Sober 25 years since 3/10/1962, Joe partnered with Charlie P of Oklahoma to carry their passion for the Big Book to thousands through weekend events they called "The Big Book Comes Alive".
Here, Joe is on his home turf sharing his story. He took his first drink 40 years earlier.
He came to realize during sobriety that, "I never could drink."
Joe moved to Arkansas 30 years before because his sister lived there.
He met his wife and one week after getting married he was in the nut house for 30 days. No one on the staff mentioned alcoholism.
"On March 10, 1962 I just gave up on me."
He went back to the nut house voluntarily. One of the patients named Orr brought him a Big Book. It was the first time he heard of AA.
The next Wednesday, another Charlie (not Charlie P who got sober 7 years later) was one of those who brought an AA meeting to the nut house.
Joe shares what it was like to be a black man in AA in 1962.
Listen on WeJoy to Joe's wife, Loubelle McQ, share her Al-Anon story:
Loubelle McQ of Little Rock, AR June 1987 in Lake Degray, AR
(52 min) (6 MB) (id#1528)