"Dumb Guy Approach to the 12 Steps" in San Diego, CA

They they missed that they missed that decade like hell, didn't they? Yeah. Okay. Watch this. We ready?

Go. To answer all questions, to sum up step 9, to answer all questions on page 76, the end of the second last paragraph, it says this, remember, it was agreed at the very beginning, you would go to any lengths for victory over alcohol. Not my decision. If you caught yourself in that agreement, blame yourself. I didn't get you into it.

Okay. 9 is done. Let's go to 10. Let's go to 10. Page 4.

What? 84. Okay. Let's go to 9. Yeah.

I can. 82. 82. Second paragraph down. 3rd paragraph down.

If you with me? Yes. Let's go to the next sentence. Sometimes You with me? Sometimes.

Sometimes we hear an alcoholic say that the only thing he needs to do is keep sober. Certainly, he must keep keep sober for there will be no home. If he doesn't, yet he is a long way from making good wife, parents for whom he's so shockingly treated. Passing all understanding. Mothers, wives, alcoholics.

This has not been so many of us would have no homes and possibly we'd be bedded today if it wasn't for our my wives or mothers and friends who took care of us. Listen to this. Listen to this. 83, top of the page. There is a long period of reconstruction ahead.

We must take the lead. Our remorseful mumbling that we are sorry will not fill the bill. Here's what we ought to do, this is still step 9, we ought to sit down with the family, if you have a family, if you have friends, if you live in a halfway house, or sober living, or whatever term they come up with now, we ought to sit down with the family and carefully glaring, their defects may be glaring, but the chances are that our own actions are partly responsible. So we clean house with the family. Does that include brother in law's?

Each more so we clean house with the family. Each morning in meditation, we ask each morning in meditation that our creator show us the way of patience, tolerance, kindness, and love. Now are we doing something about those defects that we talked about? What if they pop up? Do I does it mean I'm taking it back?

What should I do? Here's what we should do. Each morning in meditation, we ask our creator to give us patience, tolerance, kindness, and love. The spiritual life is not a theory. We are now into a spiritual life.

It doesn't matter if you feel spiritual. You have followed the directions. You are living a spiritual life. Okay? We have to live it.

Alright? Any questions on that? Okay. There may be some wrongs we cannot fully write, next paragraph down. We don't worry about them if we can honestly say to ourselves, we would write them if we could.

Anybody got any examples of that? What? What? That's my girl. That is my girl.

I wanna make amends to my dad. I'm gonna go to the cemetery, and I'm gonna write a letter, and I'm gonna put down I'm not saying don't do that. All I'm saying is this. If he were alive, would you straighten it out? Yes.

Then you're as far as this book is done, you're done with it. If it makes you feel better to put flowers or write a letter or sing songs, I don't care, as long as you'd be willing to straighten it out. Okay? Some people cannot be seen. This was an answer to one of the questions.

We send them an honest letter. There may be a valid reason for postponing in some cases, but we do not delay if it can be avoided. These are these are what? The, foundations. These are the foundations that we're gonna follow forever.

Okay? We're we're not life can be avoided. It'll be sensible, tactful, considerate. This is this is us now. This is us.

We should be sensible, tactful, considerate, and humble without being servile or scraping. More people concentrate on servile and scraping than they do on sensible, tactful, and considerate, but that's not my business. As God's people, we stand on our feet, we don't crawl. If we've been painstaking about this recovery, and then they give you a bunch of little promises, and it's all so nice, and they said it might come true, and it will, and if we work for it, and all of that, and all of that's good. We love the promises, don't we?

We read them at every meeting to where they're boring and insignificant. So here we go now with step 10. The thought brings us to step 10. Now what we have done is we have done everything that we've talked about, we've done all this writing. We've done this 5th step.

We've become willing. We've done this. We've made amends. We're making amends. We're doing all of these things.

We continue to take inventory and continue to set right any new mistakes as we go along. We vigorously commenced this way of living as we cleaned up the past, and that means we're going to do 10, and 11, and 12, this spiritual way of living, as we are doing 9. 9 is not a stopping point. 9 is nothing more than I'm gonna make amends, start making your amends, and that night that night, you pick up your book and do 10 and 11 and 12. Are you with me on that?

Okay. We have entered the world of the spirit. Our next function is to grow in understanding and effectiveness. Up until this point, I have told you, and as the book has told you, just follow the directions. Now you're gonna get understanding of what the hell you've done.

Now you're gonna get to be effective in giving this away. Okay? This is not an overnight matter, it should continue for a lifetime. That means what we are about to do now, we are going to continue for our life time. We are going to continue to watch for selfishness, dishonesty, resentment, and fear.

Are you with me on that? This is gonna be our job for the rest of our life. Every day, I'm going to wake up and I am going to read this. I am going to read that this is my job. I am going to continue to watch for selfishness, dishonesty, resentment, and fear.

When these crop up, these are your directions. This is you now putting your actions into play here, your work. When these crop up, I'm going to ask god at once to remove them. Not if they crop up. I solemnly assure you that they are gonna crop up.

I'm gonna ask God to, at once, to remove them, we're gonna discuss them with someone immediately, and make amends quickly if we have harmed anyone. Those are our directions for this day. Then we're gonna resultly turn our thoughts to someone we can help. Love and tolerance of others is our code. And that my friends is the first time love has been brought into this picture.

Because now we have patience, tolerance, pity, we have save me from being angry, how can I be useful? The results is love. We are now at this point in our life, and here's some more directions that are equally important, we have ceased fighting anything or anyone, and that means if you have gotten into an argument or a pissing contest with anyone, Not what this step says, is it? This is what we're supposed to keep on guard for. Okay.

Now let's back it up. Let's back it up. We're gonna continue to watch for selfishness, dishonesty, resentment, and fear. Remember what I said about procedures earlier. We are going to establish procedures in these steps that we are going to use for the rest of our lives.

Where have we learned to identify selfishness, dishonesty, resentment, and fear? Step 4. We are doing step 4 on a daily basis when we do step 10. You with me? When these crop up, we ask god at once to remove them.

Where have we learned to ask god to remove our defects? Step 7. So if we do this on a daily basis, we are doing step 4 and step 7. We discuss them with someone immediately. Where have we learned to discuss?

5. So we are doing 4, 5, and 7 on a daily basis if we do step 10, and all we're doing is the procedures. See, we columns. Wait. Was it the columns or was it the reviews?

Wait. Was it the reviews or was it the columns? No. We have already got this down, ain't we? They're telling us exactly what to do.

Make amends quickly. Where have we learned to do that? 9. So we're doing 4, 5, 7, and 9 on a daily basis. If we do step 10, all the procedures we learn, then we as outwardly turn our thoughts to someone we can help.

12. 12. Which is what we're gonna do right now. Right? Love and tolerance of others is our code.

What is our code? Love and tolerance of others. What's so difficult about that? Do you know how mad this guy makes me? Do you know how he sticks in my throat?

I hate that shirt like you just can't believe. You got Yeah. You with me on that? Yeah. Have you shared this emotion with me?

Yeah. Absolutely. Look at that ugly shirt. Who could blame me for being mad? Right?

Who could blame me for not liking this guy? But what is my job with this guy? Love and tolerance. Love and tolerance. If that's the shirt you wanna wear, that's just fine.

I want you to know that I really I really really care about you. I hate your I hate your shirt. I didn't say it. I ain't from California. I didn't say it.

But love and tolerance of him is my code that I'm gonna live by. Got that? Make sense? Yeah. Okay.

So What? Yes? This is your real thought. As as a sponsor, 9 is a process. How far into 9 do you like me to be before they go over 10?

No. No. You're not no. Let me say it again. Let me say it again.

Let me read it to you again. This is it. We vigorously commenced this way of living, 10, 11, and 12, as we cleaned up the past. If I start step 9 right now, right now, today, I'm gonna make amends. 1st, I'm gonna make amends to this guy for talking about his ugly shirt, then are, mends and restitution, and if I stay if I want to stay sober, I have to do these things, and I'm truly sorry for what I said, and and I shouldn't have done that.

And, and, tonight when I kneel down, I'm gonna do 10. I'm gonna do 11. Okay? You got that? It's it is one fell swoop.

There is no pause. We are now living this and doing this. Yes? How does that sound to you? What do you mean you don't know?

Of course you know. That's why you're asking the question. How does it sound to you? Does it sound right to you? Sound good to you?

No. Okay. If it doesn't sound good to you, then watch this. Don't do it. Don't do it.

What's that? I said it's easier said than done. Well, that's right. And now you can say now you can say to yourself, I understand what my mother is going through because she's probably sponsoring some jerk just like me, and I will not do that to the guys that I sponsor. And when you do do that, you're gonna say, god, I'm just like my mother.

A human a human being. I have no idea that we're looking for perfection. All we're looking is for progress. Are there guys that I wouldn't sponsor? Are there guys I will not let my home?

Yes. Are there guys I won't help? No. Are there guys that will not let my home? Why?

Because they have done shit to my home that is absolutely incredible. Have I whooped them for it? No. Will I let them in my home? No.

Will I help them with the steps? Yes. Yes. I don't owe you my kids. I don't owe you my home, and I don't owe you my job.

Does that make sense to you? Yeah. That's all. I mean, I've had guy I could tell you stories you wouldn't even believe. Go ahead.

So if this if this guy, ahead. So if this if this guy, really disrespected your household, you went you would work this out to them because love and problems No. No. I would I would help this guy because my staying sober depends on helping other people. Yeah.

My staying sober depends on my service to you and God. Okay? Alright. We're not there yet. Okay?

You with me? Yeah. Let's go to the next page. Alright. I'm sorry.

I said I'm sorry. Let's go down to the bottom of 84. Because we've already given you 12 promises. We've already given you 12 promises. We're gonna give you something now that I think is far superior to the 12 promises.

Okay? And that is this, and this is at step 10. This is at step 10. We have ceased fighting anything or anyone, even alcohol. And if you have worked these steps up until step 10, here's what you got.

For by this time, sanity will have returned. If you have worked up to step 10, you are doing 10, 11, and 12 at the same time. You with me? And if you are doing 10, 11, and 12, sanity will have returned. We will seldom be interested in liquor.

If tempted, we'll recoil from it like a hot plane, and I'll tell you I like that crap. I like that from the bottom of my heart because I'm a drunk. We react sanely and normally, and we find this happens automatically. We will see that our new attitude toward liquor has been given us without any effort on our thought or effort on our part. Do you understand that we're not dealing with drinking and not drinking?

We're dealing with letting God be God and we're gonna be a servant, we're dealing with serving Him and our fellow man, and then we stay sober automatically. Then that happens just by us becoming servants to God and our fellow man. We will see that our new attitude toward attitude toward liquor has been giving us without any thought or effort on our part. It just comes. This, my friends, is the miracle of it.

We're not fighting alcohol and we're not dying to stay sober. We're trying to stop playing god and serve our fellow man, and then and then we get the miracle. It just happens. That's the miracle. We're not fighting it, neither are we avoiding temptation.

We feel as though we've been placed in a position of neutrality, safe and protected. That's from not playing god. God. That's from that third step. That's from finding our peace and happiness, our joy, our service, and fellow into our fellow men.

Okay? We have not sworn off. Instead, the problem has been removed. Drunkenness has been removed. We're neither cocky nor are we afraid.

Our experience, this is we act so long as we keep now, here's the kicker. All of this that I just read you, all of this miracle and all of this promise, we will keep, we will, this will happen, so long as we keep in fit, spiritual condition. And it doesn't mean godly, that doesn't mean holy, what that means is that we are going to take these principles that we have incorporated into our life, and use them one day at a time. Here's some more directions. It's easy to let up on a spiritual program of action and rest on our laurels.

We are headed for trouble if we do, for alcohol is a subtle foe. Remember this, everyone here, we are not cured of alcoholism. We are not cured of alcoholism. What we have is a daily reprieve continued on the maintenance of our spiritual condition. Have you got that?

What we have is a daily reprieve on the maintenance of our spiritual condition. Where have we got the I'll try to remember that. That's where we've gotten our spiritual condition. And now here, listen to this. Every day, I'm not sure this is the direction as much as it is an order.

Every day is a day when we must carry the vision of God's will into all of our activities. How can I best serve thee? Thy will not mine be done. What step? Right back to where we began, isn't it?

It's all here. So if we do a 10 step on a daily basis, we do 3, 5, 7, 9, and 12. You got that? There it is. There it is.

It says this, these thoughts must go with us constantly. This is our job now, isn't it? It's a totally our work now. These thoughts that we're having, we gotta keep in our head. How do we do this?

Well, we exercise our will power along the line all we want. It's the proper use of the will. That's how we do this. We now take this will that we have, our motives and our intentions that are higher and greater than ever before, and we say to ourselves, I'm going to do this. Proper use of the will.

Not often referred to as gangster AA. Scrip, take that off the tape. Why do I put that down? Okay. That's 10.

What, dear? Oh, that's where you were. Oh, okay. Where we are is on page 86. 85.

No. We're on 86. No. Now second paragraph, when we retire at night. Any questions about when we do this?

We do that in the day if we're working graveyard. Right? Whenever you retire. When you retire. Whenever your night is.

I work graveyard. I work graveyard. So when I retire at night, I do this. What I'm talking about right now, I do this. K?

Here's what we do, we constructively review our day. When we before we go to bed, we constructively review our day. Anybody at the beach meeting on Thursday? 1? The girl said I got a problem, and the problem is that when I go to bed at night, I think about drugs and how many speedball 8 balls I gotta put in to get to some kind of, I don't know, plateau or something, and some kind of, I don't know what with, tequila, or, you know, it's similar.

And I just want to shut my brain off, and it won't go off. Has anybody got this problem? And not one, not one out of 20 people got up and said, well, it says here, review your day instead of worrying about your 8 balls. We don't wanna shut our brain off, we wanna use our brain. We want to use our brain.

We want our brain to constructively review our day. We wanna ask ourselves some questions. Was I resentful? Was I selfish? Was I dishonest?

Or was I afraid? Where have we learned to identify this? The procedures we got out of 4. Do we owe an apology? Where have we learned to do this?

That's the procedures we've got in previous in previous steps. Have we kept something to ourselves which should be discussed with another? These are questions you see. Your answer is your answer. I'm gonna lay down at night.

I'm gonna I'm gonna kneel down at night. I'm gonna sit on the crapper at night. I don't care where you do this. Position is not as It's important as technique. Here's the technique.

Here's the technique. I'm gonna ask myself, was I resentful today? It's gotta be a yes or a no. Yes or no? Was I selfish today?

It's yes or no. Was I dishonest today? It's yes or no. This is not an hour long procedure. I've heard people say, my sponsors says, I insist I write my 11 step.

If that's true, show me that in the book, and I'll say then the book says so. If it's not that in the book, then it's another one of them programs. It's another one of them 1,001 ways to stay sober. We're only gonna do it this way. Okay?

Okay. Have I kept something to myself? You should be discussed with another person at once. What's the answer? Yes or no.

Yes or no. That's all it is. It's yes or no. Were we kind and loving towards all? Who knows this?

You do. You do. Will more be revealed to you as you go along in a spiritual life? Yes. What was kind today will might very well be unkind tomorrow.

But that's all we're looking at is today, ain't it? I'm sorry. I'm not gonna do this till I'm sober a year, so that way I'll be more honest. Where's this shit come from? What could we have done better?

Now, this is a question that requires an answer. I could've got the guy a cup of coffee. I could've been more honest. I could've been, look at his pain instead of my pride. I don't care what your answer is.

It's your answer. Okay? What should what where were we thinking ourselves most of the time? Yes or no. Were we thinking of what we could do for others?

Yes or no. What we could pack into the stream of life? Yes or no. But we must be careful not to drift into worry, remorse, or morbid than reflection. I think that it's something to do with estrogen, but I'm not sure for that would diminish our usefulness to others.

Now they're not talking about morbid reflection because it'll make us sad and unhappy. It's their talking about morbid reflection because it'll reduce our usefulness to others. Our whole purpose and idea is to serve others. We're just reemphasizing that. After making our review, we ask God's forgiveness.

God forgive me for being dishonest, but I wasn't I wasn't selfish. God forgive me for being resentful, but I wasn't, the other thing. So that's all we're doing is just asking that. God forgive me. And then, god, what should I do?

What should I do? Take them bagels to work tomorrow. I can do that. I can do that. Thank you.

Then you go to bed. What if you wanna pray more? Pray more. Pray more. Do this.

This is foundation work. Do this. Where do you pray? On my knees. Yeah.

Damn right. Now we're having technique and position. Alright. Go to page 85. Bottom of the paragraph.

Step 11. Isn't that what that says? Step 10, is almost, almost, and I mean this, almost entirely an expression of our desire to serve our fellow man and God. Almost entirely. Remember about the facts and and and faith coming together?

We're putting them together here, ain't we? And we're dependent and relying an awful lot upon us to do the right thing, and God's power when we can't or don't. You got it? Step 11, we finished 10. I'm I'm sorry.

I should've made that clear. I was being a wise guy out there. Okay? Now we're done with our evening part or our retiring part of step 11. Any questions?

See how simple? I mean it's just asking yourself questions, isn't it? Reviewing your day, that's all it is. Reviewing your day. The one big question that could be tough is what should I have done instead?

The other big question that could be tough is, god, what should I do? What corrective measure should be taken? And that calls for some some sitting quietly with god, maybe. Okay? You with me?

Now, on awakening, this is step 11 still, this is step 11 still, this is now starting our day. Alright? Have you noticed anything at all between 10 and 11? What our desire to do in 10, is what we're gonna look to see if we did in 11. It's like, let's check up on the Polish guy.

Who's doing the checking? The Polish guy. The Polish guy. And if I don't work these steps, I I do not have the ability to see and don't care. On awakening, let us think about the 24 hours ahead.

We consider our plans for the day. What plans do you have for today already? Helping others. Whatever the corrective measures are that he said we should do last night. We already know we're gonna do that.

Yes? No? Yes. Yes. Taking bagels.

I already know. I'm taking them bagels. Here's what it says. Before we begin to make plans for the day, before we begin, I'm going to ask God to direct my thinking. So I'm gonna make plans for the day.

I know that I'm gonna take them bagels because that's from yesterday, but I want my thinking to be divorced from self pity, dishonest, and self seeking motives. Sure, god said take them bagels, but I'm gonna take them bagels so that they like me. Not because I really called them a bunch of names the night before. And that's in here, isn't it? We ain't even left the house yet.

We ain't even made a plan yet. What we have done so far in in trying to make our plans is to ask god to direct see how important thinking is playing in here? Our thinking is everything. Divorce my thinking from self pity, dishonest, and self seeking motives. That's the direction.

Here's an addendum to that. Under these conditions, we can employ our mind. We can employ our mental faculties with assurance, for after all, God gave us brains to use. Are you telling me that if you have done these steps and you're only 3 weeks sober, you're supposed to think? Yes.

What it says, is your thinking gonna be a good now as it will be 5 years from now? I don't know. Maybe, maybe not. But we're gonna do it now, ain't it? Because it says, our thought life is gonna be placed on a much higher plane when our thinking is clear of wrong motives.

We're asking God to clear our wrong motives before we even come up with a plan, and we're going to start now making a plan. What if you're planning your day and you've got to face a little indecision? I don't know if I should do this, what should I do that? I asked them to give me this, the most the the motives, but I still got these ideas. Well, here's what we do.

We may not be able to determine which course to take, so here we ask God for an inspiration. God inspire me. Give me an intuitive thought or decision, and then I'm gonna sit down and relax and take it easy. Maybe drink a cup of tea. I ain't gonna struggle.

You're gonna be surprised how often the right answer comes after you tried this for a while. While. You're gonna be even more surprised when you get the wrong answer. Because it says, what usually used to be a hunter, a case of inspiration gradually becomes a working part in my mind. But being still inexperienced and have just made the conscious contact with god is probably not gonna be inspired at all times.

They already know that. They already know that. Nevertheless, we will find that our thinking, as time passes, to be more and more on the plane of inspiration we come to rely upon. It. Now, this is a lot of reading, but it's not a lot of doing.

It's a lot of reading, but it's not a lot of doing. I don't know what to do about this problem. Well, what do you think I should do, God? That's it. That, what we just read, we just did.

That's how simple. If you haven't done it, you can't believe it. If you have done it, you do believe it. I mean, it's it's I'm sorry. Now, we're planning our day, we've asked God to divorce our thinking from self pity, dishonest, and self seeking motives.

If we faced any decision we asked faced any indecision we asked for an intuitive thought or or decision. And now it says, we usually conclude this period of meditation, and that means we're gonna stop here and plan our day. What's my plan for today? What's your plan for today? What did you plan for today, Alphonse?

Come here with me. Come here with me. That's a plan. Is that a plan? When I woke up this morning, I laid out my plan.

I'm gonna wash my clothes. I'm going to go to the dumb guy. I'm gonna try real hard not to use that f word. Oh, yeah. Oh, yeah.

I do. Sure. That's part of my plan. I'm gonna try real hard not to disrespect or make fun of women. Oh, yeah.

Why do I do that? Because I know that this is a weakness that I got. It's something that I do and I don't want to have. I'm planning my day. And what's the other one?

My big one. I'm going to ask God, I ask God, let me feel the people around me, their pain and their problems, so that I might be helpful to them. That's it. That's it. That's my plan for today.

I didn't even plan dinner. I have no idea. What's the question for today? Who are where's what's the question for today? What are we gonna do about dinner?

I don't know. What's Al's answer? Let's eat. I'll let let's what are we gonna do about dinner, Al? Let's eat it.

I love that simple approach. You follow me? So now I've made my plan for the day. What is your plan for the day? I don't know.

You gotta make the plan. But make sure that when you plan for the day, you ask god to divorce your thinking from self pity, dishonest, and self seeking motives, and then you're on a better footing than you've ever been. Okay? Whatever your plan is. My plan is to stay sober.

Those who say sobriety or is enough is unthinking. Oh, that Here's what it says. We're gonna conclude the period of meditation with a prayer. Now, here's the prayer. We've planned our day.

That's called meditation. Can you add to that prayer? Can you add to that meditation? Yes. You wanna stand on your head.

You wanna stand you wanna sit cross legged. You know, I really don't care because all we're doing here is foundation work, ain't it? We're laying foundation work. You can do this and anything, but do this. You can do this and anything, but do this.

So when I'm all done planning my day, I say a prayer, and here is the prayer. God, show me all through the day what my next step is to be. Give me whatever I need to take care of such problems and please give me especially freedom from self will. That's our prayer. That's our prayer.

Covers a multitude of sins, doesn't it? Covers a bunch of the bases. Can you add more to that prayer? Yeah. You bet.

But this is the basis. This is your foundation stuff. Is that a fire alarm? Coffee bill. We ask it.

Coffee bill? Alright. Put a little cream in mine. We ask especially for freedom we ask especially for freedom from self will. Remember that.

That's the deal. What's the 3rd step? 3rd step? I don't wanna be god. I don't wanna put my will on nobody.

I don't want what I want when I wanted. I want god to give me what he wants and that's part of my daily prayer, part of my 11th step. Give me freedom from self will. I'm gonna be very careful to make no request for myself only. I may ask for myself, however, if others will be helped.

We are careful never to pray for our own selfish ends. Many of us wasted a lot of time doing that. It doesn't work. We can easily see why. I don't know if I see why yet or not.

But I knew though I do know that that's the directions. Is that if I want a car, then I can ask god for a car as long as the car is gonna help take you to meetings or help take old folks to hospitals, or help take shut ins food, but I'm praying for a car. The prayer's still the same. The motive and intention is wrong, isn't it? The motive and intention is different.

Can easily see why. Any questions on any of this we've covered so far? If circumstances warrant, we ask our wiser friends to join us in morning meditation. You know how tough that is. You know how tough that is, Ash Girl Lady, would you sit down and pray with me baby cakes?

Would you sit down with me this morning? Let's hold hands, or let's read a book, or let's do something. I do that as often as I can with anybody I I can. I do it, you bet I do it. You want to know why?

Because not only does this book say so, but because I know that this is what god wants me to do. It just feels right. If we belong to a religious denomination that requires a definite morning devotion, we attend to that also. If not members of a religious body, let's do what some of them guys do. Memorize a few set present.

Emphasize the principles we have been discussing. What principles? Love, service, tolerance, patience, all of the principles, whatever principles you think you got inside you. There are many helpful books also. I got a lot of helpful books.

I read a lot of helpful books. Suggesting that these may be attained from a rabbi, a priest, a minister. Be quick to see where religious people are right. Make use of what they offer. Make use of what they offer.

If you turn your mind off to the powers of religion, you are absolutely limiting your spiritual life. You're limiting lip Say that. Limiting. Your spiritual life. This book says so.

This book says so. Not me. As we go through the day, we pause. Now this is action on our part. The proper use of the will.

As we go through our day, we pause when agitated or doubtful. Does anybody go through the day really after being sober? Do you go through the day being agitated? Juju, do you ever get agitated or doubtful? Yeah.

Well, then here's what you should do. You should ask for the right thought or action. That's that's pretty good, ain't it? I mean, they cover all the bases that we're gonna face in the daily process, don't they? We constantly remind ourselves, who is reminding us?

We are the enemy. We are. We're using our brain. We're constantly reminding ourselves that we are no longer running the show. Humbly saying to ourselves many times each day, thy will be done.

Got news for you. That's it. That's 10 and that's 11. Because if we do what we just talked about, we are then in much less danger of excitement, fear, worry, anger, self pity or foolish decisions. It's easy to be a fool, but it's hard to make foolish decisions when you stop and say, what should I do here, god?

Because if god tells you to throw a brick through his window, I don't know. We will become more efficient, we will not tire really easily, we did not directions, not directions. We're not burning up energy foolishly as we did when we were trying to arrange life to suit ourselves. And the reason I read this is that, is that we have spent so much of our lives trying to arrange it the way we wanted it, and it's always been a futile and tiring effort. And once we stop doing that, we have more energy than before.

More energy than before because we're not trying to push the world around. We're alcoholics who are on discipline, so we let God discipline us. Simple as that. Faith without works is dead, and now we go into chapter chapter into step 12. Any questions about what we've read so far?

What we've read so far? Any questions Am I being quoted? I was at a meeting with an old timer from California. Before I've ever been to California, by the way. And the old timer got a conference, a conference, we're at a conference.

And the old timer got up and said, there are people in AA who say God talks to them. And the whole audience laughed. And it was a panel, and I was next on a panel and I got up and I said, If God don't talk to me, then the big book's a liar. And I sat down into my panel. If God don't talk to you, then what we just read is not true, ain't it?

It's not true. If God don't talk to you, you miss something. You've really missed something. I don't know if he's gonna yell to you, if he's gonna talk to you through people, I don't know if he's gonna talk to you in meditation, although it says he will give you the answer. If God don't talk to you, then the big book is a liar.

And we might as throw it away and and do it their way, the other 1,000 ways of staying sober. Did you write this or did you? Any questions? None at all. See how easy that is?

Now I'll admit we covered a lot of bases, but remember this, once we do this hard work in 4, this strenuous effort in 5, we have learned a procedure in 7, we're going to use it for the rest of our lives, but we don't need that pencil and paper anymore, do we? Effort to see where we're dishonest, we see that it's going to be revealed to us, we've learned the procedure, and it's a very pleasant life after that. You'll always face these things, and that's why we always look for them. Step 12, working with others, working with others. Okay?

Now, here's step 12. Let's keep a couple of things, a couple of things, let's make a couple of things clear. When they wrote step 12, they didn't have 10 days. When they wrote to, isn't that what you called us, 10 days? I did.

Yeah, they didn't have 10 days. They didn't have sober living, they didn't have halfway houses, they didn't have, massive amount of meetings, they didn't have massive amount of detoxes, okay? They didn't have hazel then, hi. You with me? Okay, So when they talk about us serving to others in the first couple of pages or half a chapter, they're talking about cold calls.

Old ways of approaching drunks, because we had none of these things that were described just now. 10 days, basil did all that other stuff. They're talking about us finding a drunk, seeking a drunk, hearing about a drunk, and then going to him on a cold. Going to them on a cold. Okay.

We're going to cover some of that, but keep that in mind that a lot of that doesn't not even apply anymore, but the essence, the foundation of service to others does. Okay? The technique is different, is what I'm trying to say. I'm sober 20, 20 6 years, 9 months, and 22 days, and I haven't been on a cold call in a decade. In a decade.

6 years. I haven't been on a Alright, just checking. See if you're staying awake. Okay, but the principle of helping others remains the same, so we're going to attempt to build that foundation again. Okay?

Like we did in step 9. There are so many areas of service to others that I strongly suggest that you read the 12th step. I strongly suggest that you apply every method that is there as it is needed. Okay? Is that, am I am I saying this right?

I feel like I'm not reaching you. Is that there's too much to cover. They dedicate a whole chapter. We could spend the next 4 hours going over every direction inside this book. What I'm going to attempt today is to cover the foundation directions.

Okay? Just what we should do on always, but the specifics are just like the immense, they're there. Okay? We have given you facts. Remember that, that you can no longer be deceived.

Not that deceptions are meant to be, but it's just misinformation. Okay? And people give you misinformation, it sounds very sincere, doesn't it? It sounds very convincing, doesn't it? But you're now armed with facts.

What's that? Just what's in the book. Just what's in the book, exactly right. Because we've covered the facts up until this point. You don't believe that, do you?

You're so convincing. Do you know that there are, there are 12 steps, 12 traditions, 12 promises, legacies, but doesn't it seem odd there's only 11 chapters? You know, I live a half hour from doctor Bob's house. I went up to doctor Bob's house and they're redoing it, construction, they got the walls ripped down and all of that, and I'm standing in the bathroom, you know, and I'm thinking to myself, I'll snatch a piece of this wood. Because the you know, all the plaster's gone, you know?

Just open things. Send it to the guys in California, you know what I mean? Yeah. And as I reach inside the rafters, rolled up, yellow, brittle piece of paper as the manuscript for the 12th chapter. I have that for sale today.

I can blow smoke up your ass. You'd believe me. Did you buy it, even a little bit? We got a book now, ain't it? Let's stay with the facts.

Not to prove them wrong, but but to be of better service to god and our fellow men. Alright? We're not going to get in an argument about who's right and who's wrong. We're just going to do this. Twelfth step, very important, page 89.

Practical experience shows that nothing will so much ensure immunity from drinking as intensive work with other alcoholics. You got that? So that means that if you really want immunity from drinking, work with other alcoholics intensively. And I've got some real news for you. You don't have to go to 10 meetings a week to help drugs.

If you have a wife, and you have kids, and you have a job, please commit to those obligations as we will find out later into the fam or you hopefully will find out later into the family afterwards that this is what you're supposed to do. Okay? But if you really want to help drunks, what's the best way? What's the best way? Miss who really has been paying attention?