Why the Brighter You Are the Longer It Takes to Recover – Geraldine D.

About This Speaker Tape

Hot water bottles strung between the legs across the Canadian border, two quarts of whiskey in the gut, and a handful of phenobarbital to feel popular. Geraldine D. didn't come to the rooms willingly; she arrived after fooling 27 psychiatrists and spending ten days unconscious from an overdose. She warns that the brighter you think you are, the longer it takes to recover, because you have to realize how dumb you actually are before you can get your brains out of hock.

A former "honorary little brat" and daughter of a closet-drinking alcoholic, Geraldine speaks with a sharp, unfiltered tongue. She describes the wreckage of marrying another alcoholic while sober and the danger of boredom. To her, anonymity isn't a shield to hide behind while "shoveling coal," but a tool for the press. She urges the rooms to stop splitting hairs and start walking the walk, trusting a Higher Power to take her hand so she doesn't let go.

Topics

Timestamps

• 0:00 Joe C. introduces Geraldine D., noting her popularity in New Jersey.
• 2:15 Geraldine D. discusses her brother Oscar's interaction with Bill W. regarding how many meetings one must attend to save their life.
• 5:40 Laughter: Geraldine D. recounts fooling 27 psychiatrists and her near-death overdose.
• 8:20 Geraldine D. describes the gender divide in early AA meetings where women had to sit on one side.
• 11:10 Geraldine D. shares the 'butcher knife' dynamics of her marriage to a fellow alcoholic.
• 15:30 Geraldine D. describes smuggling Canadian whiskey in hot water bottles across the border.
• 19:10 Geraldine D. discusses the importance of listening over talking, citing Bill W.'s advice to 'Shut up!'
• 22:40 Geraldine D. warns against the dangers of 'just a little' medication and the denial inherent in the medical profession.
• 26:10 Geraldine D. discusses the risks of working in the recovery field too soon after getting sober.
• 30:20 Geraldine D. shares a story about a staff member's 'stinking disposition' and the link between smoking and mood.
• 34:10 Geraldine D. reflects on the challenges of aging at 78 and the necessity of continuing to attend meetings.
• 38:40 Geraldine D. discusses the intersection of faith, fear, and the Serenity Prayer.