He never mentions his sobriety date, Viv is short for Vivian - which is an interesting name for a male.
The son of a North Carolina Methodist preacher, he did not drink until he was 23. He became an atheist or agnostic until he came into AA.
He was a newspaper reporter who sometimes wrote stories in a blackout.
He came into AA in Charleston, SC at a clubhouse next to a bar run by a non-AA who would not serve you a drink if he knew you were in AA.
He was considered especially spiritual among the AA's at the time.
GSSA Archive Cassette # C00-0110
(57 min) (26.3 MB) (id#1429)