Vivian, sober since January 3, 1990, has a beautiful story of forgiveness for herself. Her nine year old daughter was killed in an auto accident while Vivian was driving under the influence. Vivian was born in Columbia, SC. Her father was a raging alcoholic. Though she has no memory of him, she swore she would never be like him. She had severe ulcers and was in the hospital for most of the first nine years of her life. She was pronounced dead several times. Paregoric- a strong opiate- became a central part of her treatment. She met a man 11 years older while she was in high school. They got married and had a daughter and a son. She drank too much while they were dating and continued after marriage to go out on weekends getting wilder as time went on. She walked out on her family to pursue drugs and alcohol. She hung with dangerous people. She carried a 357-magnum in her purse. A woman she hired to work in her shop introduced her to AA. She met Michael E of Evans GA (female alcoholic) and Michael's sponsor Polly P. They took her through the steps. Michael was there with her when they stood by Vivian's daughter's grave and had a remarkable spiritual experience.
(46 min) (15.8 MB) (id#345)
