said to me, I took it literally to heart. And after the meeting, there was a bunch of women. We were standing around talking. And one of the ladies said, you know, there's a speaker who's going to be speaking in about three weeks. I'd really love for you to hear her. And I didn't go to another meeting for three weeks. She didn't say keep coming back. Go to 90 and 90. You know? So watch what we say, we old-timers. Because that's all we, you know, we take it literally, or I did. I did. But the most important thing that I left here with that night was hope. That's the one-word spiritual principle, of course, behind step two. And I think I kind of came in on step one, maybe ready for step four. Because I knew that I was an alcoholic. I had known it since I was 24 years old. Or maybe even sooner. I was. Maybe I'll get to the beginning now. I was born on Sand Mountain, Alabama. That's rural, northeast corner. My daddy was an alcoholic, part Indian, sharecropper. My mother was, besides having, I was number seven of eight kids. Five. Five older brothers, an older sister, and a younger sister who had Down syndrome. And I loved, loved, loved my sisters. Because even besides all of that hard work that a sharecropper's wife does, she worked outside the home. She was working, when I graduated high school, she was working at a motel in Fort Payne, Alabama. So she was busy, and most of my mothering came from my older sister. My sister, Audrey. And then, of course, I was, you know, the responsibility of raising my little sister was left largely to me. So I felt like I had a lot of responsibility. And in truth, I did. I did. I graduated high school at 17. Not because I was so bright, but because my birthday is December 27th. And I had a, just, I was such a shy, shy, skinny little girl. I know you, a lot of you find that hard to believe, but I was just so shy. I don't think I looked up until I was 13. And then I learned to read. And when, that first year in AA, when people would tell me to make gratitude lists, at the top of every list, then and now, I can read. So, when I learned to read, I learned to look up. And, but the, I had a Sally Field moment my senior year. They had, you know, when they do that annual who's who, and by popular vote, they voted me. They voted me to be the senior class beauty. But did I go to them and tell them how much that meant to me? No. I went to the bathroom and cried. And crying is, is part of my story because I can do it now. And, and I'm grateful for that. The, I graduated in June. I was 15, thank you, and I didn't know it, but I was pregnant. There had been one guy, I know it only takes one time, but it was, he was the only sexual partner that I had had. And he abandoned me, and I'll get back to him when I get to my amends. I didn't know what to do, so I went to Chicago. I had a brother who lived there. His name was Billy. And Billy came and got me and took care of me. And I gave my son up for adoption. And of course, there's a million stories I want to tell you, but I can't do it in 40 minutes. So, I'll move on to a lot happened between age 17 and 20. I lived at the YWCA and I got kicked out for drinking. I, my very first drinking came in Chicago. I came in Chattanooga, Tennessee, and I was 18 years old, because I had sworn that I would not be like my daddy and my brothers and my sister who all drank. I swore I would not be like them. So, I didn't have a drink until I was 18. And I had been kicked out of the YWCA for drinking, and I was a blackout drinker from the get-go, from the very, very beginning. I guess with my genealogy, it'd be kind of hard to think that I would ever be a social drinker. But it was fun for a while, and it fixed me for a while. If I were in Toastmaster, I've already said, ah, about 40 times. I need to relax and take it easy. So, then I went to live at a women's Christian temple. The Women's Christian Temperance Association. And they kicked me out for conduct unbecoming a young woman. They could see through those windows to my fiance and me and his patrol car out in the parking lot. So, my sister Audrey, she and her husband had moved to Chattanooga, so I lived with them for a while. And then, I went to work with Eastern Airlines. Oh, my God. This was the golden age of stewardesses. They hired, I have read, like less than 5% of the applicants. That was when it was considered a very glamorous job. And I was so fortunate to get that job. But then I had been told about this strenuous, strenuous... There was 22 of us in my class, and 11 of us graduated. And I had been told that they do this really serious background check. And everybody was being sent home every other day. Somebody would be sent home, and we were really thinning out. One day, I was asked to stay after class, and I was just terrified that I was going to be sent home. And the lady said, well, you know, a lot of times, we're already in the class before we finish that background check. And I just knew that they had... I was going home. And then she said, is it true that you walked off your job without giving a notice the last time? Oh, is that all? Is that all? Oh. So, did I treasure it? No. We were sent to New York on a familiarization flight. About three of us went to Trader Vic's, got drunk, missed our flight home. But, again, so I got married when I was 24. They had changed all the rules. You can get married now. On my wedding night, I was in a blackout. I crawled up on the coffee table and passed out. I guess I thought I was in the bed. And now I'm 24. And it was his mother, my husband's mother, was the first one who told me, I don't want you to marry my son. You don't want children. And I never had any more... I never had another child. You don't want children. You're not Catholic. And you have a drinking problem. She knew it then. It was really stormy. I was an alcoholic. He was very jealous for no reason. The only thing he had to be jealous of was alcohol. But I got an emergency transfer to move here to Atlanta in 1971. And because I... At that time, we had real people, crew schedulers. And I had gotten an emergency transfer because they had seen me with my black eyes. And, you know, it was very volatile. So in training school, they had given me this nickname of Mike. Because at that time, you know, it was all women. Young, single women, blah, blah, blah. So to try and liven things up, I'd go around and lift the toilet seats. And so they gave me the nickname Mike. I just wanted to believe that there was a man around somewhere. And so at that time, I went out on a trip. A four-day trip. And I never went back. And I came here with my transfer and my car. It was a 69 Firebird. It was my first new car. And it was the... Of course, it was a red convertible. And it was also my first new car that I had bought. And it was also the only car I have ever been emotionally involved with. Unlike some people I know. And I had a brother in Alabama. Now all my siblings are gone today. And again, I'm going to try and catch up to today as soon as I can. But I thought this was kind of funny. Because having human, real people as crew schedulers. I walked in with my emergency transfer and my suitcase and my 69 Firebird. And I said to the crew scheduler behind the desk, I'm going to make a whole brand new start. Right? And I walk in and I say, Hi. My name is Isla Campoya. And he says, Oh. Didn't even look up. You must be Mike. Okay. Those years between 71 and 75 when I got here. Oh man. It was rough. It was rough. And I'm so grateful to be alive. Because some of the situations and places where I placed myself because I was drunk. Sigh. It was. I don't even want to go there. And if you're as alcoholic as I think you are. If you're sitting at an AA meeting. You have some of those stories that you would just soon forget too. Um. I had two DUIs. And DeKalb County was a picnic compared to Fulton. When I got out. First of all. Why does it take six carloads of cops. To arrest one driver. To arrest one drunk woman. You know. A little woman. That feeling that we get when we've been drinking. And then we are suddenly. It's not available. Oh. Talk about a headache. Oh. So. Anyway. They took me to jail. And. We didn't have cell phones then. And. Um. Of course. It was. It was. It was. It was. It was. It was. It was. It was. It was. It was. It was. It was. It was. It was. It was. It was. It was. It was. It was. It was. It was. It was. And. Of course. It was. And. All. All women. And. This woman. Kept talking. There was a phone on the wall. And she kept talking. And she wouldn't shut up. And I had such a headache. And I actually physically wanted to fight. And I went over. And I grabbed the phone out of her hand. And I hung it up. And I said. I have to be here. pretty soon a great big woman came and took me away and took me and put me in a uniform put me in this little tiny there wasn't even a cot no toilet nothing you know I know that my memory is skewed but it it felt like like a little cage I mean there was nowhere to sit and it was so cold next morning when I was let loose there's again there's a line of men to get out to be released and then there's a line of women I locked eyes with some young cutie probably looked like John I don't remember I don't have a clue but I do remember him mouthing what do you like to drink it's scotch I they vaguely remember what was that I vaguely remember leaving the jail with him that day and when I came to I was in the house with my roommate where I lived and her mother her parents were visiting from Thomaston Georgia and when I came to it was like I don't know if it was a day or night I don't know if it was a day or night I don't know if it was a day or night I woke up in that big house and I knew I was the only one there and I didn't have a clue what had happened because again the blackout but what I learned was the police had come and had taken him back to jail and only because of the begging of the roommate's mother did they not take me I looked back and the only reason I mentioned that car was because I had a brother in Alabama who had a brother in Alabama who had a brother in Alabama who had a brother in Alabama who had a brother in Alabama who had a brother in Alabama who had a brother in Alabama who had a brother in Alabama who had a brother in Alabama who had a brother in Alabama who had a brother in Alabama who had a brother in Alabama who had a brother in Alabama who had a brother in Alabama who had a brother in Alabama who had a brother in Alabama who had a brother in Alabama who had a brother in Alabama who had a brother in Alabama who had a brother in Alabama who had a brother in Alabama who had a brother in Alabama who had a brother in Alabama who had a brother in Alabama who had a body shop and I would go and examine my cars when I first of all to find it my car and then the dent and I would look for blood or had I hit somebody I did not know what a horrible horrible way to live but I could not stop and I remember the first time I started drinking on the airplane it was about 10 o'clock in the morning and I had already served breakfast to everybody and it was maybe the second or third leg and I'm standing there in first class and they still have their breakfast trays and their coffee cups but the coffee cups are empty and I cannot feel them because my hands are shaking so badly. The only thing to do is go in the lavatory with a couple of miniatures of vodka we all know it smells but not as loud as alcohol as the others. And I was just, it was all I could do to just hit my mouth with a bottle without pouring it down my uniform. And it was drinking on the job from then until I got to AA. And how I got to AA, I was in a, people who drink like me didn't want to be around me anymore because I would embarrass them. And that's pretty bad. I started to pray. And it was the same prayer, drunk and sober, night and day. It was exactly the same prayer. It was, dear God, please help me stop drinking. That's all I wanted was to stop drinking. And maybe three months later, after I started saying that prayer, not having any idea who or what God was, there is, I got a phone call from a roommate that I'd had when I first moved to Atlanta. And her name is Pam Mellish. And she had gone to Al-Anon to try and help her mother. Had been totally unsuccesful. So she, good Al-Anon, thank you God, thank you Pam, wherever you are, calls me, tells me about AA, tells me that if you're afraid to go, I will go with you. That's how God answers prayers. God works through people. And that's back to the giants. I did not work the steps in order, but I worked them to them. I worked them to the very, very best of my ability. Because one thing that I had, well, I had a willingness, willingness, and gratitude. And what a change that was. When I was about 24, I didn't have a car. I was based in D.C. And I had a sweetheart who lived in Houston, Texas. And I had gone to visit him. No, I was about 23. Because I got married. I got married when I was 24, and that was a while later. And at the hotel in Houston, here he comes driving up the Port Cochere in a gorgeous, sparkling, little, white Corvair. And he parks it, and he comes over, and he says, What do you think? I said, You drive a Cadillac. When he sufficiently recovered his speech, he just said, You ungrateful bitch. And I was. I was. Thank you. Thank you. We've got signals, because I haven't looked at my little rubber watch once. Thank you. You're doing 30 minutes in. You're doing great. Thank you. All right. So, again, I ask him to do this, because, again, I want to share what it's like today. What it's like today. I am gratefully, gratefully retired. And that, you know, I never know what is good for me or what I want. Except I know we always, every one of us in this world, want to be happy, joyous, and free. But how, the things that I felt that would bring that about, and what actually I need, are not always the same. Because I thought alcohol, drugs, and rock and roll would do it, right? I was always looking for you, or something outside myself, to make me happy. And you couldn't. And I had a bad, bad case of the I don't have. And today, my life is so full of I haves, that I can't possibly tell you about all of them. I was so self-pitying and fearful. And those were the only two emotions that I really, really knew when I came in here. I was so numbed out. I hadn't cried sober since my son was born. And none of this stuff was ever talked about. And that was the hardest. The hardest, hardest thing in AA was to learn to share. I'd share with you my record, or loan you my car, whatever. But not share myself. And life with alcoholism had really just broken my heart. But the fear and self-pity, I was so full of I don't haves, I would even say, I didn't have any enablers. I didn't even have any enablers. I was so pitiful. When I think about it today, of course, I... You know who enabled me? The crews. They saved my job more than a few times. You know? There was always, always somebody there. Where do I want to go? I want to go to a bar. I want to go to a bar. I want to go to a bar. I want to go to a bar. I want to go to a bar. I want to talk about the steps. So I started there a while ago. I believe, I knew I was an alcoholic and that my life was unmanageable. At that very, very first meeting, I got hope that there was a way out, that I could live without alcohol. Because I had seen those giants who had come before me do it. Step three was going to be a little bit harder. I was willing. I was willing. But I wanted to do it right. So I didn't do this fast. And I did not do them in order. Because when I had about six months sober, well, the change began day one when I quit drinking. That was the day, of course, I was still flying with Eastern. That was the day I quit stealing the liquor money and the movie money. And I started putting it back. Because... Because... Because one thing I believe with all my heart is that these steps, every one of them, are designed not to make us uncomfortable or to deprive us of anything, but to make us happily and usefully whole. So I tried to do, and step ten, I started immediately. That daily inventory, and I'd already read in the morning, about what to do from the 24-hour day book. I'd already read that. So at the end of the day, I could write on my calendar, thank you God, today I did not drink. And those things that I had become unable, because I couldn't quit drinking and I couldn't get drunk. I had had this huge, huge tolerance for alcohol and then I had none. And... And... And... And... And... And... And... And... And... And... And... And... And... And... And... And... And... And... And... And... That was when I started to pray. But the things that I couldn't get drunk, I took care of some of those things right away. Just the general way that I was living. Stealing, lying, and being unable to cry. Well, when I had three or four months in here, and it was... The AA program had already started to sort of melt that sealed band of alcoholism that was around my heart. And I started to cry. And I would leave meetings totally in tears the whole meeting. You didn't care. You just loved me. That's the only where... That's the only way that we can grow is through love. Cheryl, I was at a spiritual retreat with Cheryl in Alabama. And as I said, I wanted to do these right. And it says in the book that... It's better to do the third step alone than with somebody who might misunderstand. So it was at a Catholic retreat. And I asked the priest, could I make an appointment with him to do a step three? And he said, you mean step five? And I said, no. I mean three. And he said, okay, okay. I wanted to get it right because I never ever wanted to go back to where I'd come from. And step four took... I did it the best I could. And I had 18 months sober at that time. As I said, I'd already made some amends. And a lot of my amends had checks attached to them. I became very uncomfortable. It was no longer enough for me to... You know, I could bullshit with you before and after a meeting. But during a meeting, that was like sacred time. Between... In the serenity prayer and the Lord's prayer. Because we talk about things that are important here. Life changing. And I would just shake. And if it was my turn, I would say, my name's Isla and I'm an alcoholic and I pass. And I'd shake for ten minutes after that. So when it... As I said, I became uncomfortable. The fellowship was no longer enough. Knowing where my car was was no longer enough. Being able to... Brush my teeth without gagging was no longer enough. So I went home. I cried. I prayed. I got on my knees and prayed. And I did step four. To the best of my ability. And I decided that my sponsor, Peggy, she already knew everything there was to know about me. I said, oh, she loves me too much. She won't be objective. So I asked... I asked the meanest woman I knew. And she was very kind, of course. Six and seven just kind of calms. I did all the steps. The most... And step ten is especially important. Step eleven. And I do these every time. I do these every time. I do these every time. I go through working with somebody else. I go through all the steps again. It's a lifetime endeavor. It's never going to stop. Because I plan to stay sober for the rest of my life. So after 14 years, two weeks shy of 14 years, my primary purpose was no longer to stay sober and help other alcoholics to achieve sobriety. A lot of things were happening. Eastern Airlines. Eastern Airlines. I was on strike. Blah, blah, blah. I didn't... I was fearful. I didn't know what I was going to do. But the primary thing that happened was I became disconnected from Alcoholics Anonymous and its people. I went to my... As I had been told the very first year, I had been convinced that if I pick up a drug, I'm going to pick up the drug of my choice. And my... That was Scotch Whiskey. So I went... I was in that... I drank again. And I called my sponsor before I did it. And she said to me... Maybe some of the most important words she said was... She said, Isla, if you do this, promise me that you will go back to AA. Because she and I used to always have debates about what's more important, meetings or not drinking. And I always thought she was wrong about that. But I don't... I don't know. Thank you, God, that I got back. And I'm so glad because on Valentine's Day, 1997, that son that I had relinquished so painfully as a teenager looked me up. And on Valentine's Day, 1997, I went to Chicago to Midway's Airport because my son had sent me a ticket. And I walked into his arms. And that day, I met my four grandchildren. My broker said, Isla, how like you. Four grandchildren and you never changed a diaper. I am so, so grateful for what I have today. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Many of you know I went into real estate. I had a pretty impressive... I was pretty impressed with my stack of mortgages when the housing market went belly up. I was connected with the people of Alcoholics Anonymous. Not just the literature. Not just the steps. Not just God. But the people of Alcoholics Anonymous. And it never occurred to me to drink when I lost. All that. All that material stuff. Because my friend Linda, the first person I ever heard say this prayer was she. And she said, Thank you God for what you've given me. Thank you for what you've taken away. And thank you for what's left. What is left is I have, I have, I have the best friends in the world. I have a daily relationship. I have a little house that had been a rental when I had a whole stack of houses. I don't have the... I do not have the awesome responsibility that went with owning a lot of real estate. All I have to do today is be a full-time mom to the world's best dogs. And all the friends that I have are from... I don't know. I don't know. I don't know. I don't know. I don't know. I don't know. I don't know. I don't know. I don't know. I don't know. I don't know. I don't know. Two places. Alcoholics Anonymous or the dog park. And they very often intertwine. And that's the best. That's the best of all. Happy, joyous, and free. When I am happy, joyous, and free, I know I'm doing God's will. And because if I'm hating on you... Oh, and I never got to it, but that... That man who abandoned me, my son's father, I'd totally forgotten about the time when he wanted me to marry him, but I had no plans to do any such until I needed him, right? Anyway, so much happens through understanding and forgiveness. And that just takes... I think that just takes a lot of time. And I know that my time is up. I'm just so grateful to you. And Evelyn, my present day sponsor, all the giants, Roland Bryce brought so much joy. I'll tell you this and then I'll sit down. I was downstairs. Never used to be open. All the time. And thank God it was because I could always find... If it was just one somebody, I could talk, right? And I was sitting down there. It might have been the Thursday night dinner. I don't remember. But I was talking to Roland, who's probably a huge... I know it was a mistake, but... I was considering getting breast implants. And I asked Roland what he thought about that. And he thought for a minute. And he said, Well, Isla, why don't you just do one? And then if you like it, do the other one. Thank you. I love you so much. Thank you, Isla, for opening your heart and sharing your experience, strength, and hope with us. You are an inspiration to a lot of people. Especially me. And I love you. Debbie O., would you mind giving out the chips? Hey, I'm Debbie, and I'm an alcoholic. Thank you, Isla. I've known your story from bits and pieces. The first time I heard it all at one time, and I really enjoyed it. You look beautiful tonight. If you're coming in or coming back, and you want to give yourself to this simple program, we have a white chip. Anybody want to pick up a white chip tonight? And after 30 days and 30 nights of continuous sobriety, we'll see you next time. Bye-bye. Bye-bye. Bye-bye. Bye-bye. Bye-bye. Bye-bye. Anybody for a silver chip? Anybody for a silver? 90 days, a red chip. Anybody for 90? After six months, we have a yellow chip. Anybody for yellow? And after nine months, we have a green chip. Do we have any anniversaries? Blue chip? I'm Vincent, and I'm a very great, great, great alcoholic. And this is number one again. I'm going to give you, I'm going to give you a credit for this. I just wanted to thank you so very much. I'm the great advocate for the health through the young people. And I did a lot of the work, and I'm able to do more work. I'm really thankful. So, thank you for being a part of my life. I really appreciate it. Thank you. And it's just been a pleasure to work with you, and I look forward to seeing you again in a couple of years. Thank you so much. I really appreciate it. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you for having me today. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. at work and I call people and I really just tell them how I feel I've worked in spells you know and I'm just see I think the day I'm more grateful the first first time it was like oh I didn't did this I didn't do that but but this year is like God and see and my big bigger problem is me I got to get me up see God can work as long as I'm out of the way and I'm trying to get out the way and for 365 days it works congratulations Vincent anybody want to reconsider a fight chip well thank God for what you got