Chuck W. Traverse City, 1994
- 3 hours ago
- 2 min read
Speaker: Chuck W.From: Detroit, MichiganDate: 1994 — exact date not statedEvent: UnknownLocation: Traverse City, MichiganAA Member: YesGender: MaleSobriety Date: January 14, 1980Sobriety at Recording: About 14 yearsExplicit: YesPrimary Topic: Alcoholism, gay identity, spirituality, service, and staying sober through major life challengesThemes: Gay AA, alcoholism, DUI arrests, prescription drug abuse, suicide attempt, sponsorship, the Steps, service work, finding a Higher Power, serious illness, bankruptcy, relationships, AIDS-related loss, grief, self-acceptance, gratitude, and giving back through AA.
Podbean Summary
Chuck W. — The Double Whammy: Gay, Sober & Grateful | Traverse City, 1994
In this 1994 talk from Traverse City, Chuck W. shares more than fourteen years of sobriety and his experience of what he calls the “double whammy” of being both alcoholic and gay.
Chuck describes growing up in Detroit, serving in the Air Force, and a drinking problem that progressed through heavy alcohol use, prescription drugs, repeated DUI arrests, health problems, and eventually the realization that he was sick and tired of being sick and tired. In January 1980, a recovering coworker drove through a snowstorm to take him to his first AA meeting.
That first meeting did little for him, but shortly afterward Chuck attended a Gay Alcoholics Anonymous meeting in Detroit. For the first time, he felt that he had found a place where he belonged. He has remained sober since January 14, 1980.
Chuck reflects on sponsorship, service work, taking inventory, learning to accept himself as a gay man, and developing a relationship with a Higher Power. He shares how serious illness, unemployment, bankruptcy, and the loss of friends and sponsees during the AIDS crisis challenged his recovery but ultimately deepened his reliance on the AA program.
A major theme of Chuck's story is service. From making coffee and chairing meetings to helping organize conferences and working with other alcoholics, he came to believe that sobriety is strengthened by giving away what has been freely given.
Chuck also speaks about separating his alcoholism from his sexuality. For years he believed he drank because he was gay; in recovery, he came to understand that he drank because he was alcoholic—and that being gay was simply part of who he was.
His message is one of gratitude, acceptance, and action: go to meetings, work the Steps, find a sponsor, develop a spiritual life, and give the program away to others.
Historical recording from approximately 1994. Contains adult language and discussions of alcoholism, prescription drug abuse, suicide, sexuality, serious illness, AIDS, death, and grief.
Chuck W. Traverse City, 1994