What Dr. S. Got Right About the Abnormal Drinker – Wayne B.

About This Speaker Tape

1977. A last drink, a prayer to set aside opinions, and a lifetime of wreckage. Wayne B. doesn't offer a Hallmark story; he offers an iceberg. He describes himself as the SS Wayne B, sailing full steam ahead into a minefield of emotional instability. For Wayne, the danger wasn't the visible ice, but the wreckage lurking below the surface of consciousness.

He recounts a gritty history: growing up in an alcoholic home, being diagnosed as mentally retarded, and riding the short bus while playing putt-putt. He speaks of the "sympathy dances" and the first Budweiser that acted like a magic switch, transforming a "square peg" into someone who felt powerful. He traces his path through seventeen psychiatric institutionalizations, straightjackets, and the futility of science and pharmacology. Wayne argues that while the disease concept is useful, the "spiritual malady" is the real ghost in the machine. Only a Higher Power and the raw truth of AA could navigate the emotional minefields that ...

Topics

Timestamps

• 0:45 Wayne B. leads the group in the 'set-aside prayer' to encourage open-mindedness.
• 4:15 Moment of silence for Willie B., a friend and 12 and 12 study leader.
• 11:30 Laughter: Wayne B. discusses the success rates mentioned in the Big Book.
• 15:40 Wayne B. introduces the 'Iceberg' visual to explain emotional sobriety.
• 22:10 Story about praying for a fellow member, Tom, to die or drink.
• 28:50 Detailed account of being institutionalized 17 times and the 'posy' in the psych ward.
• 36:20 Wayne B. describes his childhood in an alcoholic home and his 'short bus' experience.
• 43:10 The story of being locked in a school locker and the resulting long-term resentment.
• 51:40 The 'first drink' story: Tom giving him a Budweiser at the senior dance.
• 58:15 Discussion on the 'soul sickness' and the Oxford English Dictionary definition of the soul.
• 1:04:20 Wayne B. explains 'alcoholic paranoia' versus drug-induced paranoia.
• 1:12:00 Introduction of the 'Intellect vs. Emotion' formula from Father Martin.