Below is a raw transcript from the audio recording by
Authur T. in 2022.(Click to go back)
My name is Arthur, I'm an alcoholic. And you know, part of my story is I was a flight attendant. So I just want you to know that ethics signs are right behind you. The lavatories are through the door and to the left. And there is a water station directly at the back of the room. I just wanted to get that straight.
You know, I come into this room and I just got really emotional walking in here. Because in 1999, the green was my first embar that I attended. You know, and my sobriety date is February 2nd, 1999. And my home group is the Mighty Muffins of Carmel Valley, not Carmel. I just want to be clear on that. You know, I mean, I grew up in Monterey.
I heard people referring to me as Hawaiian Arthur. I'm Filipino. And I was born in Hawaii, but I was raised here on the Monterey Peninsula. You know, my family's been in Carmel for a lot, a lot of years, but I still call Monterey my home because this is where I started, describing to all my schooling. You know, I did what I was told to do in school. I had my sisters who were really smart.
And when I'd enter a class, we were all four years apart. You go, oh, we have another trick, I said, oh, please don't expect the same thing for me. Because it's just not going to happen. Recess was my favorite. It was my favorite class. You know, I'm just going to skip through the growing up and all of that.
I do want to mention one thing, though. The reason we ended up here is my father was military. He was a military officer, an army officer. And that in and of itself was really challenging for me because I'm the youngest. I'm the only son, and you'll hear later on my story how it changed significantly later on. I went away to UC Santa Barbara, and I didn't go there.
You know, I was told if it's a drinking school, I didn't drink. And every now and again, we'd go to the office club, and I would have a Harvey Wallbanger, and that would last me for the whole evening. And it was just because it was crazy. This is what kind of did in high school. We would dress up in coat and tie with our girlfriends and go to the office club and ballroom dance. There was just a really different sort of high school experience.
I was in Key Club, Spanish Club. I went to May. I had my first drink with May. I had my first drink with May in Guymas. We were on a Spanish trip. Yeah, I was in Spanish club.
We were on a trip. And my first real drink was a slow-gen fizz. And one of those I thought I was feeling tipsy. So that's just where I was. When I went away to Santa Barbara, I went there because my parents were sending me to school. And I didn't drink.
I mean, I remember my mom and I said, can I have a bottle of Bacardi rum? And she'd buy me a pint, and that would last me a whole month, if you can imagine that. However, when I wanted to go to the, I was really excited and my girlfriend would go home for the weekends. Because then I can explore other bars that she wouldn't understand why I would go to them. And I'd have to get really, really drunk to go in there and to do what I was doing. And that was just part of my story.
And on graduation, my two roommates were also from the peninsula. And they said, they introduced me to Jack. And we were walking over the stadium. We are the administration lawn. We were drinking Jack Daniels all the way. So I was blasted by the time I got there.
And I remember my parents, my mom, saying, honey, are you okay? I go, you know, I think I'm a little bit sick, but I'm not sure. I graduated from Santa Barbara and I moved back to Hawaii. That was my first job that I took was managing a beach club in Waikiki. And when I got there, you know, I was really clean cut in college. And when I got there, I thought, you know what?
I'm no longer under my parents. So I grew my hair down. I got my ear pierced. My uniform was a lava lava. This piece of cloth. And I would just say, a little, how welcome to the Islander Beach Club.
My name is Arthur. I'm an alcoholic. My name is Arthur. And if you need anything, please, please ask me for help. And the president of the company found out that I have a lot of friends. And she said, you know, we always want the beach club to be full.
So please invite your friends to come and drink. And I thought, oh, this is going to be great. So that's what I did. And you know, they got to drink my ties on the house. And I figured, well, if they got to do it, then I'm going to do it. And that's what I do.
I would get to work. I would drink my tie and I would drink my ties all day, go home, take a nap, have dinner, and then hit the clubs at night. You know, the company I work for also wanted to send me on fam trips for me. Orization trips to the island. But I was not willing to leave my clubs. I just wasn't willing to do that.
So I just thought, no, I don't need to go there. I got hired by the airlines when I was there as a flight attendant. And actually, you know what? I have to tell you something. When I got to do my sexual conduct fourth and fifth step, my trip, my stay in Hawaii was really very much a part of it. And so was when I was a flight attendant.
My buddy, Aubrey, said nobody wants to hear about your travel, world travels. And nobody wants to hear about all the stuff that you did. And it's part of my story. So, you know, I was a flight attendant pre-AIDS. And I was also a flight attendant before p-testing and drug testing. So it was just part of, I mean, it's just what we got to do.
And with my airline, we would have one week layers in Athens, one week layers in Islam about Pakistan. I mean, we just did these crazy trips. And they paid for our hotel. They gave us per diem. And I used my per diem to play. And by playing, my Greek layers were the best because I was just, that's what I did.
I just went and I drank. And I would meet people. And then I would wake up in the morning, not knowing who was laying next to me. And that was just very much part of my story. And, you know, I did that for 11 years. That was just, and I was younger then.
You know, I start thinking, can I do it now? And absolutely not. Time changes drinking? No. And I just, you know, I spoke to some of my friends that are still flying. And they said they go, it's not the same.
You know, they do these turnarounds and all of that. And with us, it was about where's the next party. You know, that's what we got to do. Well, I did that for 11 years. My father died here. And we had an insurance agency in Carmel.
And when my father died, my mom said, honey, you know, there were relationships. When I was a flight attendant, there were relationships. I actually had a 14 year relationship. And my sponsor, Jim, my second sponsor said, you know, give your ex a name. His name was Greg. And he left me because of my drinking and my drug use after 14 years.
You know, we ate the house on the hill, the animals, the cars, all of that stuff. But he left me because of my drinking and drug use. And it was just really, you know, he continued being a flight attendant. I just, I won't forget this. I came home from work one day and he said, I'm leaving. And I go, are you going on a trip?
And he said, no, I'm leaving you. And I said, you're not going to leave me. It was my arrogance. We own too much. People look at us in a certain light, you know, money prestige power is what used to drive me. And I must tell you, today, being a clean and sober member of Alcox Anonymous, that is no longer one of my main focuses.
Vanity is still one of my character defects. So I re-tied my tie in the bathroom before having entered this too long. I took over the insurance agency and at first I said, mom, the insurance business is not anything I want to do. And she goes, honey, you can use your passport twice a year if you agree to do this. So Greg and I moved back to Carmel. And I ended up being an agent and then I ended up being the regional manager for an insurance company.
And you know, the progression of my disease was really, really significant because what I started drinking every day, I would drink at work, you know, in my storage room, in my office, I remember having a bottle of stoli and I just hit it as soon as I got there. I also took anti-anxiety medication and I would chase it with vodka. And that's what I did. After a while Greg left me, he just couldn't stand it anymore. So he left and I just thought, well, this gives me permission to drink as much as I want and do as much as I want. You know, our house was on the realest grade and the corral market over in Carl De Quiara.
I went to the grade one time and the guy goes, so where do you live? And I said, oh, and I named the name of our house. And he goes, oh, the man that lived there was an alcoholic. And I thought, I wonder if he's telling me that for a reason because when I didn't go to Costco because I'd do those Costco runs and vodka was my drink. However, I would go and get one of those flat things at Costco and when Greg would leave, I would put all kinds of alcohol on there because I didn't want the checker to think as an alcoholic as if they give a rat's ass what you're getting. You know, I'd have the gin.
I just had everything there. And that's what I did when Greg left. I just drank. You know, the one Christmas I do remember is I remember decorating the house. And it was we had this hillside. And I remember decorating the house and then getting lost and taking the lights up the hill.
And I thought, okay, I'm in trouble. And then I fell down. And I knew this was in December of 1998. Well, my drinking continued. And at the end of my drinking, I drank a handle of vodka a day. And that's just what I did.
And I did dry goods so I can drink that much more. And it was just one of those, you know, in the 11th step prayer when they talk about despair, shadows, sadness. That's where I lived. I lived there on a daily basis. And at one point, what I ended up doing is I got into my car. I got into my car.
My mom gave me this car when she retired. And it had 12 cylinders and there was a sports car. And my office was in Carmel. And I remember driving back and forth. I go, Arthur, you can't continue living like this. And I just thought, you know, I've got to do something.
I'm also, I was insurance business. I was really heavily insured. I had a lot of life insurance. And I just thought, you know what? I need to do something. And I remember sitting in my office one night and I called suicide prevention.
Because I thought, you know what? I know this. I'm going to take my life. Because I can't. How am I going to explain this to anybody, you know, that I'm an alcoholic? And there's just so much sadness there.
And I, on January the 29th, 1999, a week before I had chosen where I was going to drive off Lorella's grade. And I had to make sure that wherever I drove off, there wasn't going to be anything to prevent me from going over the top down a cliff. I just had to be real sure there's only one place. Don't look for it. There's only one place on Lorella's grade that that exists. And actually there are two, but there's one in particular that I was looking at.
And I remember being at my office and drinking, going to my home and drinking as much as I possibly could, and then chasing it with my dry goods that I use. I'm a cochadic too. And I was ready. So I got into my car and I floored it and I started going up the grade. And right before I broke through, I remember my brother-in-law. I have a German brother-in-law who's really stayed.
And I have a Jewish brother-in-law who was a real partier. And I remember his voice very loud and clear. And I'm going to call it divine intervention. I heard his voice say, Arthur, go ahead. Drive off the cliff. And you'll be paralyzed.
You'll be fucking paralyzed from the neck down. And I thought at the very last minute I slammed on the brakes and I sat in my car, I was perpendicular to the L'Orélès grade. And those of you that are from here know that's a really well-traveled corridor. And I swore that I was in my car for 15 minutes just weeping. Because I thought, what am I going to do? So I drove home and I called my sister who lives up in a rind up north.
And I said, Carol, I have a problem and I was just weeping. And they weren't used to that for me. And she goes, is it your health? You know, during the age crisis I buried a lot of my friends to AIDS, a lot of my friends. And I go, what are you talking about? She goes, do you have AIDS?
And I said, no. I think I'm an alcoholic. And she said, what are you talking about? And you know, I was really good at doing passengers or boarding. I was really good at doing that until it stopped working. And the reason I mentioned that is because when I went to the Mighty Muffins for my first meeting, and I'm going to tell you some of the people in this room that were at my first meeting.
And I will be forever grateful for taking my hand. So I called my sister and I told her what I said and she goes, I'll call you right back. She calls my other sister who lived locally. And they found a place that a human being answered the phone. And it was the Camp Recovery Center's up in Santa Cruz Mountains. And my sister calls me back.
She goes, there's a person there. You know, my memory is very clear now. Her name is Ms. Chiline. Please call her and there's a place for you. So I called Ms.
Chiline. And you know, she asked me all these questions, how much do you drink? And I said, a lot. And do you do other drugs? Oh yeah, how much a lot. And she said, well, you know, your sister called and we have a place for you here.
This was Friday and you can check your calendars. The 29th of January 1999 was a Friday. And I thought, hmm, I tell you what, why don't I wait until Monday? And then I'll give you a call. And that's exactly what I did. And I went all out with my drinking and drugging.
In the meantime, Greg, who had moved out of our house, asked if he could move back in. And you know, we owned the house together and I called my attorney who happens to be my god brother. And I said, do I have to let him back in? He goes, you own the house together. You know, and I was driven up there. Greg took a leave of absence from work.
And he went on sick leave actually. And then my friend Michael drove me up. Michael, I went to first toy communion with. And he and I have been friends. So we were in second grade. We've been on shift for that long.
And they drove me up in this big manly man truck. I'll never forget it. And they told Greg to pack for me. And I end up guzzling a bottle of wine and smoking a joint. And I jumped into the truck. And Greg looks at me and goes, did you just drink?
And I said, absolutely not. Why would you think so? So driving up to Santa Cruz Mountains. And when we got there, Michael goes, you don't belong here. You don't have that bad of a problem. And I said, you know what?
You don't know how much I was drinking and using. Because I never did in front of you. You know, I just feel careful. I was real careful until it stopped working for me. So you get to this place and I'm thinking, they show me to my cabin. And those of you that know me know I'm not a cabin dweller.
And I was going to be sharing this cabin with three other people. With one bathroom. And I arrived with my teal feather bed. My teal European square pillow. My Louis Don Duffleback. And I just thought I was all that.
My sister told me I was only going to be there for a week. And when I got there, people came up to me and they said, you're a newcomer. And I said, I am. And I go, you know, 28 days goes by really fast. And I go, oh, I'm only here for a week. And I remember walking away.
Erigance is one of my, is a real big character defect I have. Had and have. And I walked away thinking, these are some sick pups. You know, I was going to take them 28 days to get over this. You know, and I was there for the first week. My sister came up and she goes, you know what?
You're really starting to look a lot better. I go, you're little panelist and you say, oh, my goodness, is leaving your eyes, you're really looking a lot better. And I go, really? Because I go, would you stay for one more week? And all the time I thought this is all the plan. So I said, yes, I will.
You know. And with my family, they, it was going to be paid in cash because they didn't want anybody who know that was in rehab. And my sister came with a water cash and she paid for my first I want miles for an opportunity now. So you know, I stayed there for the 28 days, and when I left, I asked my counselor what do you want me to do? And he said, I need you to go 90, to 90 meetings in 90 days. I need you to find a home group.
I go, what's that? He goes, it's a group where they will miss you when you're not there, and your phone will get blown up. And I thought, I am not into this. And then I want you to find a sponsor. And I said, okay. So I went to the Mighty Muffins, and it was, I went, he goes, oh, by the way, you drink first thing in the morning, so you go to a meeting first thing in the morning, go, what time's the meeting?
It is at 7am Okay. So I thought, okay, five o'clock in the morning, I wake up, blow dried my hair, dressed up, did what I needed to do, so I looked like I was what I consider to be normal. I didn't know very much. And I went, and you know what, there were people here that were at that meeting, at my very first meeting of Alcox Anonymous.
You know, when I hear these things that I love you until you learn to love yourself, I get it, because I get to pay it forward now. And you know, at this meeting, when it comes to the steps, I know I was powerless for alcohol, and my life had absolutely become unmanageable. Coming to believe in a power greater than myself, I wouldn't tell sure about that. However, when I was at the camp, I figured if my counselor can show me how to not drink and use, I think I'm going to let him. I'm going to listen to him. And then I got to the mighty muffins.
And so you know, when I got there, they kept talking about dead people, and I thought, why do they keep referring to dead people? And I understand now, because you know what, my angel at that first meeting was a woman named Miriam. And I remember sitting behind her, and she just turned around, and she tapped me on the leg, and she said, honey, you're going to be OK. And I didn't think so. You know, I didn't think now that I'm not living in this bubble, how am I going to live like this, you know, without wanting to drink first thing in the morning? So the green, keep it simple, 1999, was my first embar.
I did what I was told to do when I got here. You know, I did find a spun well. I didn't find a sponsor right away. Some of you may know Paula B. And Patty H. Patty, well, she's passed away now.
Patty Lafferty. I swore that they were there to just taunt me when I got sober. And I remember getting out of my car, and they were in the parking lot waiting for me. I was that important. They were in the parking lot waiting for me. And Paula would stand and come and she goes, she hasn't spouted yet?
And I thought, man, I need to go to a different meeting. You know, because these people are just, they were just hardcore. And you know what, just to spite her, I asked somebody to be my sponsor. But you know, I was told, my buddy Aubrey says, you know, look for somebody with a twinkle in their eye and a bounce in their step. And that's exactly what I did. I found somebody who had what I wanted.
He had this piece in Serenity. His name is Jerry. And I can say his last name, Shafer, because he committed suicide right from my 13th Serenity birthday. He had relapsed. He saved my life. You know, he just walked me.
He was, I call him my peaceful warriors. And you know, all of my sponsors, Jerry got married and moved away. So then he and I chose my next sponsor. And then he moved away after 11 years. My sponsors really don't move away because of me. And then he said, Arthur, who do you want to be your next sponsor?
And I chose my sponsor. And he said, I trust this man with my life. He said this. So I asked my sponsor, if he my sponsor. You know, I did what I was told to do. I mean, I really did.
When it comes to the steps, I didn't read ahead. Because if I did, I'd get really stressed out. However, I did read the things on the wall. And I remember calling my, I call and Greg my ex. And I said, hi, this is Arthur. And he goes, you call and go apologize for me.
Isn't that the step where you call and go apologize? And the hair on the mind next stood up. And I just said, well, he goes, well, you know what? He's a flight attendant. I'm on my way to Monte Carlo right now. Yeah.
I'm on my way to Monte Carlo right now with my new partner. But I will give you a list of people you need to apologize to. I hung up the phone. I called Jerry and I go, OK, this is not working. And he said, well, what happened? I told him the story I just told you.
And he said, Arthur, I don't recall us having this conversation. I go, what do you mean? He said, you're on the second step. That is the ninth step. And you know, that taught me something. The steps are there in order for reason.
And you know, the steps for me were a stepping ladder. You know, I got to that first step, got to the second step. And I know I keep things, but I did what I was told to do. I had my sponsor. You know, that's another thing. You guys, if you've never been to a sober dance, I encourage you to come.
Because that was one of the first things I did is we had the Pacific group came up. And that was one of the first sober dances I went to. And I went with my sponsor, and he said, he goes, well, let's dance. And I went, what? And he goes, I go, Jerry, you're not gay. And he goes, Arthur, look at the dance floor.
And people were just dancing and having a wonderful time. And nobody appeared. Nobody was coupled up. So you know what? That was one of my introductions to a sober dance. And I spoke about Enbarr.
Miriam said to me, honey, what are you doing this Saturday? And I go, oh, I'm going to have to check. I didn't have anything to do. And she said, well, I want you to come with me to a meeting. And I said, what's the fourth show? I'll tell you when you get there.
And it was this Enbarr meeting in Marina. And she said, you're going to be a greeter. And you're going to be on my committee. And I thought, OK. So that was the first big commitment I did was being a greeter at Enbarr. And I remember standing downstairs.
And I didn't know what to do. All I'd said, hi. Welcome to Enbarr. My name is Arthur. I'm an alcoholic. And people started hugging me.
And I thought, oh, OK. This is going to be one of those things. And I'm used to it because it's just what I do. It was what I was taught to do in the fellowship of Alcox Anonymous. This is what I get to do. I remember one time there was a guy.
I was, this is years later. And I'm a guy came to the door. And we call him Cowboy Pete. And he comes up. And he said, I go, hi. My name's Arthur.
I'm an alcoholic. Welcome to Enbarr. And he goes, this is my first time here. I just got out of rehab. And I said, really? Where'd you go?
And he said, I went to the camp. And I go, me too. Do you want to greet with me? And he greeted with me all day. He went to the meetings. And you know what?
He's still clean and sober. He got married in sobriety. He lives in Arizona. And he's still clean and sober. You know, these are the blessings that were given. I have received so many blessings since I've been sober.
First of all, I've said this before. My family become friends because I'm willing to be honest with them now. And my friends become family. And that's all of you. Dorothy G, who was one of the people that, well, I can say her last name because she's passed to, Dorothy Garland, was this grand damn. I mean, she was just wonderful.
She was from Ireland. And when she'd go to hug you, I would go to hug her. And she goes, oh, no, my dear. It's always hard to heart. And that's what I do here is that's what I always do. And what she also says, and when I first stood up here, I thought she would say, we get to be with the beautiful people of Alcox Anonymous.
As I look out at this room, I know that I'm with the beautiful people of Alcox Anonymous. And if you're new here, it's a wonderful ride. Is it bumpy at times? Absolutely. And in the very beginning, this is what my life looked like emotionally. I was just all over the place.
I'd go to garage sales and come out of the valley. And it was so I can be around people, but I didn't want to talk to people. I just didn't want to be alone. Another thing is I'd pretend, at the muffins, I'd pretend like I was going to work. I didn't go to work for three months. But I dress up and I was going to work.
And that has to do with one of my main points. And that's the way I was living a double life. I mentioned my girlfriend in high school. I had a girlfriend in high school, girlfriend in college. And I finally realized that I don't have to do this anymore. I don't have to do a double life.
I was really afraid when I got to the muffins because I was afraid I was going to be judged. Because I was with a lot of guys in the trades. I'm looking at you now. And I was just a lot of guys in the trades. And I kept thinking, OK, I'm the only two non-white person in this meeting. And I'm gay.
And I'm not going to say it to anybody. But you know what? It didn't make a difference. I got to be loved. And now I get to send. I get to pass that love on to all of you.
That's what I get to do. The blessings that came about with working the steps, having a sponsor telling the truth, is my mom said, honey, what are you going to do? Oh, when I got sober, I moved into my mom's guest house. And I ended up living there. My intention was to live there for six months and then go by another house. And I ended up living there.
I still live there. No. I don't live in the guest house anymore. I actually am blessed because my family left me the home in Karma Valley. And even when my mom was riding up the trust, I said, you know, be very careful with that because she made me as a coach trustee. And I said, you should put something in there that if I relapse, it immediately goes down to my sisters.
And my mom looked at me and she goes, any, you're not going to relapse. But she did say, what are you going to do when I die? You'll be alone. I said, mom, I have our family. And she goes, oh, I know that. And I said, no, I'm talking about my family of alcoholics anonymous.
She said, they are not your family. And I said, oh, they know more about me than you do. They are my family. My mom came to my first sobriety birthday. And I told you, arrogance was one of my character defects. I know some of you were there.
And my first sobriety birthday. It was invitation only. And it was catered. And there were only so many people involved. I was, you know what? I was so full of love.
And it's really not who I choose to be anymore. When my mom died, my mom was diagnosed with Parkinson's. And I got to oversee her care. And you know what? I was even blessed with that, because I was still living in the guest house. But I got to oversee her care.
And I got to be sober for it. I got to be sober for everything. When she died, I mentioned this whenever I share, because it's so important to me. When I walked into the mortuary, I walked in and the whole back row was full. And I thought, well, I got here early. And I turned around.
And it was people of Alcox Anonymous that were there. Also, when I was at the cemetery, and the coffin was right in front of me, everywhere I looked was a mighty method. No, not it was somebody in AA. So I asked a friend, did you guys plan that? Because what are you talking about? And I go, everywhere I looked was one of you.
And he goes, Arthur, this is what we do. And it was Ray. And when he said that, it is what we do. The hand of AA is always there to greet you. You know, we may not all really love each other. No, we may not all really like each other, because we come from different places.
And some people are, I just get my mouth shut when I got sober. I did not share for the first three months, because perfection is another one of my character defects. And I didn't want to sound stupid. I didn't want to be wrong. You know, when I'm sitting here, I'll go look at the time. When I'm standing here, I remember the first time I was asked to share.
And there's this guy named Steve, and he lives in Moab now. But he was the secretary of the St. Dunstan's meeting, 7 o'clock Tuesday night. And every time I'd walk in, he goes, hi, I want you to share today. And I said, oh, no, thank you. And I'd go and sit down.
And I'd go back to my angel Miriam. And I said, there's this guy that keeps bugging me. And he keeps saying he wants me to share. He goes, he said, oh, honey, everybody just wants to get to know who you are. So I told Miriam, I said, OK, I'll do it next Tuesday. Well, unbeknownst to me, Miriam told the mighty muffins.
So when I went into the bathroom to pray, that's what my sponsor told me to do. Go into the bathroom and pray. And I said, I'm not going to tell my knees in there, but I'm going to go into the bathroom and pray. And that's what I did. I walked out, and the mighty muffins were in front of me as they are today. This is what we do.
We get to support each other. Another blessing that I have is I received a phone call from somebody when I first got sober. And she said, can you please convince her ex-husband to move home to Carmel? And I said, what's going on? And she told me. And then his son, who I've known since he was one year old, called me.
And he was now at the time 19. And he said, can you please call my dad and ask him to move home? And I said, OK, because he was living on the east coast. So I did. I said, so what's going on? And he told me.
And I said, well, because he was one of the first people I met at the mighty muffins. I said, I just want you to know there's a place for you. And he moved into my guest house. And he got to detox in my guest house. And I thought, thank God, I don't want to be in the same room. But I don't mind going and looking.
And you know what? He is a sober member of Al-Khalak Sanon, Mr. 3 and 1 half years now. And he's been my best friend since for 23 years. And you know what? These are the blessings that we receive here.
If you haven't been on an Embar committee, I really encourage you to do so. There is one final thing I want to say. I went back to graduate school. My mom said to me, she goes, honey, you don't seem to be really passionate about the insurance business. And I said, you know, mom, you're absolutely right. I'm not.
Because what would you want to do? And I said, I'm going to go back to graduate school. And the reason I went back is because there's somebody sitting in the second row that decided to go to law school. And I thought, if she can do it, I can do it. And she said, so go ahead. Close down the agency.
The agency has been in operation since 1967. She said, close it down. And I go, but mom, she goes, no, close it down. And do what your heart's telling you to do. So I, at 48 years old, went back to graduate school. I graduated exactly 30 years after I got my bachelor's degree.
And you know, everybody was looking for these things called internships. And this guy in AA comes up to me and he goes, so where are you doing your internship? And I go, I know everybody's kind of scrambling, scrambling around. And he goes, I just want you to know there's one waiting for you at the Beacon House. And I started laughing, go as if. And he goes, Arthur, I'm the president of the board of the Beacon House.
And I could, blessings, blessings. So I got to work there for six years. And there are people that are here in this room that were there when I was working there. And then I got to continue working in recovery at other places. Well, this year, when all of my friends at the airlines are, I called my friends and I said, you're not going to believe this. I'm starting a new job.
And they go, Arthur, we're all retiring now. What in the hell are you thinking? And you know what? And I'm going to say this. I'm back at the Beacon House as of last month. And it's called, you see?
And it's called, new start recovery solutions. But you know what? I get to do what I love and love what I do. When I was really confused about whether I should do this or not, I called my sponsor. And he goes, Arthur, what does your heart tell you to do? And my heart told me to take the next right step.
And that's what I get to do here. You know, I learned to love here because I was loved. I learned to reach my hand out to the newcomer. You know, when I first started here, I'm looking at somebody that was here when I had a year. When I first started here, I had jet black hair. And I kept thinking, isn't this wild that after all of these years, I get to greet people and I get to do exactly what I love doing?
So thank you for all being here. Thank you for letting me show. Thank you for that.