1
00:00:00,000 --> 00:00:00,920
 I got all the love.

2
00:00:00,920 --> 00:00:04,460
 My name's Robert Baker, and I am an alcoholic.

3
00:00:04,460 --> 00:00:07,480
 My third 2010 semester of writing days.

4
00:00:07,480 --> 00:00:10,360
 So I've got 15 years, and I'm coming up on a birthday

5
00:00:10,360 --> 00:00:12,220
 soon.

6
00:00:12,220 --> 00:00:15,120
 Hello.

7
00:00:15,120 --> 00:00:18,320
 I drank like there was no tomorrow.

8
00:00:18,320 --> 00:00:21,160
 I started drinking in high school.

9
00:00:21,160 --> 00:00:23,860
 I graduated in 1977.

10
00:00:23,860 --> 00:00:26,760
 And I used to siphon off my dad's homemade wine

11
00:00:26,760 --> 00:00:28,240
 and put it in a jug.

12
00:00:28,240 --> 00:00:32,320
 And we'd drive around, and my friends and I would drink that.

13
00:00:32,320 --> 00:00:34,560
 Shortly after that, I joined the Navy,

14
00:00:34,560 --> 00:00:37,720
 and I was there for two years, six months, and 28 days

15
00:00:37,720 --> 00:00:40,240
 in San Diego.

16
00:00:40,240 --> 00:00:43,040
 And I stayed in San Diego for a while.

17
00:00:43,040 --> 00:00:45,840
 And I started drinking there.

18
00:00:45,840 --> 00:00:50,280
 I went back to New Mexico where I'm from, a little town

19
00:00:50,280 --> 00:00:51,400
 called Hodge, New Mexico.

20
00:00:51,400 --> 00:00:52,760
 I don't advise going there.

21
00:00:52,760 --> 00:00:54,760
 It's just in the middle of the oil field.

22
00:00:54,760 --> 00:00:56,360
 They'll put you to work.

23
00:00:56,360 --> 00:01:02,000
 And I always tried to, and I did this for over 25 years,

24
00:01:02,000 --> 00:01:06,020
 work in places where I could drink and eat for free.

25
00:01:06,020 --> 00:01:10,440
 So I would always be working in a restaurant somewhere

26
00:01:10,440 --> 00:01:12,680
 that was like in direct competition with the country

27
00:01:12,680 --> 00:01:14,640
 club because they were better kippers,

28
00:01:14,640 --> 00:01:16,760
 and they had top shelf liquor.

29
00:01:16,760 --> 00:01:20,840
 And that's what I did in that little town for a good 10

30
00:01:20,840 --> 00:01:22,240
 years.

31
00:01:22,240 --> 00:01:24,560
 And that's where I got my first DUI.

32
00:01:24,560 --> 00:01:28,920
 The judge at the time, I think, was about 84 years old.

33
00:01:28,920 --> 00:01:30,360
 He looked like the crit keeper.

34
00:01:30,360 --> 00:01:35,900
 And he put me in jail, made me go to a class.

35
00:01:35,900 --> 00:01:39,160
 And he said after a year, it would

36
00:01:39,160 --> 00:01:40,840
 be dropped off my record.

37
00:01:40,840 --> 00:01:42,760
 OK, that sounded good to me.

38
00:01:42,760 --> 00:01:46,000
 I took care of business, and I did that.

39
00:01:46,000 --> 00:01:49,560
 And 1981 hit, and I turned 21.

40
00:01:49,560 --> 00:01:53,660
 My friends drove me up to the end of the mountain guides

41
00:01:53,660 --> 00:01:55,220
 in Ruidosa, New Mexico.

42
00:01:55,220 --> 00:01:58,040
 And I remember there were two bottles of Crown Royal.

43
00:01:58,040 --> 00:02:00,040
 There was a bottle of Jack Daniels.

44
00:02:00,040 --> 00:02:01,640
 There was a bottle of Jim Beam.

45
00:02:01,640 --> 00:02:04,720
 And I had a bottle of Crown for myself

46
00:02:04,720 --> 00:02:06,400
 and half the bottle of Jim Beam.

47
00:02:06,400 --> 00:02:09,500
 And I don't remember anything about going up there.

48
00:02:09,500 --> 00:02:12,320
 I don't remember anything about really being there

49
00:02:12,320 --> 00:02:14,180
 at the hotel or anywhere.

50
00:02:14,180 --> 00:02:16,880
 I remember the next morning, I thought I was dead.

51
00:02:16,880 --> 00:02:22,160
 I was laying face down on this perfect green carpet.

52
00:02:22,160 --> 00:02:25,440
 And there were clouds all around me.

53
00:02:25,440 --> 00:02:26,960
 We were high in the mountains.

54
00:02:26,960 --> 00:02:28,440
 And I couldn't see the hotel.

55
00:02:28,440 --> 00:02:29,640
 And I thought, I'm dead.

56
00:02:29,640 --> 00:02:30,320
 I know I'm dead.

57
00:02:30,320 --> 00:02:32,120
 And the clouds raised a little bit.

58
00:02:32,120 --> 00:02:38,520
 I saw a lake, and I saw some geese out there in the water.

59
00:02:38,520 --> 00:02:39,480
 And I was like--

60
00:02:39,480 --> 00:02:41,480
 and I still-- it was awful.

61
00:02:41,480 --> 00:02:43,520
 And then the sun started coming up.

62
00:02:43,520 --> 00:02:45,160
 And I said, something's happening here.

63
00:02:45,160 --> 00:02:46,200
 Maybe I'm not so dead.

64
00:02:46,200 --> 00:02:49,840
 And all of a sudden, the sun came out,

65
00:02:49,840 --> 00:02:51,320
 and I looked over at the hotel.

66
00:02:51,320 --> 00:02:54,200
 And actually, the moon came up, because all my friends

67
00:02:54,200 --> 00:02:57,120
 were mooning me through the window.

68
00:02:57,120 --> 00:03:01,080
 That's the only thing that I remember from that time.

69
00:03:01,080 --> 00:03:03,800
 And we were up there for three days.

70
00:03:03,800 --> 00:03:06,800
 Six years later, it was New Year's Eve.

71
00:03:06,800 --> 00:03:10,800
 And I had worked a long shift in the restaurant,

72
00:03:10,800 --> 00:03:12,120
 went down to the honky-tonk.

73
00:03:12,120 --> 00:03:16,580
 There was, I think, Kitty Wells was singing that night.

74
00:03:16,580 --> 00:03:21,000
 There was all-- and Waylon Jennings.

75
00:03:21,000 --> 00:03:24,360
 And I watched them for a while.

76
00:03:24,360 --> 00:03:27,520
 And I had three Jack and Cokes.

77
00:03:27,520 --> 00:03:28,960
 It tasted like Jack and Coke.

78
00:03:28,960 --> 00:03:32,080
 They were making them, like, triple strong for me.

79
00:03:32,080 --> 00:03:34,120
 And I might have had three.

80
00:03:34,120 --> 00:03:37,040
 Then I had that last one for the road.

81
00:03:37,040 --> 00:03:40,760
 And it's 15 miles back to town from where the High Lonesome

82
00:03:40,760 --> 00:03:41,360
 was.

83
00:03:41,360 --> 00:03:44,840
 And they gave me a full glass to go.

84
00:03:44,840 --> 00:03:49,480
 Put it on the dashboard, and put my car in reverse.

85
00:03:49,480 --> 00:03:51,640
 And my friend said that my car spun

86
00:03:51,640 --> 00:03:55,040
 around for about a minute and a half in the parking lot,

87
00:03:55,040 --> 00:03:57,720
 in this gravel parking lot.

88
00:03:57,720 --> 00:03:58,800
 No other cars were there.

89
00:03:58,800 --> 00:04:00,160
 It was 4 o'clock in the morning.

90
00:04:00,160 --> 00:04:02,960
 And I woke up and realized what had happened.

91
00:04:02,960 --> 00:04:05,000
 I had spilled my drink all over myself.

92
00:04:05,000 --> 00:04:06,200
 I was really pissed.

93
00:04:06,200 --> 00:04:10,240
 Broke down the drive and took off down the highway.

94
00:04:10,240 --> 00:04:12,240
 And I get about five miles down the road

95
00:04:12,240 --> 00:04:17,160
 and realize I'm on the wrong side of a two-lane double

96
00:04:17,160 --> 00:04:18,120
 highway.

97
00:04:18,120 --> 00:04:19,800
 There was nobody out at 4 in the morning.

98
00:04:19,800 --> 00:04:21,680
 And that was a good thing.

99
00:04:21,680 --> 00:04:25,160
 I went out on the other side, got into town,

100
00:04:25,160 --> 00:04:27,320
 stopped at all the lights.

101
00:04:27,320 --> 00:04:28,240
 I drove fine.

102
00:04:28,240 --> 00:04:30,960
 The police were behind me from the time

103
00:04:30,960 --> 00:04:33,560
 that I had gotten right into town

104
00:04:33,560 --> 00:04:35,520
 and passed that first light.

105
00:04:35,520 --> 00:04:37,360
 And they said I drove fine, except I

106
00:04:37,360 --> 00:04:41,560
 slowed through a stop sign about a block from my house.

107
00:04:41,560 --> 00:04:45,200
 So they decided to pull me over in front of my house.

108
00:04:45,200 --> 00:04:46,960
 They had their lights on for about a block.

109
00:04:46,960 --> 00:04:49,120
 I didn't see them, maybe two blocks.

110
00:04:49,120 --> 00:04:51,320
 And I parked perfect in front of my house.

111
00:04:51,320 --> 00:04:53,080
 But I poured myself out of the car.

112
00:04:53,080 --> 00:04:56,320
 I crawled all the way up the walkway to my house.

113
00:04:56,320 --> 00:04:58,400
 And they put the handcuffs on me as I'm

114
00:04:58,400 --> 00:04:59,880
 putting the key in the door.

115
00:04:59,880 --> 00:05:01,840
 And I said, all I want is an aspirin.

116
00:05:01,840 --> 00:05:02,840
 And they took me to jail.

117
00:05:02,840 --> 00:05:04,880
 And that was an absolute mess.

118
00:05:04,880 --> 00:05:06,320
 That was eight years later.

119
00:05:06,320 --> 00:05:11,240
 And the same cryptkeeper gave me time to do community service.

120
00:05:11,240 --> 00:05:12,800
 I decided I'm leaving town.

121
00:05:12,800 --> 00:05:17,360
 And I came out to Los Angeles when I was 29,

122
00:05:17,360 --> 00:05:18,600
 almost 40 years ago.

123
00:05:18,600 --> 00:05:22,720
 I met a guy that I stayed with in Palm Springs.

124
00:05:22,720 --> 00:05:26,360
 And I ran a gay hotel with 26 rooms.

125
00:05:26,360 --> 00:05:28,640
 And it was just one big party.

126
00:05:28,640 --> 00:05:31,800
 I hardly remember anything about being in Palm Springs

127
00:05:31,800 --> 00:05:36,240
 because we had a lot of nose candy, a lot of it.

128
00:05:36,240 --> 00:05:39,720
 I only did crystal meth once for 10 years.

129
00:05:39,720 --> 00:05:44,760
 I remember when my dad passed away in '93,

130
00:05:44,760 --> 00:05:46,480
 I went back for his funeral.

131
00:05:46,480 --> 00:05:49,720
 And I got another DUI in my hometown

132
00:05:49,720 --> 00:05:52,080
 by a guy that I used to go to high school with,

133
00:05:52,080 --> 00:05:56,760
 driving a turquoise Impala, 1970 Impala, in '93.

134
00:05:56,760 --> 00:06:00,800
 And he said that he didn't like the way I was driving

135
00:06:00,800 --> 00:06:02,840
 and that I talked too much.

136
00:06:02,840 --> 00:06:03,840
 So he took me to jail.

137
00:06:03,840 --> 00:06:09,360
 And the same judge, all those years later,

138
00:06:09,360 --> 00:06:12,760
 put me in county, gave me a year in county

139
00:06:12,760 --> 00:06:18,120
 and 180 hours of community service, an $1,800 fine,

140
00:06:18,120 --> 00:06:24,560
 six psychiatric evaluations, and a five-year probationary

141
00:06:24,560 --> 00:06:26,680
 period in New Mexico not to drive.

142
00:06:26,680 --> 00:06:31,160
 They came and got me out of jail after I'd done seven days.

143
00:06:31,160 --> 00:06:33,040
 I did the psychiatric evaluations.

144
00:06:33,040 --> 00:06:36,760
 And the guy says, why don't you just go back?

145
00:06:36,760 --> 00:06:38,520
 I said, I got family out here.

146
00:06:38,520 --> 00:06:41,200
 So I did everything I was supposed to do.

147
00:06:41,200 --> 00:06:42,960
 I did my timeline.

148
00:06:42,960 --> 00:06:44,480
 And then I came back to California.

149
00:06:44,480 --> 00:06:49,120
 At that time, my ex was dying.

150
00:06:49,120 --> 00:06:53,920
 And all my friends in the late '80s and through the '90s

151
00:06:53,920 --> 00:06:55,920
 were dying like crazy.

152
00:06:55,920 --> 00:06:57,920
 It was the saddest time of my life.

153
00:06:57,920 --> 00:07:00,840
 And I met my partner now, Robert--

154
00:07:00,840 --> 00:07:02,440
 his name is also Robert--

155
00:07:02,440 --> 00:07:04,480
 in '94, April of '94.

156
00:07:04,480 --> 00:07:08,880
 In fact, in a week, we'll be together for 32 years.

157
00:07:08,880 --> 00:07:09,760
 I had been--

158
00:07:09,760 --> 00:07:12,360
 I stopped doing drugs at that time.

159
00:07:12,360 --> 00:07:16,560
 But I kept drinking because it was the fun thing to do.

160
00:07:16,560 --> 00:07:22,160
 So for 15 years of that relationship, I drank.

161
00:07:22,160 --> 00:07:23,400
 I drank heavy.

162
00:07:23,400 --> 00:07:27,280
 They have pictures of me all over the world

163
00:07:27,280 --> 00:07:31,480
 on ships in nice restaurants with my face down

164
00:07:31,480 --> 00:07:35,120
 in food, asleep.

165
00:07:35,120 --> 00:07:37,160
 I've-- absolutely.

166
00:07:37,160 --> 00:07:38,600
 Very classy.

167
00:07:38,600 --> 00:07:39,240
 Very classy.

168
00:07:39,240 --> 00:07:43,120
 Just an absolute mess.

169
00:07:43,120 --> 00:07:46,080
 And I went to get my driver's license one day.

170
00:07:46,080 --> 00:07:47,960
 Well, I don't remember anything about being

171
00:07:47,960 --> 00:07:49,000
 anywhere in the world.

172
00:07:49,000 --> 00:07:50,360
 I have lots of pictures.

173
00:07:50,360 --> 00:07:51,720
 And we've been all over the world.

174
00:07:51,720 --> 00:07:56,280
 We're in all different countries and all kinds of places.

175
00:07:56,280 --> 00:08:00,800
 '94, around '99, I went to go get my driver's license renewed.

176
00:08:00,800 --> 00:08:02,880
 And I've been in California for a long time.

177
00:08:02,880 --> 00:08:06,240
 And they said, Mr. Baker, you have a red flag

178
00:08:06,240 --> 00:08:09,520
 on your card from New Mexico.

179
00:08:09,520 --> 00:08:11,520
 Oh, I take that back.

180
00:08:11,520 --> 00:08:13,560
 I didn't have it that time.

181
00:08:13,560 --> 00:08:15,200
 But it did happen.

182
00:08:15,200 --> 00:08:17,880
 It just happened after I got sober.

183
00:08:17,880 --> 00:08:20,680
 I got sober in 2010 after I tried

184
00:08:20,680 --> 00:08:22,640
 to set the house on fire when I--

185
00:08:22,640 --> 00:08:25,520
 all I did was take a muscle relaxer

186
00:08:25,520 --> 00:08:28,000
 and drink half a bottle of vodka and try

187
00:08:28,000 --> 00:08:29,400
 to cook dinner at the same time.

188
00:08:29,400 --> 00:08:33,680
 If this would work, you always burn the house down.

189
00:08:33,680 --> 00:08:37,320
 So my partner was really upset with me

190
00:08:37,320 --> 00:08:41,120
 and didn't like that I was drinking so much.

191
00:08:41,120 --> 00:08:45,240
 I used to come down the hill from Universal Studios.

192
00:08:45,240 --> 00:08:46,560
 Excuse me.

193
00:08:46,560 --> 00:08:48,880
 Used to work there too.

194
00:08:48,880 --> 00:08:51,680
 Elysian Park, where Dyer Stadium is.

195
00:08:51,680 --> 00:08:54,560
 And every single day at 2.30, we'd get off work.

196
00:08:54,560 --> 00:08:57,000
 And I'd come down and get a couple of beers

197
00:08:57,000 --> 00:09:00,440
 and drive home to the valley.

198
00:09:00,440 --> 00:09:04,400
 And I did that for years and drank a lot of vodka.

199
00:09:04,400 --> 00:09:10,840
 When I finally, 2010, had my last drink,

200
00:09:10,840 --> 00:09:14,280
 it was a regular July 2nd.

201
00:09:14,280 --> 00:09:16,840
 And I'd asked myself, do I have enough medicine

202
00:09:16,840 --> 00:09:17,600
 for the weekend?

203
00:09:17,600 --> 00:09:20,360
 And it was going to be July 4th weekend.

204
00:09:20,360 --> 00:09:23,640
 So I went to Costco, and I got a big bottle of sky vodka

205
00:09:23,640 --> 00:09:27,560
 because it had the pint cooked to it for free.

206
00:09:27,560 --> 00:09:29,880
 And it was $19.99.

207
00:09:29,880 --> 00:09:33,180
 And in the grocery store, sky vodka was $30.

208
00:09:33,180 --> 00:09:34,640
 So if you bought three bottles, it's

209
00:09:34,640 --> 00:09:36,020
 almost like getting one for free.

210
00:09:36,020 --> 00:09:38,880
 So Costco was good for me for a long time.

211
00:09:38,880 --> 00:09:42,920
 But that day, I literally was throwing up in my sink.

212
00:09:42,920 --> 00:09:44,920
 And I looked out the window, and I asked God.

213
00:09:44,920 --> 00:09:47,960
 I said, God, is this the last drink I have to take?

214
00:09:47,960 --> 00:09:50,560
 And I was throwing up, trying to take some in, throwing up,

215
00:09:50,560 --> 00:09:51,840
 trying to take some in.

216
00:09:51,840 --> 00:09:53,760
 Finally got some vodka in, and it stayed.

217
00:09:53,760 --> 00:09:56,520
 And I drank that whole bottle in about an hour and a half.

218
00:09:56,520 --> 00:09:57,440
 It didn't hit me.

219
00:09:57,440 --> 00:09:59,280
 I drank myself sober.

220
00:09:59,280 --> 00:09:59,960
 It didn't work.

221
00:09:59,960 --> 00:10:01,880
 And Robert came home that night.

222
00:10:01,880 --> 00:10:03,160
 We went out to dinner.

223
00:10:03,160 --> 00:10:05,400
 I had a couple of cocktails at dinner.

224
00:10:05,400 --> 00:10:07,120
 We went to theater.

225
00:10:07,120 --> 00:10:10,280
 And during that time, it all hit me at the same time.

226
00:10:10,280 --> 00:10:12,000
 I thought there were 20 guys in line.

227
00:10:12,000 --> 00:10:13,640
 I had to pee, so I peed.

228
00:10:13,640 --> 00:10:16,200
 I was wearing khakis, and I'm in the middle of the lobby.

229
00:10:16,200 --> 00:10:18,640
 And I just put my coat in front of me like I always should.

230
00:10:18,640 --> 00:10:20,900
 And I couldn't wait on those 20 guys.

231
00:10:20,900 --> 00:10:22,760
 So I went out behind the theater.

232
00:10:22,760 --> 00:10:25,520
 And the door closed behind me, so I locked myself in the alley.

233
00:10:25,520 --> 00:10:26,680
 Staggered around to the front.

234
00:10:26,680 --> 00:10:28,800
 I couldn't figure out which theater to get back into.

235
00:10:28,800 --> 00:10:30,880
 There's only one theater on Lancashire Boulevard.

236
00:10:30,880 --> 00:10:32,120
 It's the Portale.

237
00:10:32,120 --> 00:10:37,560
 And I fell, and I'm laying there in beautiful clothes,

238
00:10:37,560 --> 00:10:39,980
 peed all over myself, watching the water go by on Lancashire

239
00:10:39,980 --> 00:10:40,480
 Boulevard.

240
00:10:40,480 --> 00:10:42,560
 God kicked my ass to the curb that night.

241
00:10:42,560 --> 00:10:45,640
 And up to that point, that was my life,

242
00:10:45,640 --> 00:10:48,840
 just an absolute mess, one mess after another.

243
00:10:48,840 --> 00:10:50,080
 And Robert was done.

244
00:10:50,080 --> 00:10:57,240
 He got a call from six women who the paramedics called

245
00:10:57,240 --> 00:10:58,160
 from my phone.

246
00:10:58,160 --> 00:11:00,600
 And they came down to the hospital to be with me.

247
00:11:00,600 --> 00:11:04,560
 And they called him to come down there,

248
00:11:04,560 --> 00:11:08,600
 because that's where I was, just with a 0.42 blood alcohol.

249
00:11:08,600 --> 00:11:11,080
 I would have died that night if I hadn't gone to the hospital.

250
00:11:11,080 --> 00:11:12,480
 Everybody was pissed at me.

251
00:11:12,480 --> 00:11:13,140
 They were done.

252
00:11:13,140 --> 00:11:13,880
 Everybody was done.

253
00:11:13,880 --> 00:11:15,720
 Robert went home, and he started packing.

254
00:11:15,720 --> 00:11:18,520
 And somewhere around 2 o'clock in the morning,

255
00:11:18,520 --> 00:11:20,920
 I was pulling all the needles out of me,

256
00:11:20,920 --> 00:11:22,200
 because I was ready to go home.

257
00:11:22,200 --> 00:11:24,000
 I said, where's my phone?

258
00:11:24,000 --> 00:11:24,920
 What's going on here?

259
00:11:24,920 --> 00:11:25,680
 Why am I here?

260
00:11:25,680 --> 00:11:26,360
 I'm ready to go home.

261
00:11:26,360 --> 00:11:27,520
 They said, no, you have to lay back down.

262
00:11:27,520 --> 00:11:28,280
 I said, no.

263
00:11:28,280 --> 00:11:29,760
 Am I arrested?

264
00:11:29,760 --> 00:11:30,760
 OK, then I'm going home.

265
00:11:30,760 --> 00:11:32,000
 And Robert came and picked me up.

266
00:11:32,000 --> 00:11:33,520
 And he just said, he's done.

267
00:11:33,520 --> 00:11:36,960
 And I said, well, I will call my friend in the morning.

268
00:11:36,960 --> 00:11:39,960
 And something happened to me the next day.

269
00:11:39,960 --> 00:11:44,420
 I called my buddy Kenny, who I'd known for 15 years.

270
00:11:44,420 --> 00:11:47,880
 And anybody that ever come over to our house for a party,

271
00:11:47,880 --> 00:11:49,480
 I always made them a drink.

272
00:11:49,480 --> 00:11:54,320
 I didn't realize, even for 15 years, that he did not drink.

273
00:11:54,320 --> 00:11:56,960
 And every single person that came into my house

274
00:11:56,960 --> 00:11:59,160
 always got a drink, didn't matter what they wanted,

275
00:11:59,160 --> 00:12:00,620
 that they got the drink of the day.

276
00:12:00,620 --> 00:12:03,520
 He always put it away, gave it to somebody else, whatever.

277
00:12:03,520 --> 00:12:04,840
 I was very selfish.

278
00:12:04,840 --> 00:12:07,640
 I had had a dream for over eight years.

279
00:12:07,640 --> 00:12:10,680
 And I dreamed that I'm riding in a vehicle

280
00:12:10,680 --> 00:12:12,320
 without a front end hood.

281
00:12:12,320 --> 00:12:14,240
 And we're parked next to a--

282
00:12:14,240 --> 00:12:16,120
 we're driving along, and we park under a tree

283
00:12:16,120 --> 00:12:17,080
 next to a blue fence.

284
00:12:17,080 --> 00:12:18,360
 And there's kids' play equipment.

285
00:12:18,360 --> 00:12:21,080
 And there's a bicycle tied to a light post down the street.

286
00:12:21,080 --> 00:12:23,360
 And I turn, and there's a dark figure,

287
00:12:23,360 --> 00:12:25,600
 who I always thought was death, and a wall

288
00:12:25,600 --> 00:12:27,720
 crosses behind this dark figure.

289
00:12:27,720 --> 00:12:30,880
 And I had that dream many times over eight or nine years

290
00:12:30,880 --> 00:12:31,720
 before that night.

291
00:12:31,720 --> 00:12:35,080
 And I always would drink more because I didn't

292
00:12:35,080 --> 00:12:36,520
 want death to come and get me.

293
00:12:36,520 --> 00:12:39,200
 And that was my justification to drink more.

294
00:12:39,200 --> 00:12:41,640
 But when my friend Kenny came to get me the next day,

295
00:12:41,640 --> 00:12:43,360
 I'm driving along with him.

296
00:12:43,360 --> 00:12:44,840
 And I realize I'm in a vehicle that

297
00:12:44,840 --> 00:12:47,880
 doesn't have a front end because we're in a van.

298
00:12:47,880 --> 00:12:51,480
 We park under a tree next to a blue fence.

299
00:12:51,480 --> 00:12:53,280
 And there's play equipment in the backyard.

300
00:12:53,280 --> 00:12:56,480
 And there's a bicycle tied to the light post down the street.

301
00:12:56,480 --> 00:12:57,800
 And there's a wall crosses.

302
00:12:57,800 --> 00:12:59,960
 And I know I'm not asleep.

303
00:12:59,960 --> 00:13:01,080
 I'm wide awake.

304
00:13:01,080 --> 00:13:02,120
 And I start crying.

305
00:13:02,120 --> 00:13:04,680
 And I look over because I knew I was going to die right then.

306
00:13:04,680 --> 00:13:05,720
 That's where my head was.

307
00:13:05,720 --> 00:13:07,640
 And it's my friend Kenny, my Eskimo.

308
00:13:07,640 --> 00:13:11,040
 I had a deja vu and spiritual experience all at the same time.

309
00:13:11,040 --> 00:13:14,320
 My first time that I went to a meeting of Alcoholics Anonymous

310
00:13:14,320 --> 00:13:17,960
 because he took me to the Comercio meeting

311
00:13:17,960 --> 00:13:21,960
 on Saturday night, which is being lived there tonight.

312
00:13:21,960 --> 00:13:23,520
 And that's when they gave me my book.

313
00:13:23,520 --> 00:13:24,440
 And I didn't want a book.

314
00:13:24,440 --> 00:13:25,680
 And I didn't want to know you.

315
00:13:25,680 --> 00:13:28,600
 And I didn't want to know him in that way.

316
00:13:28,600 --> 00:13:29,840
 I didn't want to read a book.

317
00:13:29,840 --> 00:13:31,320
 I didn't want to know what's in this book.

318
00:13:31,320 --> 00:13:32,560
 So I said, thank you for the book.

319
00:13:32,560 --> 00:13:33,680
 Thank you so much for the book.

320
00:13:33,680 --> 00:13:34,600
 Signed their name in it.

321
00:13:34,600 --> 00:13:35,760
 They put telephone numbers in it.

322
00:13:35,760 --> 00:13:37,280
 I was like, thank you for reading it for the book.

323
00:13:37,280 --> 00:13:38,320
 And I took it home.

324
00:13:38,320 --> 00:13:41,520
 And I realized that the night before, I had said,

325
00:13:41,520 --> 00:13:43,360
 God, this is the last drink I have to have.

326
00:13:43,360 --> 00:13:44,800
 God kicked my ass with a curb.

327
00:13:44,800 --> 00:13:46,920
 I had a 0.4 blood alcohol.

328
00:13:46,920 --> 00:13:48,520
 And I'm alive.

329
00:13:48,520 --> 00:13:50,000
 And my dream came true.

330
00:13:50,000 --> 00:13:51,320
 I'm an emotional alcoholic.

331
00:13:51,320 --> 00:13:53,000
 And every time I get emotional, I

332
00:13:53,000 --> 00:13:57,080
 know that this thing is working for me because it's real.

333
00:13:57,080 --> 00:13:58,760
 It hits my heart every single time.

334
00:13:58,760 --> 00:14:01,800
 I said, OK, God, if you want me here, I opened up the book.

335
00:14:01,800 --> 00:14:02,960
 And I said, I need a sign.

336
00:14:02,960 --> 00:14:05,080
 I had the audacity to ask God for a sign.

337
00:14:05,080 --> 00:14:08,160
 Under my finger, I read, nothing, absolutely nothing

338
00:14:08,160 --> 00:14:09,840
 happened to God's role in my mistake.

339
00:14:09,840 --> 00:14:12,040
 That's the first time I'd heard that.

340
00:14:12,040 --> 00:14:14,600
 That's the first time I'd read it ever.

341
00:14:14,600 --> 00:14:16,320
 But I thought it was a pretty good sign.

342
00:14:16,320 --> 00:14:18,160
 So I said, OK, I'll stick around for a year.

343
00:14:18,160 --> 00:14:23,160
 And in that year, I met a lot of people.

344
00:14:23,160 --> 00:14:24,600
 I did a lot of meetings.

345
00:14:24,600 --> 00:14:28,320
 I have seven of these little booklets.

346
00:14:28,320 --> 00:14:30,080
 And I also read my book.

347
00:14:30,080 --> 00:14:33,160
 In fact, my book is falling apart.

348
00:14:33,160 --> 00:14:34,240
 It's all written through.

349
00:14:34,240 --> 00:14:36,200
 It's all marked up like crazy.

350
00:14:36,200 --> 00:14:38,080
 The whole front end is a supplement

351
00:14:38,080 --> 00:14:39,080
 to the rest of the book.

352
00:14:39,080 --> 00:14:42,480
 But I wrote down, because that's the way my brain is,

353
00:14:42,480 --> 00:14:45,000
 every meeting that I ever went to for the first year

354
00:14:45,000 --> 00:14:48,680
 in seven of these books, who led it, what the topic was,

355
00:14:48,680 --> 00:14:52,480
 where it was, telephone numbers, and people that are still

356
00:14:52,480 --> 00:14:56,600
 in my life today, and I know what day I met them on.

357
00:14:56,600 --> 00:15:00,040
 I can't remember people's names hardly at all anymore.

358
00:15:00,040 --> 00:15:03,000
 Because eight years-- it's 11 years now--

359
00:15:03,000 --> 00:15:04,200
 I had a stroke at podium.

360
00:15:04,200 --> 00:15:08,000
 But during that first year, I had

361
00:15:08,000 --> 00:15:10,800
 to renew my driver's license.

362
00:15:10,800 --> 00:15:12,720
 And they said, Mr. Baker, you have

363
00:15:12,720 --> 00:15:15,680
 a red flag on your license.

364
00:15:15,680 --> 00:15:17,040
 And I said, what do I do?

365
00:15:17,040 --> 00:15:18,680
 We'll call New Mexico.

366
00:15:18,680 --> 00:15:19,840
 So I called.

367
00:15:19,840 --> 00:15:25,600
 And this little woman named Nadine said, May Hagen.

368
00:15:25,600 --> 00:15:29,920
 And I said, well, I've got this thing that happened.

369
00:15:29,920 --> 00:15:33,080
 I had-- I needed to renew my driver's license.

370
00:15:33,080 --> 00:15:37,000
 And she goes, well, it looks like you had your third DUI

371
00:15:37,000 --> 00:15:39,000
 sometime back-- your second DUI sometime back,

372
00:15:39,000 --> 00:15:40,720
 but you never finished everything.

373
00:15:40,720 --> 00:15:43,120
 You were supposed to put an interlock system on your car

374
00:15:43,120 --> 00:15:45,040
 and pay $250.

375
00:15:45,040 --> 00:15:46,640
 And now it's over $3,000.

376
00:15:46,640 --> 00:15:47,680
 It's been years.

377
00:15:47,680 --> 00:15:49,560
 But you still have to do it, because we're not

378
00:15:49,560 --> 00:15:50,560
 going to release it.

379
00:15:50,560 --> 00:15:53,240
 And I said, I've been in Alcoholics Anonymous.

380
00:15:53,240 --> 00:15:55,000
 I'm doing the program.

381
00:15:55,000 --> 00:15:56,120
 I'm in the fellowship.

382
00:15:56,120 --> 00:15:58,200
 And she goes, you're in recovery, honey?

383
00:15:58,200 --> 00:15:59,440
 And then I remembered.

384
00:15:59,440 --> 00:16:02,600
 I graduated with Nadine in high school in 1977.

385
00:16:02,600 --> 00:16:05,000
 So we started talking about pubs.

386
00:16:05,000 --> 00:16:06,840
 My mother was an alcoholic.

387
00:16:06,840 --> 00:16:10,800
 And I said, do you go to the Tumbleweed Club?

388
00:16:10,800 --> 00:16:12,160
 And she said, sure.

389
00:16:12,160 --> 00:16:13,760
 I said, my mother started that meeting.

390
00:16:13,760 --> 00:16:15,560
 She goes, this is what I want you to do.

391
00:16:15,560 --> 00:16:17,440
 And this is where I know that the fellowship is

392
00:16:17,440 --> 00:16:18,680
 bigger than my backyard.

393
00:16:18,680 --> 00:16:20,720
 She goes, you call this guy in Santa Fe.

394
00:16:20,720 --> 00:16:22,480
 You're telling your story and everything.

395
00:16:22,480 --> 00:16:25,680
 And let him know, and he'll be able to take care of this

396
00:16:25,680 --> 00:16:26,160
 for you.

397
00:16:26,160 --> 00:16:26,900
 So I called him.

398
00:16:26,900 --> 00:16:28,480
 I told him who I was.

399
00:16:28,480 --> 00:16:30,440
 I told him I had the DUI.

400
00:16:30,440 --> 00:16:31,360
 I've got this.

401
00:16:31,360 --> 00:16:32,880
 I've got this problem.

402
00:16:32,880 --> 00:16:35,240
 And he goes, well, you've still got a interlock system

403
00:16:35,240 --> 00:16:36,080
 on your car.

404
00:16:36,080 --> 00:16:37,720
 You've got to pay the $3,000.

405
00:16:37,720 --> 00:16:39,040
 And I said, well, Nadine's sick.

406
00:16:39,040 --> 00:16:40,160
 He goes, you know Nadine?

407
00:16:40,160 --> 00:16:41,800
 He goes, why didn't you leave with that?

408
00:16:41,800 --> 00:16:43,440
 I said, I'm in recovery.

409
00:16:43,440 --> 00:16:44,560
 You're in recovery?

410
00:16:44,560 --> 00:16:46,080
 He said, that's a wonderful thing.

411
00:16:46,080 --> 00:16:48,040
 Because I'm going to tell you what I'm going to do.

412
00:16:48,040 --> 00:16:49,120
 I'm going to release this for you,

413
00:16:49,120 --> 00:16:51,920
 and you're going to have to pay the original $200,

414
00:16:51,920 --> 00:16:54,640
 but you don't have to put the interlock system on your car.

415
00:16:54,640 --> 00:16:57,840
 So I know that the Fellowship of Alcoholics Anonymous

416
00:16:57,840 --> 00:17:01,440
 is not only a wonderful, safe place,

417
00:17:01,440 --> 00:17:03,280
 but it's also a network of people

418
00:17:03,280 --> 00:17:06,720
 that help each other in all the same way they can,

419
00:17:06,720 --> 00:17:08,160
 which absolutely blows me away.

420
00:17:08,160 --> 00:17:11,840
 I got to go with my buddy Don Crandall

421
00:17:11,840 --> 00:17:15,920
 to the International Convention in Atlanta in 2015.

422
00:17:15,920 --> 00:17:18,840
 I traveled with him all kinds of different places.

423
00:17:18,840 --> 00:17:22,960
 We'd get in the car and go to Saddlebarber on a Tuesday,

424
00:17:22,960 --> 00:17:27,240
 go to a dive meeting where there's only like five people

425
00:17:27,240 --> 00:17:28,720
 and two of them are us.

426
00:17:28,720 --> 00:17:31,240
 And then we'd go to Joe's Cafe and have lunch,

427
00:17:31,240 --> 00:17:32,000
 and we'd come back.

428
00:17:32,000 --> 00:17:33,840
 And one time he wanted to go up to Hesperia,

429
00:17:33,840 --> 00:17:35,240
 and I said, "Why on God's green earth

430
00:17:35,240 --> 00:17:36,520
 would anybody go to Hesperia?"

431
00:17:36,520 --> 00:17:38,240
 He goes, "Well, I'm going to go up there and I'm going to speak

432
00:17:38,240 --> 00:17:39,680
 and I want you to be there with me."

433
00:17:39,680 --> 00:17:40,160
 OK.

434
00:17:40,160 --> 00:17:43,120
 So we go and we go to lunch, and I met this woman, Kathy,

435
00:17:43,120 --> 00:17:46,240
 and she had about 47 years of sobriety at the time.

436
00:17:46,240 --> 00:17:50,200
 I reached my hand out, and she goes, "No, no, no, honey.

437
00:17:50,200 --> 00:17:52,040
 That's not the way to do it.

438
00:17:52,040 --> 00:17:53,640
 We give hugs."

439
00:17:53,640 --> 00:17:58,400
 She gave me that unselfish AA hug

440
00:17:58,400 --> 00:18:01,720
 that broke down every wall inside me.

441
00:18:01,720 --> 00:18:05,080
 Somewhere around my second or third year,

442
00:18:05,080 --> 00:18:06,360
 and I still have walls up.

443
00:18:06,360 --> 00:18:10,360
 That's when I started getting commitments

444
00:18:10,360 --> 00:18:14,000
 and welcoming people into the Fellowship of Alcoholics

445
00:18:14,000 --> 00:18:15,560
 Anonymous by standing at the door.

446
00:18:15,560 --> 00:18:17,640
 People would come up, "Oh, God, he's a hugger."

447
00:18:17,640 --> 00:18:20,800
 So I learned real quick who to hug and who not to hug.

448
00:18:20,800 --> 00:18:22,440
 Welcome.

449
00:18:22,440 --> 00:18:23,840
 But I've had a lot of fun with it.

450
00:18:23,840 --> 00:18:27,040
 Crandall took me up to Canada, all the way to the very top.

451
00:18:27,040 --> 00:18:28,800
 It was snowing sideways.

452
00:18:28,800 --> 00:18:33,520
 And about 20 degrees below zero, and a guy up there,

453
00:18:33,520 --> 00:18:38,840
 Cecil Corrigal, he is gone now, had 60 years of sobriety.

454
00:18:38,840 --> 00:18:42,160
 And he had had a stroke, and it was difficult to understand

455
00:18:42,160 --> 00:18:43,800
 what he was saying, but when he would

456
00:18:43,800 --> 00:18:46,320
 talk about the big buck of Alcoholics Anonymous,

457
00:18:46,320 --> 00:18:48,120
 it was as clear as a bell.

458
00:18:48,120 --> 00:18:50,440
 At his birthday, he got up at the podium,

459
00:18:50,440 --> 00:18:52,400
 and it was like he didn't mess up the beat,

460
00:18:52,400 --> 00:18:56,440
 because he'd done that story so many times in every province.

461
00:18:56,440 --> 00:19:02,520
 And if you look up Cecil C. 1984,

462
00:19:02,520 --> 00:19:06,480
 you'll find him speaking here at the International Convention

463
00:19:06,480 --> 00:19:08,160
 in Los Angeles.

464
00:19:08,160 --> 00:19:09,800
 Hilarious guy.

465
00:19:09,800 --> 00:19:14,480
 But he was a very big stickler about the big buck coming in,

466
00:19:14,480 --> 00:19:17,480
 sitting on sofas in his meeting room,

467
00:19:17,480 --> 00:19:20,320
 because that's how it started in people's living

468
00:19:20,320 --> 00:19:22,000
 rooms, sitting on a sofa.

469
00:19:22,000 --> 00:19:23,920
 So there were only sofas in that room.

470
00:19:23,920 --> 00:19:25,640
 But everybody in there had a big buck.

471
00:19:25,640 --> 00:19:26,440
 That was the thing.

472
00:19:26,440 --> 00:19:27,960
 You had to have your big buck.

473
00:19:27,960 --> 00:19:31,040
 And I noticed all you guys came around and shook my hand today.

474
00:19:31,040 --> 00:19:33,880
 Everybody walked around the room and shook everybody's hand

475
00:19:33,880 --> 00:19:35,800
 every single time.

476
00:19:35,800 --> 00:19:39,600
 And his big proponent was the manual

477
00:19:39,600 --> 00:19:41,400
 for this thing between your ears.

478
00:19:41,400 --> 00:19:42,920
 It's page 84 to 88.

479
00:19:42,920 --> 00:19:48,520
 And 84 to 88 is supposed to be read every day.

480
00:19:48,520 --> 00:19:51,720
 And you do your step 10 every day.

481
00:19:51,720 --> 00:19:55,480
 And I did that for a very long time.

482
00:19:55,480 --> 00:19:58,400
 And when I stopped doing it, I have a forgetter.

483
00:19:58,400 --> 00:20:01,680
 And the simple instructions that show us what to do

484
00:20:01,680 --> 00:20:04,320
 and tell us how to do it and what's on those pages

485
00:20:04,320 --> 00:20:05,960
 left me for a little while.

486
00:20:05,960 --> 00:20:09,240
 And when I read it on a regular basis

487
00:20:09,240 --> 00:20:12,160
 or I listen to it on an app, if somebody else read it to me

488
00:20:12,160 --> 00:20:14,400
 while I'm driving, I remember.

489
00:20:14,400 --> 00:20:16,960
 And it helps me, especially now that I've had that stroke too.

490
00:20:16,960 --> 00:20:19,760
 It's such an important tool to have

491
00:20:19,760 --> 00:20:22,880
 those four pages of instructions how to live our lives.

492
00:20:22,880 --> 00:20:25,880
 I wish more people outside of the fellowship

493
00:20:25,880 --> 00:20:28,960
 of Alcoholics Anonymous had those pages.

494
00:20:28,960 --> 00:20:34,280
 I also learned from Crandall that any time you take a cake,

495
00:20:34,280 --> 00:20:36,240
 any time you speak from the podium,

496
00:20:36,240 --> 00:20:39,200
 any time you lead a meeting, you wear a coat and tie.

497
00:20:39,200 --> 00:20:44,000
 And I think it was about seven months into my sobriety,

498
00:20:44,000 --> 00:20:48,880
 my friend Jeff sent me down to a speaker meeting

499
00:20:48,880 --> 00:20:55,640
 with a buddy of mine, Adam, from down in the city of industry.

500
00:20:55,640 --> 00:20:58,360
 And I spoke, really didn't know what I was saying.

501
00:20:58,360 --> 00:20:59,800
 I didn't have a lot of information,

502
00:20:59,800 --> 00:21:02,680
 but I gave my experience, strength, and hope

503
00:21:02,680 --> 00:21:04,680
 for that seven months.

504
00:21:04,680 --> 00:21:08,000
 And some people came up and shook my hand.

505
00:21:08,000 --> 00:21:08,920
 Well, I liked it.

506
00:21:08,920 --> 00:21:10,960
 And I thought, well, I'm going to be the tie guy,

507
00:21:10,960 --> 00:21:13,480
 and I'm going to wear all kinds of crazy ties

508
00:21:13,480 --> 00:21:17,080
 as if any of you alcoholics out there and some of you drunks

509
00:21:17,080 --> 00:21:20,000
 would even realize that I had a tie on in the first place.

510
00:21:20,000 --> 00:21:21,920
 I went out and I bought dead guy ties.

511
00:21:21,920 --> 00:21:23,920
 I went to garage sales.

512
00:21:23,920 --> 00:21:27,080
 I went to all kinds of places to get ties.

513
00:21:27,080 --> 00:21:31,440
 So within about six or seven months, I had about 500 ties.

514
00:21:31,440 --> 00:21:35,160
 I didn't get asked to speak or leave

515
00:21:35,160 --> 00:21:38,120
 a meeting for almost three years.

516
00:21:38,120 --> 00:21:41,880
 And I realized that when I finally was asked again,

517
00:21:41,880 --> 00:21:44,120
 I had studied my book, and I got humble.

518
00:21:44,120 --> 00:21:49,000
 I truly got humble with myself and realized I'm the problem.

519
00:21:49,000 --> 00:21:51,840
 And I've been trying to give away these ties every year.

520
00:21:51,840 --> 00:21:54,360
 I still have so many different ties.

521
00:21:54,360 --> 00:21:58,440
 I might have another 200 to go, and I've got ties.

522
00:21:58,440 --> 00:22:02,080
 So if anybody needs a tie for when

523
00:22:02,080 --> 00:22:04,960
 you are going to be leading a meeting,

524
00:22:04,960 --> 00:22:08,680
 speaking somewhere else, please come up and take a tie.

525
00:22:08,680 --> 00:22:09,800
 Much more fun, by the way.

526
00:22:09,800 --> 00:22:11,000
 I thought that was one of mine.

527
00:22:11,000 --> 00:22:14,680
 Oh, and my buddy here, he wore his tie

528
00:22:14,680 --> 00:22:16,200
 that he got three years ago.

529
00:22:16,200 --> 00:22:18,680
 Texted me and said, I'm going to wear your tie,

530
00:22:18,680 --> 00:22:20,320
 and I want you to give me a birthday cake.

531
00:22:20,320 --> 00:22:22,520
 So he's got his tie.

532
00:22:22,520 --> 00:22:24,840
 When I first came into Alcoholics Anonymous,

533
00:22:24,840 --> 00:22:30,080
 there was a group of women in the Valley Club who said,

534
00:22:30,080 --> 00:22:30,640
 welcome.

535
00:22:30,640 --> 00:22:32,720
 You've landed in your family of understanding.

536
00:22:32,720 --> 00:22:33,360
 Your poem.

537
00:22:33,360 --> 00:22:35,760
 I remember their names.

538
00:22:35,760 --> 00:22:37,400
 I can see their faces today.

539
00:22:37,400 --> 00:22:40,760
 I'm in contact with a few of them still.

540
00:22:40,760 --> 00:22:42,960
 And one of them has passed on.

541
00:22:42,960 --> 00:22:47,640
 Those women became an intricate part of my sobriety

542
00:22:47,640 --> 00:22:48,920
 for the first several years.

543
00:22:48,920 --> 00:22:52,040
 And being who I am and where I'm from,

544
00:22:52,040 --> 00:22:55,160
 I was afraid I was somebody else who was going to hurt me.

545
00:22:55,160 --> 00:22:58,240
 And I've always been afraid of letting anybody

546
00:22:58,240 --> 00:23:00,280
 know very much more about me.

547
00:23:00,280 --> 00:23:05,000
 I go to three different men's stags, one of them

548
00:23:05,000 --> 00:23:07,400
 on a regular basis that I've been going

549
00:23:07,400 --> 00:23:12,200
 to for the last three years, and being with those men

550
00:23:12,200 --> 00:23:14,000
 and brothers of understanding.

551
00:23:14,000 --> 00:23:17,960
 It has made such a difference in my life

552
00:23:17,960 --> 00:23:23,160
 to be able to be a true friend and a true brother

553
00:23:23,160 --> 00:23:26,480
 to other men in the Fellowship of Alcoholics Anonymous.

554
00:23:26,480 --> 00:23:29,880
 And to be able to give something back

555
00:23:29,880 --> 00:23:31,480
 that was given me so freely.

556
00:23:31,480 --> 00:23:34,600
 I know for a fact that I'd be dead right now.

557
00:23:34,600 --> 00:23:36,960
 I've been a caretaker for my husband Robert

558
00:23:36,960 --> 00:23:38,040
 for the last seven years.

559
00:23:38,040 --> 00:23:44,520
 He's been on whole hemodialysis, first four years

560
00:23:44,520 --> 00:23:45,760
 in the kitchen in a chair.

561
00:23:45,760 --> 00:23:50,360
 And then we were able to get him a nocturnal set up

562
00:23:50,360 --> 00:23:51,920
 for the last three years.

563
00:23:51,920 --> 00:23:54,920
 And this last December, he got a new kidney.

564
00:23:54,920 --> 00:23:57,240
 And he's been on anti-rejection drugs.

565
00:23:57,240 --> 00:24:01,160
 And about 20 days ago, he got sepsis

566
00:24:01,160 --> 00:24:04,160
 and has been in the hospital.

567
00:24:04,160 --> 00:24:06,600
 He's been home for about seven days now.

568
00:24:06,600 --> 00:24:12,120
 And we're doing three-hour shifts of IV antibiotics

569
00:24:12,120 --> 00:24:13,040
 three times a day.

570
00:24:13,040 --> 00:24:13,880
 And it's been tough.

571
00:24:13,880 --> 00:24:15,480
 We've got nine more days of that to go.

572
00:24:15,480 --> 00:24:19,120
 But I was put here for a reason, to be of service.

573
00:24:19,120 --> 00:24:23,800
 And if you don't know what the ABCs, A, B, and C really

574
00:24:23,800 --> 00:24:28,240
 means in the big book of Alcoholics Anonymous,

575
00:24:28,240 --> 00:24:31,400
 in the back there of a portion of chapter five,

576
00:24:31,400 --> 00:24:34,360
 it's the ashtrays, the brooms, and the chairs.

577
00:24:34,360 --> 00:24:37,400
 And that's how we can participate

578
00:24:37,400 --> 00:24:40,480
 in our own sobriety, is to take care of our clubhouses,

579
00:24:40,480 --> 00:24:43,280
 take care of our meeting halls, and make sure

580
00:24:43,280 --> 00:24:45,200
 that the place is set up.

581
00:24:45,200 --> 00:24:48,720
 So when somebody walks through that door, like I did,

582
00:24:48,720 --> 00:24:50,360
 they're welcome with open arms.

583
00:24:50,360 --> 00:24:52,800
 And I just want to--

584
00:24:52,800 --> 00:24:55,120
 I can't say any more about the fellowship of Alcoholics

585
00:24:55,120 --> 00:25:01,640
 Anonymous, except when Don took me up to Canada,

586
00:25:01,640 --> 00:25:04,600
 and he had his 50th birthday.

587
00:25:04,600 --> 00:25:07,240
 About seven years later, we had a big party for him.

588
00:25:07,240 --> 00:25:10,080
 And eight or nine of those guys--

589
00:25:10,080 --> 00:25:13,440
 nine of them-- came down from Canada.

590
00:25:13,440 --> 00:25:18,280
 And after his big birthday bash with over 350 people,

591
00:25:18,280 --> 00:25:19,680
 they all came over to my house.

592
00:25:19,680 --> 00:25:24,200
 To be able to have met people in other countries,

593
00:25:24,200 --> 00:25:28,500
 other parts of the world, in places far away,

594
00:25:28,500 --> 00:25:32,840
 and still be close to them today in Alcoholics Anonymous

595
00:25:32,840 --> 00:25:34,260
 brings us all together.

596
00:25:34,260 --> 00:25:35,680
 And we're still in contact.

597
00:25:35,680 --> 00:25:39,640
 I cherish those relationships.

598
00:25:39,640 --> 00:25:41,840
 I cherish those friendships.

599
00:25:41,840 --> 00:25:46,920
 And the new friendships that I'm able to make today

600
00:25:46,920 --> 00:25:48,640
 have made a lot of difference in my life.

601
00:25:48,640 --> 00:25:52,440
 Thank you so much, Abraham, for having me out tonight.

602
00:25:52,440 --> 00:25:58,080
 Thank you, quality of life, for inviting me again.

603
00:25:58,080 --> 00:26:00,360
 And I really appreciate it.

604
00:26:00,360 --> 00:26:01,400
 You mean a lot to me.

605
00:26:01,400 --> 00:26:02,360
 Thank you.

606
00:26:02,360 --> 00:26:05,700
 [INTERPOSING VOICES]