We Are Family in Reno, NV

we are old

where I've been sitting back there with

if you bring it

I got it the drag queen part because there's several stories story about doing drag and when I grew up in a small town here in Nevada

my parents were divorced when I was about two months old my mother

her self and

others too when America ever heard that name before

yeah

where my grandparents lived and my mother remarried and we moved out to make government

to Iran

at this point in my life my mother let my hair grow down to my shoulders

I was there but number one

little girls clothes in a while when entertaining the neighbors

it was let me let me do it for four or five years until she realized that I was really enjoying it

about twelve years old

seconds later

it like a glove

the blue

right about that and she realized that I was a bit different than the rest of

yes

right in

does your family doctor

we got a few questions like do you like playing with girls is like playing with

why do you like to dress up in

okay so exactly whether Dennis is always

you'll be fine

by drag tendencies

because at that point in my life I realize that whatever it was I was doing I was doing it wasn't it wasn't right it wasn't

the norm

so you

you're very dry

but like the lights will be dimmer

this is really not my good

that story

I got into high school

in this

they grew up in

it was quite a task

I really look forward to

being in high school and

party with all the big boys

and whatever else

probably started I probably drank the very first time when my parents were out of town

friend of mine and I got

gallon of

Burgundy one

and I lived out in the rain out of

so it was quite a little driving

we got to this moment swimming in

got drunk enough to play around with each other

go crazy at reading some other friends and drink and drink and drink

I ended up drinking probably half of the scale of one

yeah but I started to realize that I had to get home before

about seven thirty or eight o'clock at night it was the second are

my friend is there to be

which is the miles of gravel road to my parents house

I started getting sick because the road was the one

well

what the room at the rate of red wine

on the side of the road I get out I do make they get back in the car we go

I didn't get out

and get back in the car and this process will run until we got

at this point all I remember after this is my parents coming home

and I'm going

we went to bed they got up the next morning relate let bedrooms in the basement of the house

my dad

what

well I had gotten

think again

instead of giving up

our

the rail to the bottom of the

we're back

you will never see it

that was the

filled with regular work

what

my dad

I have been drinking for what he didn't say anything about

we we we get all the

as I am right now

I'll be drinking a gallon of water to replace all the the wind blew it for

I got back home that afternoon when I remember my mother saying

right all of the

you don't get ready to do this you're you're grounded problem

in the final part of it the whole

part of it was

it was an awful lot of bad rabbit

there is always wonderful

this high school but I hear that from my parents but that possibly could I went out and partied with the boys and girls and

we did

we can parties

when I was in junior high school

it wasn't really crazy about it because it made me so ****

what was weird about it was would have to go to the store

a couple bags of Doritos

in order to

you know you get that ninety

we went to the stores

wait while we walked in the door everybody was looking at

everybody everybody knew that you were

okay

high school days when

pretty swiftly

I always knew that there was

something

but I didn't know what it was

I got out of high school in seventy four

I wanted to come here to reach out to go to school

but for some reason didn't want me to go that far away

and the

you're going to now go to community college for school

what I never knew

I got to Elko Indian party crazy and wild and drugs

the party was

the party was on the whole time I was there

I didn't settle down I didn't go to school I dropped out of school

it ended up moving back

parents insisted

back home for a while and

decided that

does

further away and

the move to southern California

right here that my first lover there

it's going pretty well I

my parents it wasn't it wasn't a pleasant experience

but nevertheless

or at least it

I got that in California is that had a boyfriend there or we were together for about eight months it was a life

but our relationship centered around drinking

he was a teacher I was a waiter waiter waitress or waiter or

the mainstay of our relationship

looking to

okay we can do

well in that same year

terminal

and I decided that I should move back closer to home

under

I probably hate each other but love together we have a love hate relationship that

but I have brothers or my younger sister even

so I moved back

during

what was

when was that we would get back together in a couple of any year or whenever my mother it was it was obvious that my mother was going to die

so we will get back together again soon

and in the meantime

Texas we lost connection never

back at home in the past the way

and then in nineteen eighty

and then

the first thing you notice about Reno was

ours there were

well there were

at that hearing others probably twelve gay bars

the clean

it was a party

the gas

but a lot of things

I got real heavy into the bar scene

when I first got here

the welcome wagon

bring it in

so for quite a long time right

jobs all right with that one job for three or four years as a chef

the restaurant was there for two or three more years on the floor as

until last September

during my work right

right leg

a few cocktails and feelings at work

it really is a big part of your

welcome

well I was kind of a party animal and

well the first the first

October that I was here they live here

there is a thing called the cars at all

where

have you ever been in

back in the order given our

with that Sir

a woman

several

in this room well it was one that I know was there

it was the runner up

welcome to the top of my head

with

it

probably drag

the real strong because

car for one

for one

it was

I wish I could be a

and I drink

very common

the current

if I was working

like I said

I never have a job because of drinking or drugs or anything like that I never got to the line

I have this story that I

really help but I'm going to

when birthday was my birthday is in October

but I decided I was going to go out and grab

and I had this wonderful little

it

I've been a little

exactly

it was lovely

we're gonna come out I'd planned for a couple of days

back with it when I go back I do

so I brought my computer

when I went home and started getting ready to drink a beer and

I think there will be anything

well I got

the house for the night ask who I was I tried almost didn't work

following

at this point I didn't get

the next morning when I

about everything

but I

all right all right

last of my

embarrassed

you have to go to work the next day and they what happened here

well aid

there's that story and there's another one but I

in progress

very

I was I was to the point where I was drinking

five days a week

sobering up telling myself I would never do it again

going right back at it

in a very big way

I lost all respect for myself at this point

that

at one point in my life will probably not acceptable places for me

unacceptable

more acceptable

they were dying but

I want to be around anymore

in places where

No Way Out

well it's yours ago

almost nine years ago

I was working for murders lover

telling stories embargo but the drugs were there

and they were always available

when your father comes to the programming you're here you're the program you really can't go out because nobody can ignore

I was doing drugs

I was abusing drugs I wasn't even doing this

the things that I was hiding for a living the

the motions that I was trying to trap away push away

well handled by drugs I guess but

I will go to runner

that year

I woke up in the

one of the restaurants bars and

so it is still open

where

okay

they were healthy

to pursue their own

three

our

ask the bartender to call me a cab

the cab

the cab driver drives to what was the rolling hills

what

the treatment center

right well the job that I had

working in a gay bar

so they left me right up your

I had to get my brother to come down and he had to have me arrested

three record custody

through

you talk overnight

I woke up

the county

what is

it was not ready

let me tell you

so I decided to go home in detox myself

what they did

calling back to see if there was an opening for the treatment program there

a week later I got accepted to the treatment program and

I will

well I'm going to lose this job because basically closed down and we can just get a

and get this all straightened out and I'll be fine a great deal

there's really no problem

so

I went through the days of treatment

got a lot of stuff started

in the vicinity

I was there at the center

it didn't really turn

I didn't get it

I didn't want what they had

what is quite

was very very

there was only like four or maybe five people a couple of the people I didn't know that

let me hear

I didn't

I can see what we have in common

I couldn't live without drinking

so I played with the program for about four months

and after about four months I went back out

he was still there and I went right back into it

here's

as I was before

and stayed out for about another year

eighty eight

I was another can Kerr

the retailer Friday afternoon after work with my boss

I've been there probably forty five minutes and he

I had already had

resorted to Cuba

and for beer

that's

there is

I think you're right

they will be here

there was a meeting

on the street

at eight o'clock

I thank myself well unless we give it a try

I will give it one more

I walked into that meeting

gross is a non smoking meeting I sat down with

and we're still quickly told me

it was only about twelve people there

I probably knew

or I'd probably drink with

a couple

after the meeting the phone numbers and talk to me for a few minutes

I don't know

what it was I don't think it was just that particular meeting or any meeting or any particular

or anything but I knew that if I had to

Everclear

get it

in order to direction that I should have to give

the service the group myself that

six months I don't have it and I don't like what's going on

I'll go back out

but I'm going to do what they say

I'm going to do with the

without their own brothers revert to further build

when it happened or what happened I can't tell you how it happened

but

I had to throw away

all the things that happened

two years later

I was the chairman of the very first

excuse the can tell

I can't say that my program is

the program to follow

I do know what the basic steps are like you know what the

what plan for us then what and how to go about the daily living of this program

what does the

we

in eighty eight over that

his

I'm glad that we got

but I was positive but I have this program to fall back on

well

right

sleazy places anymore

I'm good I have

people

the people were for years never

very good friend of mine

away from alcohol poisoning

yeah

a very bad way to go

but

whatever

whatever I'm going to do

I have

accomplished in my life

what I have

I have been back on this program

for more than more than just about

all right I'll go days without

about the program

but when they were in the

do you ever get out of it

the program is always

the problem

one

are you there

in this program

impact with another

I do a lot of

if they do a lot of work out there

the people down in

talk to them on a one on one basis

but I've had a lot of people come up to me

and we're right there

so much because I can go to bars and put on functions and

for

the reason

well right now

I don't drink anymore

well there's a program called

founded

and we're

have you got anything out of my battle

in order

sure

some people travel

to get here

thank you all for coming

it was a dream of mine

five years ago

I was astounded when Margret

but nevertheless very quickly yeah

and I want to thank everyone for being here

because without you we're no where

thank you