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AA TALKS BY MEN SPEAKERS D - H Alcoholics Anonymous talks by men speakers whose FIRST names begin with D through H |
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DANNY MARSH - BRENTWOOD, CA 8-13-03
Danny recorded this Alcoholics Anonymous talk at the Pacific Group in Brentwood, California on August 13, 2003. Danny’s a great speaker. He says that he came into AA about 13 years ago, a broken down, bloated, dying, and bleeding mess of alcoholism. As a young child, Danny would raid his grandmother’s medicine cabinet and take anything that said, "Do Not Operate Heavy Machinery.” By the time he was in high school, he was a daily drinker. He talks about listing his fears and reanalyzing himself on a daily basis. Danny is a very well spoken young man and this is a very uplifting talk.
Contents – 8 Tracks
Length – 40 Minutes
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DAVE D - YORK, PA 8-16-02
Dave, from Alexandria, Virginia gives an excellent talk at the Fifth Annual Sunlight of the Spirit Conference in York, Pennsylvania on August 16th, 2002. Dave gives a very inspirational AA message of hope and recovery and he sums up his talk by saying, “The God that I know today is the God that I experience through you people, the God that I see in your eyes. Thank you for your gift to me.”
Contents – 13 Tracks
Length – 64 Minutes
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DAVE S - BRENTWOOD, CA 2-11-98
Dave, a very well spoken young man from San Jose, California recorded this Alcoholics Anonymous talk at the Pacific Group in Brentwood, California on February 11th, 1998. Dave says that a very early age he realized he had "Alcohol Deficiency Syndrome," but he luckily found the cure. From that point on he was either drinking or thinking about drinking. He tells some good, funny stories about treatment centers. After a particularly bad drinking binge, he finally asked for help; he has been beaten into a state on reasonableness. Dave says that because he was very fearful about doing his fifth step, he sought out an 80 year old Baptist minister with a bad smoking habit; he felt he wouldn’t be around long enough to tell anyone about his fifth step. He's attended quite a few AA meetings in other parts of the world and he shares those experiences on this recording.
Contents - 7 Tracks
Length - 33 Minutes
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DAVE WILSON - BRENTWOOD, CA 9-10-03
Believe it or not, Dave is the son of Bill and Lois Wilson. Not the Bill and Lois that normally comes to mind within the rooms of AA, but a different Bill and Lois Wilson. Dave recorded this Alcoholics Anonymous talk at the Pacific Group in Brentwood, California on September 10th, 2003. At the time of this recording, Dave had six years of sobriety. He began experimenting with alcohol in sixth grade. His drinking really took off after he joined the army. Dave also did a lot of experimentation with drugs. He speaks of his moment of clarity right after getting pistol whipped by two crack dealers. Shortly after that, he showed up at the Pacific Group and has been sober ever since. Dave's a very unique and enthusiastic AA speaker and it shows in the very enjoyable recording.
Contents - 6 Tracks
Length - 30 Minutes
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DAVID ARONOFSKY - JOPLIN, MO 1994
Dr David Aronofsky is from Dallas, Texas. He entered AA on April 20th, 1967. In his thick Texan drawl, David says he was born into a very good family. He tells how he began drinking and gives a vivid description of his many years on skid row in south Dallas. David says at one point he traveled with the circus and would drink heavily with all the midgets. He eventually wound up in a maximum security prison, “Chained like an animal with no one knowing where I was.” He eventually found the rooms of AA, turned his life around and became a dentist. He tells a very heartfelt and spiritual story at the end of this recording.
Contents – 15 Tracks
Length – 74 Minutes
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DAVID B - BRENTWOOD, CA 2-25-04
David delivered this Alcoholics Anonymous talk at the Pacific Group in Brentwood, California on February 25th, 2004. David grew up in Chicago. His family was heavily into sports but David was not. He did however, become a very good golfer by the age of 16. He took his first drink around that same time and little by little he started selling his soul. He lost his golfing career because of his drinking. David goes on to tell a great story of recovery in the rooms of AA. He very emotionally tells how his first sponsor, as he lay dying told him that he's got to keep carrying the message. Good, solid speaker with a great message.
Contents - 8 Tracks
Length - 38 Minutes
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DAVID L - FORT SMITH, AR 11-4-94
David, from Fayetteville, North Carolina recorded this Alcoholics Anonymous talk at the Border City Roundup in Forth Smith, Arkansas on November 4th, 1994. David reminds one of AA speaker, Tom Brady in his speaking style. He tells how, as a young child his mother severely beat him causing him to lose faith in God. When he had his first drink, all the fear, all the pain, and all the hurt disappeared. David talks quite a bit about how he had a problem of over analyzing every situation to the point that it made him a little wacky. Over the years, David had had some terrible resentments against his mother, but with some excellent advice from his AA sponsor, he was able to rise above these difficulties. He came to realize that his mother had been suffering more than he had.
Contents – 13 Tracks
Length – 66 Minutes
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DAVID S - FIRE & BRIMSTONE STYLE AA TALK
This is a real Fire and Brimstone AA talk by a man called David S. David sets a humorous tone early in his talk. Right after reaching the podium he proclaims, “I have been waiting almost a year to get up here……and now I got to go to the bathroom.” This talk was recorded in June of 2002. David’s enunciation and enthusiasm while delivering his Alcoholics Anonymous talk is very reminiscent of the Old Southern Baptist Minister style of preaching. It reminds you of reverend Cleofus (James Brown) in the movie “The Blues Brothers.” David grew up on a farm in North Carolina, the son of a Baptist minister. He had ten brothers and sisters. David says he had the “ISMs” long before he took his first drink of alcohol. He had been liar and a thief. When David first began attending AA meetings, he would brag about the fact that he was only a periodic drinker. At the end of his talk David borrows a line from the Reverend Martin Luther King, Jr. and shouts out very emotionally: “You have helped me to be free. Free at last, Thank God almighty I’m free at last.”
Contents – 7 Tracks
Length – 34 Minutes
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DENNIS NANCE - CHICAGO, IL JANUARY 2006
Dennis Nance, from Charlotte, North Carolina recorded this Alcoholics Anonymous talk at the 14th Annual We Are Not Saints Convention in Chicago in January of 2006. His sobriety date is February 1st, 1981. Dennis has a great southern drawl. He says at thirteen years of age he realized he was a "Soul Brother" without any soul. That summer he found some soul in the form of alcohol. The next four years were a blur for him. He says he was on the "Merry-Go-Round" of alcoholism; the only tool he had for dealing with life’s problems was to rely on the very thing that would cause him more problems – alcohol. His wife left him. He began having alcoholic hallucinations. Dennis tells about the two men that introduced him to AA. He fought the idea of getting a sponsor. He tells how he had really bad resentments against the AA Oldtimers. He didn’t want anyone telling him what to do. Dennis finally tried "Prayer and Meditation" and found out that it worked. Near the end of this recording, Dennis talks very fondly about his grandchildren and how they continue to fascinate him.
Contents – 11 Tracks
Length – 56 Minutes
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DICK ANDERSON - PINE MOUNTAIN, GA 2009
We don't have a description of the contents of this CD because we have not personally listened to this yet. Please let us know if you have any comments or questions after listening to it.
Contents - 14 Tracks
Length - 71 Minutes
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DICK GRANT - SHREVEPORT, LA 10-28-88
Dick Grant, from Danville, California delivered this Alcoholics Anonymous talk at the 43rd tri-State Convention in Shreveport, Louisiana on October 28th, 1988. Quick-witted and often very funny, Dick shares how it was, what happened and what it's like now. He says that his first drunk was his best drunk. He drank for 15 years or as he jokes, “I had 15 years of bad luck.” Dick gives us a brief glimpse of his alcoholic thinking and how he would use it to help him manipulate people, places and things. He talks about being in AA and feeling like he was failing. Then being able to finally share his feelings started him on a new path in sobriety. At the end he talks about having Cancer and being told five months ago that he had only six months to live. The simple fact that he was very ill and still willing to speak to a group of alcoholics is testimony that he truly loves AA. This is great example of “What you Do” being more important than “What you Say.”
Contents – 14 Tracks
Length – 68 Minutes
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DICK HEDGER - RICHMOND HEIGHTS, OH 3-29-92
Dick, from Alexandria, Kentucky recorded this Alcoholics Anonymous talk at the Freeway Breakfast Group in Richmond Heights, Ohio on March 29th, 1992. Dick begins his talk by telling a funny story about the very first time he gave an AA talk which happened to be at the local mental hospital. He also shares his theory that the average alcoholic is much smarter and industrious than the normal person. Dick went into the seminary to become a priest but after taking a swing at the bishop while drunk, he was asked to leave. He held a series of jobs and eventually became a pharmaceutical salesman, and luckily for him, never sampled his own goods. Dick also reads a couple of short, inspirational messages. At the very end of this recording, he reads, “A Touch of the Master’s Hand.”
Contents – 11 Tracks
Length – 53 Minutes
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DICK K - PAYSON, AZ 8-23-03
Dick, from Camp Verde, Arizona, recorded this Alcoholics Anonymous talk at the 11th Annual Payson Roundup in Payson, Arizona on August 23rd, 2003. Dick was born in Oklahoma City in 1930. Dick first came into the AA program in 1956 but stayed for only one meeting. He disliked that meeting so much that he stayed away for ten years. He finally got sober on February 29th, 1968. Dick talks about how tough it was growing up in his family; his house was very much like a combat zone. As a consequence, Dick developed his own problems of anger and anti-social behavior. While in the Marine Corp. and stationed in the Philippines, Dick broke down and finally learned to drink. He goes on to tell his story of recovery and at the very end he reads a poem called, "Which Place."
Contents - 11 Tracks
Length - 52 Minutes
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DICK MARTIN - COLUMBUS, OH APRIL 2006
Dick Martin, from Bellevue, Nebraska recorded this Alcoholics Anonymous talk in Columbus, Ohio in April of 2006. Dick’s sobriety date is September 16th, 1965. Dick tells of his father dying of alcoholism. He says that he first heard of AA when he was delivering the Saturday Evening Post magazine and happened to see a Jack Alexander article about the fellowship. Dick talks quite a bit about his first sponsor, old-timer Buck Doyle. Dick also refers quite a bit to some other old-timers he knew in the Washington, DC area; people like Ernie the Attorney, No-Growth McGee and Sandy Beach. Dick wanted what these people had. Dick was sponsoring people before he himself had two months of sobriety. He didn’t know for sure what he was doing but he did it anyway. At the end of this talk, Dick says that sobriety is the crowning jewel in his life’s accomplishments; it’s the best thing he’s ever done!
Contents – 11 Tracks
Length – 52 Minutes
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DICK PEREZ - CLEVELAND, OH 11-15-76
Dick Perez, from Cleveland, Ohio delivered this Alcoholics Anonymous talk at the 37th Anniversary of the Borton Group in Cleveland, Ohio on November 15th, 1976. At the beginning of this recording, the group chairman gives a short history of the Borton group. This is the group that was started by Clarence Snyder way back in 1939. Then Dick, from the Parma, Ohio group begins to give his lead. He was born outside of Mexico City and grew up in the Mexican jungles. He’s got a very interesting accent. Dick made his way up to Cleveland and got married long before he had ever touched a drop of alcohol. Alcohol, almost immediately had a negative effect on his life. It affected his marriage and his job. At one point he tried a geographical cure by driving back to Mexico. He woke up in a Mexican jail, had lost his car all of his money and had been stabbed in the back. He had no recollection of what happened. Dick eventually made it back to Cleveland and saw the Rollie Hemsley article in the newspaper. This was the catalyst for him joining AA. He became very active; a real AA success story.
Contents – 13 Tracks
Length – 62 Minutes
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DON CASINI - GRAND FORKS, ND 1996 (2 CDs)
Don, an old-timer from Cleveland, Ohio recorded this Alcoholics Anonymous talk at the Northern Spring Round-Up in Grand Forks, North Dakota in 1996. Don’s sobriety date is August 31st, 1961. He got sober under the care of Sister Ignatia and later along with Bill Wilson was a pall bearer at her funeral. Don was a “Hairdresser to the Stars” out I California for a number of years until his drinking got him into trouble. From there he went to New York City and eventually back to Cleveland where he entered Rosary Hall. He got to know Sister Ignatia quite well. Early in his sobriety, Don also got some much needed guidance from Clarence Snyder, Father Ralph Pfau, and some of the early founders of AA in Cleveland. He was very instrumental in securing Dr Bob’s House several years ago as an AA Landmark. He’s got a heck of a drinking and recovery story that he shares on this recording.
Contents – 18 Total Tracks
Total Length – 87 Minutes
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DON CASINI - MONTGOMERY, AL 3-29-97
Old timer, Don Casini, from Cleveland, Ohio delivered this Alcoholics Anonymous talk at the Northwest Florida Area Assembly in Montgomery, Alabama on March 29th, 1997. He had over 36 years of sobriety at the time of this talk. Don had spent a lot of time with the early Cleveland/Akron area AAs like Sister Ignatia and Clarence Snyder. In an attempt to get him sober, Don’s mother took him to spiritual healers. Don took the “Keeley Cure” as well. Don tells how he got married in a blackout in Missouri. He spent some time in Leavenworth Prison. He was deeply involved with the California Mafia and became the “Hairdresser to the Stars.” While still drinking and at the height of his success, Don had eight beauty salons and a beauty school in downtown Cleveland. His wife sold everything when Don was in Rosary Hall under Sister Ignatia’s care. Don finally took his last drink on August 31st, 1961. He believes very strongly that AA cannot be a melting pot for everyone with a problem – “We must get back to Singleness of Purpose.” Good talk from an AA old-timer.
Contents – 14 Tracks
Length – 67 Minutes
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DON CHADWICK - GARFIELD HEIGHTS, OH 2-13-03
Don, from Garfield Heights, Ohio gave this Alcoholics Anonymous talk at The Saturday Nite Live Meeting in Marymount Hospital in Garfield Heights, Ohio on February 13th, 2003. Don had 35 years of sobriety when he gave this talk. He says that at the age of 14, even before alcohol entered his life, he was living in fear to the point that he could not carry on a two-minute conversation with anybody. At the age of 15, Don had his first drink. It transformed his entire personality and he vowed to stay drunk for the rest of his life. Early on in AA, Don was having trouble understanding the program, so some friends took him to see old-timer, Mose Yoder who set him straight on several points. The people in AA told Don that if he wanted to get sober, they would go to hell and back with him, but if he wanted to get drunk he was going to hell alone.
Contents – 10 Tracks
Length – 49 Minutes
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DON GATES - RIPON, CA 2-18-95
Don, from Studio City, California gave this Alcoholics Anonymous talk at Unity Day in Ripon, California on February 18th, 1995. Don speaks very eloquently; he uses a lot of big words. But he’s also a very down to earth speaker. He tells a very funny drinking story about his couch catching on fire. He thought he had extinguished the flame but it flared up again while driving down the road with it on the top of his car. Don gives a very clear description of the physical portion of the disease of alcoholism; Alcoholics lack endorphins. He talks about several things he’s accomplished since he attained sobriety. He has climbed the Alps, gone scuba diving, learned to fly an airplane, parachuted, and running marathons; all activities that trigger his natural endorphins. Don went on to become a California Supreme Court judge. In regards to things not always running smoothly, he says, “AA doesn’t protect you FROM the storm; AA protects you IN the storm.”
Contents – 14 Tracks
Length – 70 Minutes
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DON MADDEN - BRENTWOOD, CA 3-10-87
Don, from Los Angeles, California delivered this Alcoholics Anonymous talk at the Pacific Group in Brentwood, California on March 10th, 1987. Don is the late sponsor of popular AA circuit speaker, Earl Hightower. He’s got a great message of recovery on this recording.
Contents – 8 Tracks
Length – 36 Minutes
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DON MAJOR - YORK, PA 8-17-02
Don, a lawyer from Louisville, Kentucky gives an excellent talk at the Fifth Annual Sunlight of the Spirit Conference in York, Pennsylvania on August 17th, 2002. Don has been talking at Alcoholics Anonymous conventions all over the country for quite a number of years. He talks quite a bit about his late sponsor. He gets quite emotional near the end of his talk when he tells about his daughter becoming a junior partner in a law firm. This is a really heartfelt talk.
Contents - 14 Tracks
Length - 67 Minutes
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DOUG LANEY - LAKE CHAUTAUQUA, NY 9-2-06
Doug, from Turtle Creek, Pennsylvania recorded this Alcoholics Anonymous talk at the 53rd Tri-State Assembly in Lake Chautauqua, New York on September 2nd, 2006. Doug says at a very young age, he can remember being infatuated while watching his father drink and shoot pool. Doug eventually had his first drink at that same bar. He tells a story of years of drinking followed by what he believed to be permanent sobriety. However, after five years of being sober, he felt he deserved a drink and his alcoholism was again off and running. This relapse led to a statewide manhunt for him in Alabama. He was ordered out of the state of Alabama. On August 1st, 1998, Doug got sober and has stayed sober. Doug credits AA for the fact that he was able to care for his father while he battled his last days against cancer. Doug himself has had a number of heart surgeries and again credits AA and its members for helping him pull through.
Contents – 13 Tracks
Length – 61 Minutes
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DOUG ROWELL - HELENA, MT 3-15-02
Doug, from Tujunga, California gave this AA talk at the Northern Rockies Pockets of Enthusiasm in Helena, Montana on March 15th, 2002. Doug tells the crowd that for the last seven years he has worked as a Prop Man for the TV show, The Price is Right. He has worked in show business for the last 25 years. When Doug was first experimenting with AA, he would buy a bottle of whiskey on the way to the meeting. If he drank it on the way home he blamed AA for not putting on a good meeting. He says AA seemed to kick in for him was when he began to hear "The Music of AA." He had been getting mixed messages as far as what people in AA would tell him, but when he began to listen to "how" they would share something, that's when AA began to mean something to him. At the end of his talk, Doug says, "If you’re new here in Alcoholics Anonymous, please stay until you hear the music. You will hear it. There’s a rhythm and a harmony and a melody that runs through this thing. It makes all the words make sense. If you’ve shared a laugh with us, then you've been part of the music. Thanks again."
Contents - 13 Tracks
Length - 66 Minutes
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DR BURNS BRADY - ABILENE, TX
Dr Burns Brady is from Louisville, Kentucky. He’s one of the top 5 speakers in the world that lecture to doctors on the topic of alcoholism. He’s got a thick southern accent. Burns beings his talk by saying that today he wants to talk about the demons that danced on my head, and the joy and love that danced in my heart. He says he’s known something was wrong with him since he jumped out of his crib and his feet hit the fool. Burns entered AA in Louisville, Kentucky in 1977. Burns is a great speaker and delivers a really passionate yet humorous talk. Towards the end of his talk he says, “Thank you for letting me be with you. For those people that I have seen again, it’s good to see you. For those that I’ve met for the first time, welcome into my life. For those that I didn’t get a chance to meet, we will meet when we trudge this road to happy destiny. Until that time, Godspeed. It works best that way, Thank you.”
Contents – 15 Tracks
Length – 75 Minutes
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DR BURNS BRADY - JOPLIN, MO AUGUST 1991
Burns Brady, from Louisville, Kentucky recorded this Alcoholics Anonymous talk in Joplin, Missouri in August of 1991. He grew up in the small western Kentucky town of Mayfield. Burns was not raised around alcohol but he was raised around the effects of alcohol. His mother’s father was a hardcore alcoholic which in turn had a big negative impact on the way his mother raised him. Burns had an unusual habit of stripping off his close when he got drunk. He had a real problem with trusting people when he finally arrived at AA. A big step in his recovery was resolving severe anger issues he had with his mother. The Joe and Charlie tapes helped him immensely. Burns often talks to people who have slipped and the common factor in every case is that they stopped going to meetings.
Contents – 16 Tracks
Length – 79 Minutes
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DR JOHN MOONEY - ST SIMONS ISLAND, GA - 1983
We understand that this was Dr Mooney’s last recorded Alcoholics Anonymous talk. At the time this recording was made, he’d been sober for about 24 years. John says that he is an alcoholic as well as an abuser of pills. His first drink while in college turned his whole world around. After that, his life began to revolve around alcohol but he never realized it. John talks about being in and out of psychiatric hospitals. He tells about a spiritual experience that began way back in 1959. For many years his ego got in the way of his recovery. John finally made contact with AA and received some words of wisdom from its members. He says that AA seemed to have all the answers he’d been searching for. An underlying message throughout John’s talk is the importance of spirituality.
Contents – 11 Tracks
Length – 55 Minutes
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EARL HUSBAND - NORMAN, OK 8-1-95
Earl, from Oklahoma City, Oklahoma delivered this Alcoholics Anonymous talk at the Norman Labor of Love Conference in Norman, Oklahoma on August 1st, 1995. Earl says that his father was a hardcore alcoholic. Earl took his first drink while in high school and says, “I didn’t start lying when I started drinking; I started lying when I started talking.” He became a bootlegger in the 1940s when Oklahoma was a dry state. The first time he ever heard of AA was when his wife told him about the movie, “Come Back Little Sheba.” In April of 1954, Earl’s bootlegger refused to sell him anymore booze because he was obviously killing himself. Earl speaks fondly of attending the International AA Conference in St Louis in 1955. There he met several of the AA pioneers, such as Bill Wilson, Sam Shoemaker, Ebby Thacher, etc. all of whom signed his Big Book.
Contents – 16 Tracks
Length – 75 Minutes
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EDDIE COCHRAN - HOT SPRINGS, AR 8-1-70
Old time Alcoholics Anonymous member, Eddie Cochran from California recorded this AA talk in Hot Springs, Arkansas on August 1st, 1970. Eddie entered the rooms of AA ate age 30 and had been sober for 19 years at the time of this talk. He had drank a lot of alcohol, taken a lot of pills, and smoked a lot of weed. He realized much later that at the worst part of his drinking, he had turned his life over to Ernest and Julio Gallo. Eddie often had wet drawers. He says when he “wasn’t drinking” he drank beer. His mother, age 76 was drunk all the time. Whenever he sees her he has to kiss her on the forehead. If he kisses her on the lips he considers himself to have slipped. Eddie says that both of his parents and all of his siblings are drinkers. He has three sisters and 16 ex-brothers-in -law. He says that early on in AA it was very important for him to hang around with active members.
Contents – 16 Tracks
Length – 76 Minutes
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EDDIE COCHRAN - LONGVIEW, TX 4-9-72
We don't have a description of the contents of this CD because we have not personally listened to this yet. Please let us know if you have any comments or questions after listening to it.
Contents - 14 Tracks
Length - 68 Minutes
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ERNIE THE ATTORNEY - FLAGSTAFF, AZ 6-1-02
Ernie the Attorney, aka Ernie Raczowskis, from Washington DC recorded this Alcoholics Anonymous talk at the Flagstaff Roundup in Flagstaff, Arizona on June 1st, 2002. Ernie had a little over 40 years of sobriety when he made this recording. He says that two of his heroes in life are Bill Wilson and Mother Teresa and he’s had the privilege of meeting them both. Ernie never considered himself to be a morning drinker but later realized that was only because he would stay out drinking until well past 5 O’clock AM. He quotes Father Martin by stating that the four enemies of getting sober are Health, Wealth, Youth & Brains. He tells how he got linked up with his future sponsor, the great Buck Doyle. He was expecting Buck to talk down to him like many other authoritative figures from his past, but he didn’t. Buck just shared his story and that’s why the relationship worked. Good speaker.
Contents – 12 Tracks
Length – 58 Minutes
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ERNIE THE ATTORNEY - GREELEY, CO 2-11-94
Ernie the Attorney, aka Ernie Raczowskis, from Bethany Beach, Delaware recorded this Alcoholics Anonymous talk in Greeley, Colorado. The event was the 43rd Greeley AA Stampede and the date was February 11th, 1994. At the time of this recording, Ernie was just shy of having 33 years of sobriety. His sponsor was the “Great Buck Doyle.” In his college years, Ernie was arrested for drunkenness about nine or ten times and he thought that was normal. His motto was, “Big Ernie Works Hard and Big Ernie Plays Hard.” Coincidently he went to his first AA meeting on the same day his wife was planning on leaving him. His future sponsor had to beg his wife to give him another chance. He was told to Stick with the Winners. Ernie says that a little later when life got painful IN SOBRIETY he thought he had better start working the steps. Good talk by a good speaker.
Contents – 13 Tracks
Length – 61 Minutes
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ERNIE THE ATTORNEY - YOUNGSTOWN, OH MAY 1977
Ernie the Attorney, aka Ernie Raczowskis, from Bethany Beach, Delaware recorded this Alcoholics Anonymous talk in Youngstown, Ohio in May of 1977. He was sober for 22 tears at the time of this talk. Ernie’s says that his drinking and gotten pretty bad by the time he had to promise his wife that he was going to do something about it. His future sponsor AA oldtimer, Buck Doyle took him to his first meeting which was in Arlington, Virginia. Ernie has a great story of recovery and delivers it with an excellent speaking voice. Ernie describes how thankful he is to be a member of AA when there are many more deserving people still out there drinking themselves to death.
Contents – 12 Tracks
Length – 55 Minutes
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FATHER BILL W
This is an Alcoholics Anonymous Talk by Father Bill W. Father Bill is a Roman Catholic priest from Ireland and he’s got quite the accent. At the age of fifteen, he left Ireland and went to England to “Save the Heathens.” Father Bill tells several jokes during his talk – he’s fairly humorous. After drinking his last bottle of liquor, he came to the realization that he can’t live WITH alcohol and he can’t live WITHOUT it either. He fell into an awful despair. At his lowest point he went to confession. The priest that heard his confession told him that he didn’t just happen to get there by accident, he was “brought” there. The priest went on to tell him that he is in AA himself and he is the only priest in AA for miles around. Father Bill states that he was very inspired the first time that he read the 12 steps of Alcoholics Anonymous. He believed then and still believes that the 12 steps are the perfect plan for living your life. At the end of his talk, Father Bill states, “Thank you for giving me God and I thank God for giving me all of you.” A truly inspired AA talk.
Contents – 16 Tracks
Length – 76 Minutes
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FATHER HILARY DREAPER - MISSISSIPPI 1982
Father Hilary Dreaper, sometimes known as the “Drunk Monk” recorded this AA talk at The Mississippi State Convention in 1982. Father Hilary, from Coleman, Alabama is very entertaining as he speaks with a lot of humor and wisdom with his thick southern drawl. He has quite a bit of sobriety. He’s been sober since January 14th, 1968. Father Hilary had a big problem with blacking out. He eventually realized that his mysterious blackouts were being caused by his drinking. He once delivered an important speech but was blacked out the entire time. He was fired the next day. The two things that he loved the most, his monastery and his priesthood, were now gone. Immediately after being fired, he went back to his room and proceeded to get drunk again. Father Hilary, after realizing he could not solve his drinking problem on his own, was admitted into the Hazelden program. He’s a very inspiring speaker and a real success story. “If this were an Oratorical contest between speakers, I might as well go home right now.” “Where else are you going to find a Jewish Dentist and a Drunk Monk on the same program?”
Contents – 14 Tracks
Length – 69 Minutes
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FATHER HILARY DREAPER - ROCHESTER, MI 1984
Father Hilary, from Coleman, Alabama, recorded this Alcoholics Anonymous talk in Rochester, Michigan at the Guest House reunion. Rochester is about ten miles from Guest House in Lake Orion, Michigan, the treatment center for alcoholic priests. Father Hilary, sometimes referred to as, The Drunk Monk” has been sober since January 14th, 1968. He says at the early age of 19, he had already crossed that invisible line into alcoholic drinking. He had once woken up in jail without knowing what town he was in. Father Hilary was the president of a college in the south, but lost that job due to his drinking. At the time, his superiors weren’t aware of Guest House, so instead, Father Hilary went for treatment at Hazelden in Minnesota. After attaining sobriety and some time had passed, Father Hilary was re-elected as the president of his college. He’s got a great story of victory over alcoholism.
Contents – 12 Tracks
Length – 60 Minutes
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FATHER JOHN McCARTHY - ROSARY HALL ALUMNI MEETING 12-6-87
Father John worked very closely with Sister Ignatia and Sister Victorine for several years at Rosary Hall in Cleveland, Ohio. This recording was made at the first Rosary Hall Alumni Meeting on December 6th, 1987. Sister Victorine was supposed to be part of this meeting but she was lying gravely ill in this same hospital (St Vincent Charity) Father John has an interesting story. He tells about how unenthusiastic he was about being sent to Cleveland. Father John tells some humorous stories about Sister Ignatia. He says she used to fall asleep during their small group meetings and they basically just sat there and watched her until she woke back up. Father John also, very lightly, covers the twelve steps of AA. His speaking style is very loose. That’s due largely to the fact that he knows just about everyone in the crowd.
Contents – 12 Tracks
Length – 57 Minutes
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FATHER LEO BOOTH - AKRON, OH 6-16-85
Father Leo recorded this Alcoholics Anonymous talk in Akron, Ohio on June 16th, 1985. The occasion was the 50th Anniversary of the founding of AA. He says he’s planning on visiting Dr Bob’s house afterward and is very excited about it. Father Leo’s from London but has been living in Long Beach, California for the past four years. Leo tells some very funny stories about his barroom drinking days. He would enter a bar dressed in his normal priest garb and this would most often attract much attention. “Everyone wanted to talk with a drunken man of God.” Leo says he once got into trouble after he drunkenly baptized a male baby with the name “Daphne.” The parents complained to his bishop. This talk contains lots of humor and lots of spirituality; a very good message.
Contents – 11 Tracks
Length – 53 Minutes
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FATHER LEO BOOTH - SACRAMENTO, CA 11-10-95
Father Leo, from Long Beach, California gave this Alcoholics Anonymous talk at the Sacramento Gay-Lesbian River City Round-Up on November 10th, 1995. Father Leo, a very lively and humorous Episcopalian Priest is originally from England and has a great accent. His sobriety date is July 4th, 1977. Father Leo has appeared on the Oprah Winfrey Show several times speaking about recovery. He has also spoken in many different countries around the world and has found that the languages are different but the program is the same. He tells the crowd in attendance that Religion is man made; Spirituality is God given. Religion has divided the world; Spirituality teaches the world to hold hands. Father Leo talks about how, after a period of sobriety, he had a slip. Someone casually offered him a drink and without a second thought, he took it. He goes on to tell a great recovery story and at the end of his talk he very emotionally says, “In this program you will live again like you have never lived before. In this program, you will love again and start to love yourself like you’ve never loved before. And God willing, in this program we will laugh like we have never laughed before. Thank you very much.”
Contents – 10 Tracks
Length – 47 Minutes
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FATHER LEO BOOTH - SAN BERNARDINO, CA 10-24-98
Father Leo Booth from Long Beach, California recorded this Alcoholics Anonymous talk at the 11th IEAA Convention in San Bernardino, California on October 24th, 1998. He was 22 years sober at the time. As usual, Father Leo speaks with humor, wit & insight. He begins with a couple of jokes that are sure to make you laugh. He explains the difference between religion and spirituality; “Religion is man-made but Spirituality is God-given.” As a priest, Father Leo has had his share of unique experiences and shares them in a hilarious way. He’s got a drunken baptism story that will make you split your sides. His moment of clarity came right after a bad car accident. Father Leo shows us that we can laugh and still be serious about living the AA way of life.
Contents – 12 Tracks
Length – 60 Minutes
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FATHER LEO BOOTH - SAN DIEGO, CA DECEMBER 1998
Father Leo, originally from England, begins this talk by reciting the words to the song, “Rudolph the Red Nosed reindeer. With his great British accent, he says “Because it’s the holiday season I though these words were very appropriate.” He goes on to compare the words to the typical recovered alcoholic’s life. He tells some good jokes about Winston Churchill’s drinking. Father Leo says that he would always draw a lot of attention when he went drinking in bars dressed in full priest’s regalia. He was able to stop drinking for six months after having a depressingly serious talk with his bishop. Father Leo’s sobriety date is July 4th, 1977. Near the end of his talk, Father Leo tells of an important event that happened to him in Atlanta, Georgia. He was approached by a young recovering alcoholic that became very inspired by the words to the Beatles song, “Help.” It’s very interesting how appropriate those words are in describing the life and desperation of the alcoholic’s life.
Content – 9 Tracks
Length – 43 Minutes
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FATHER LEO BOOTH - TACOMA, WA 7-29-94
The very dynamic speaker, Father Leo Booth recorded this Alcoholics Anonymous talk in Tacoma, Washington on July 29th, 1994. Father Leo had 17 years of sobriety at the time he gave this talk. He says, “Alcoholism is a disease of the feelings.” Father Leo keeps stressing the fact that we, as alcoholics, have to remember the pain; otherwise we will go back to drinking. That’s one of the main purposes of an AA meeting. He tells his infamous Drunken Daphne Baptism story; very funny. Father Leo says that after abstaining from alcohol for six months, he took a drink and, “immediately reawakened the lion inside of him,” he wanted to drink alcoholically right then. This is a really great talk by this extremely humorous clergyman. He says a lot of really profound stuff.
Contents – 14 Tracks
Length – 70 Minutes
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FATHER LEO BOOTH - VICTORVILLE, CA 3-11-00
Father Leo, from Long Beach, California recorded this Alcoholics Anonymous talk at the 16th High Desert Convention in Victorville, California on March 11th, 2000. He had nearly 23 years of sobriety at the time. He began his drinking career at a very young age in England. After the very first drink, Father Leo knew he had a friend for life. After a six month period of dryness, he fell off the wagon, went on a hardcore binge, had a terrible car accident and while waiting for police to show up, he had a moment of clarity. He says that a very important aspect of the AA program is being able to choose a God of your own understanding. He talks about how the relapse process usually begins long before picking up a drink. Father Leo says that he’s very much in favor of laughter in recovery. On this recording he sure provides a lot of it.
Contents - 15 Tracks
Length - 74 Minutes
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FATHER PETE WATERS - NEWBURY, OH 5-9-08
Father Pete Waters, from Ontario, Canada delivered this Alcoholics Anonymous talk at the Punderson AA Conference in Newbury, Ohio on May 9th, 2008. He had 47 years of sobriety at the time. Father Pete starts the talk off with a few jokes in his Irish accent. He tells how he attempted to control his drinking. He even took "The Pledge" in the Catholic Church. He went to a priest for counseling but the priest got him drunk. Pete met his future sponsor while hitching a ride to and from work. On January 31st, 1961, he got down on his knees in a jail cell and asked God for help. He hasn’t had a drink since. Father Pete talks about meeting Bill Wilson and traveling with him for seven years. At the end of this recording he reads, "A Touch of the Master’s Hand."
Contents – 11 Tracks
Length – 53 Minutes
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FATHER VAL LAFRANCE - HIS STORY
On this Alcoholics Anonymous recording, Father Val LaFrance delivers his own message of experience, strength and hope. Father Val, a Dominican Priest and a very strong speaker, was raised in a very large and dirt-poor family. His father was a practicing alcoholic when he was growing up and in later years his mother became an alcoholic as well. After he realized he had an alcohol problem, he quit drinking for years at a time but he always came back to the bottle. Father Val tells some very embarrassing drunken stories. He had previously been a theater actor so his voice really booms throughout this recording. A very strong recovery message.
Contents – 16 Tracks
Length – 79 Minutes
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FRANK "CEMENT HEAD" ORSINI - RICHMOND HEIGHTS, OH 5-31-92
Frank, from Toronto, Canada recorded this Alcoholics Anonymous talk at the Freeway Breakfast Group in Richmond Heights, Ohio on May 31st 1992. Frank says he did not grow up in a “Leave it to Beaver” type of home; his house was always in disarray. He is a hardcore believer in keeping AA pure AA; he doesn’t want the program to be watered down with side issues or excuses why people drink. He believes that members of AA should take complete responsibility for their own actions while drinking. He believes that Alcoholics Anonymous needs to get back to the basics. Frank talks very sadly about his mother committing suicide when he was only six years old. He tells about the eleventh step being his favorite even though he was not good at meditation until he realized that he need to practice it like anything else in life.
Contents – 12 Tracks
Length – 57 Minutes
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FRANK JONES - MYRTLE BEACH, SC 12-3-93
Frank Jones, from Valencia, California, recorded this Alcoholics Anonymous talk at the Second Sandpiper Roundup in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina on December 3rd, 1993. Frank says he had a very fear-filled childhood growing up in Danville, Illinois. He reacted to that fear with violence. When he finally took a drink in his teenage years, he didn’t get that magic feeling; he drank and continued to drink because of peer pressure. One of his low points was when he tried to kill his wife but his gun jammed. Later on, Frank’s girlfriend shot him after finding out he got his wife pregnant. After being sober in AA for more than 90 days, Frank wanted to commit suicide. He’s got one hell of a story.
Contents – 12 Tracks
Length – 60 Minutes
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FRANK MAUSER - LINCOLN, NE JANUARY 1981
Frank, from New York City, recorded this Alcoholics Anonymous talk at the Fall Frolic in Lincoln, Nebraska in January of 1981. He says that fear always dominated his life. He was not raised in a family with alcoholism, but mental illness was prevalent. Frank was maladjusted in his early years and alcohol actually prevented him from committing suicide. He was always attracted to bar drinking; he loved the atmosphere. However, during his last year of drinking, he had become very isolated; he shut himself indoors and didn’t want any contact with people. Frank finally stopped drinking on June 10th, 1970. He says he still had suicidal thoughts well into his sobriety. After being sober for about six years, he was offered a job at the AA General Service Office. This was a dream-come-true for him. Frank was very active there and eventually became an AA archivist.
Contents – 10 Tracks
Length – 51 Minutes
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FRANK MAUSER - MT KISCO, NY 7-14-92
Frank is from New York City. He recorded this Alcoholics Anonymous talk at the 12 & 12 Committee Speaker Meeting in Mt Kisco, New York on July 14th, 1992. Frank says, “With a drink in my hand I could say Yes to life.” Shame was Frank’s most powerful emotion because Pride was his biggest sin. Franks said that he didn’t mind being a drunk, he just didn’t want to act like one, and so he took pills for seven years to mask the negative effects of his alcoholism. At the end of this talk, Frank reads a very meaningful and moving letter from Dear Abby.
Contents – 11 Tracks
Length – 51 Minutes
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FRANK MILOS - COLORADO SPRINGS, CO 9-7-90
This Alcoholics Anonymous talk was recorded by Frank in Colorado Springs, Colorado on September 7th, 1990 at the Colorado State Convention. Frank’s date of sobriety is November 3rd, 1971. He says he grew up in a house of fear. His father was frequently drunk and violent. Frank’s childhood was all about secrets; family secrets, personal secrets, etc. Frank tells how he shows newcomers how to “make” an alcoholic in a test tube. Some of the ingredients are: Fear, Pressure, Anxiety, Ego, Depression, Perfectionism, and Inferiority. Frank says, “Change is Painless, It’s the Resistance to Change that Hurts.”
Contents – 15 Tracks
Length – 76 Minutes
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FRANK MILOS - HINSDALE, IL 9-23-93
AA old-timer, Frank Milos from Evergreen Park, Illinois gave this Alcoholics Anonymous talk in Hinsdale, Illinois on September 22nd, 1993. Frank entered the rooms of AA on November 3rd, 1971. He weighed 240 pounds. At that time frank says he looked much older than he does today – 22 years later. In this talk, Frank asks the question, “What is an Alcoholic?” He speaks extensively about what an alcoholic is and is not. He also speaks very positively about the value of recording AA talks and passing the message on to others. Frank tells a lot of his story also. He sums up his talk by saying that in the rooms of AA, he is the best person he can possibly be.
Contents – 12 Tracks
Length – 60 minutes
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