Vince Y. at the 19th Midwinter AA Conference – 1999

About This Speaker Tape

September 20, 1972. A stolen hearse speeding the wrong way down the Pacific Coast Highway with a hysterical woman in the passenger seat. For Vince Y., this was the bottom—not a noble search for peace, but a collision with the wreckage of a life spent as a professional "loser." A former Navy medical officer and Physician's Assistant, Vince describes a descent from the officer's clubs of Okinawa to the narcotic drawers of an East L.A. emergency room, where he traded his medical license for Demerol and Dexedrine.

He speaks of the paradox of being "sober in the middle of AA," scrubbing ashtrays and washing coffee cups for years while his internal alcoholism only worsened because he refused the steps. After a stint in an $11-a-week hovel and a failed career as a drill press operator, Vince surrendered to a "fascist" sponsor. He accepted an unholy pact: to trust a judgment better than his own and take action without debate.

Topics

Timestamps

• 0:00 Vince Y. welcomes the newcomers and defines alcoholism as the conviction that you don't belong in the room.
• 4:30 Recounts his first meeting in 1965 in Long Beach and the 'fascist' police department.
• 8:15 Discusses the 12 Steps and his initial dismissal of them based on his Catholic upbringing.
• 12:40 Laughter: Describes the 'imbecilic' nature of AA birthday cakes and candles.
• 16:20 Warning about the danger of staying physically sober without working the steps.
• 22:10 Stories from the Navy in Okinawa and the 'tawdry' business of VD control.
• 28:45 The wreckage of driving an ambulance drunk in Orange County and getting stuck in a cul-de-sac.
• 34:10 Details his descent into Demerol abuse and the loss of his medical license.
• 41:20 The rock bottom: stealing a hearse and driving the wrong way on the PCH.
• 48:15 The 'unholy pact' with his sponsor and the surrender of his intellectual pride.
• 54:30 The story of his red Chevy decomposing in Venice, California.
• 58:10 Reflections on a flourishing life, a healthy marriage, and surviving heart surgery.