The 1st step at a step Workshop in New Bern, NC

OK, this is going to be a seminar given in in this for on the 12 steps and in the spirit of a A Okay, the traditions and the concept. What I'm going to present today is my experience, my strength, and my hope out of what I've learned over the years in a a,

my study of the big Book and how the founders did it In the beginning. What they did was they had beginners meetings or workshops in order to have the beginner understand what the program is even before they started going to meetings. OK. One of the things that I've learned over the years is that I need to put aside what I think I know about A A OK.

A lot of times when we read the book, we reflect back on what it was like

at the time I first read it and I don't go beyond that. OK, I just relived my first experience with the program. What I'm going to say is what is called the set aside prayer and the set aside prayer is, is somewhat self-explanatory, but hopefully what it'll do is have you start experiencing the big book with your knowledge up until today

to have a new experience with the work that we're going to go through. OK, we're going to go through the 1st 43 pages of the Big Book today and that's where our

first step resides. OK, And here it is. Dear God, please set aside everything we think we know about ourselves, the big book, alcoholism, the steps, and in spiritual terms, especially you, God Father, we ask that we may have a truly open mind so that we might have a new experience with these things. Please help us see the truth. Amen. When I first came around programmed, I, I, I've been off the drink for about a week

and a half and I was at a point of learning complete desolation. I was hurting. I was willing to go to any length That morning I made a phone call. And as I've learned over the years, I have always gotten what I needed in the program. I have never not gotten what I needed when I honestly asked for it. And when I got was a guy named Stevie McPhee. He was a counselor over at the EAP center that I

for the job that I had at the time and what he did was somewhat unique to my experience up until that time. I told him I needed help. I basically gave him an outline of it and he started talking my kind of language, you know? I questioned what about my anonymity, even though I didn't think alcohol was the problem,

and he told me to screw my anonymity if I wanted help to come over. OK.

And that's the kind of drinker I was, the belly up to the bar drinker. And what Stevie did when I went over there was not tell me I was a drunk, was not tell me that I needed to do things. What he did was share his strength, experience and hope.

When I came to find out that Stevie's strength, experience and hope lied in the strength which is program and today the strength is my program. The experience was with the steps, not with all the things I did.

OK, And my hope lies in my trust with my God

and that I hope to get across today. If there's anybody here, by the way, that's not an AA, OK, Our book talks about it. And besides, we are sure that our way of living has its advantages for all. In the in the original manuscript of the big book, the 12th step stated, we tried to carry this message to others, especially Alcoholics. So it doesn't limit us to carrying the message. And what message is that? But one of spiritual awakening, changing of mind, body and soul,

this changing of my thoughts, the way I used to be to the way I am today and the way I hope to be tomorrow. OK. And that's what the program in a nutshell to me is they they say early as had a higher success rate.

That might be somewhat true, OK, at least as far as what's in the big book, it says OK. But I hear it's a lot of meetings that they blame other places, people, things such as centers that send people here.

I found one thing to be very true in my program, OK? They have to balance those steps over there with the traditions. And so it ain't nobody elses fault that repose people here. I don't have any opinion on that. My big book tells me that I have a solution to all problems, and if I work that, that ceases to become a problem. OK,

so the moment I point a finger at somebody else, I ain't working my program. Sometimes some things that I say at meetings and what I share, because I've done a couple of these before in a little different format,

is that you're going to hear a couple of things different. Not really new, but different. OK, My name is Chris Dowdell, and I'm a recovered alcoholic,

and we might as well start there. Recovered people recoil at that word, OK. And, And I understand why, because you want to be vigilant. But vigilant tells me that I still have some fear in me, in my program that removes the fear. OK, I'm recovered from a hopeless state of mind.

I don't have fear today, not if I rest my self in the hands of my God. OK,

I listen that meetings today, and I was at one not too long ago

that

I listened with the ears of a newcomer most of the time

because I come to meetings not to get sober. I am sober. I come to the meetings to find a newcomer to work with

and I'm sitting there and

I heard don't worry about nothing just slide in here and just don't drink. You need to easy does it while a miracle takes place and that happens in about 3 months. If you're a meeting maker, we don't know how it happens. It just works fine. Just wait for the miracle. Now that I I, I understand that that is all very nice and it has a degree of truth,

OK, But that isn't our program. The slogans are like banisters, OK, And especially with the first step,

for me to fully take that first step, I need those banisters to help me up that step. OK, in early A, a, my third step was epic. Just screw it, couldn't deal with nothing. All as I knew is I needed to go to meetings. That was my third step. I understand the third step a little bit deeper today, but yet that's what was my third step.

So Stevie Nicklin gave me my first three steps on that first day. OK,

I found out that day, although I didn't understand it, that my first step was an inventory step. I had to look at myself honestly and openly. I had to turn around and take inventory on who I was. Because see, I'd admit almost anything to you except that I was an alcoholic because implicit in me saying that I was an alcoholic, I would have to do something about it. So I wanted to be like a normal person. We'll start going over that in the the early part. But my normal person was a

who could drink 24 hours a day and not suffer. That's not a normal person, but I thought so at that time.

That's what I wanted to do. Normal people don't drink 24 hours a day, much less not have any difficulty. OK. Some of the things we hear around stick to the first step. That's not been my experience. You got a handout and it's on the first page of the handout. Easy does it. It's the first string to get you drunk. That hasn't been my experience either. It's not the first drink that gets me drunk. It's the first lie I tell myself that I can do away with something and not follow through with something that I damn well know that I need to follow.

Throw it, don't drink and go to meetings. You hear that? The first thing you tell a newcomer or the first thing I used to tell a newcomer? Don't drink and go to meetings. Well, I'm telling him something he can't do.

I was never able not to drink. I thought I could. That's what kept me out there for a while. But I could not, not drink. It's impossible for me, the alcoholic, if I'm an alcoholic. And we'll get into that in the book.

Take a step a month through a step a year.

When's the last time you bellied up to a bar and said box keep? Give me 3 fingers and then walk out the door saying I'll be back tomorrow.

Not me, not me. I choose not to drink. We're going to go over that one

in the big bucks because it says I've lost the power to choose. So if I'm sitting in an A a meeting saying I choose not to drink, when did I get that choice back? I don't never had the choice and I don't have one now, but you hear it. OK, Call me if you like feel like a drink. Who am I going to call? My sponsor? I feel like a drink. I better get down on my knees because only a power greater than myself can help me get sober. Not my sponsor. My sponsor can leave me

into

turning around and looking to God for the answer. My sponsor isn't the answer. I sponsor a lot of people,

but I ain't the answer to them. Their answer comes from within, and we'll learn that in the second step. Just find out why you drink.

You give me an excuse, I'll drink. Why I drink is that I'm an alcoholic and I can't do anything different. I need to be vigilant. I touched on that a little while ago. Vigilant tells me I need to be fearful. If I live the promises on my my fears are gone.

Talk about your problems. We hear that in the rooms a lot. Talk about your problems. Stick to your problems with alcohol. If I'm a recovered alcoholic, I don't have problem with alcohol. Now teach me how to live and I learned to live through practicing the principles and I'm going to use principles and steps. They're interchangeable today. OK, because Bill just didn't like saying the same thing twice. So instead of saying steps twice in the 12 step, the principles, but you heard early a a talk about

by the principles, they live by the steps. You know, price of sobriety,

direct contradiction to what's in the big book. I pray how I can be of service to others. I don't pray for sobriety. God's given it to me. If I'm praying for sobriety after a year or two, I'm in trouble. That's me. Again, it's my opinion that you're going to hear up here, but it's my opinion of doing the work over and over again. OK, I try not to rest on my laurels.

OK, so the slogans help. But as we learned in the big book, it doesn't have any depth and weight. OK, Silk work tells us that we're sick of body and mind, so we do have to get sober first. OK, and sober is I, I, I misspoke here again. It's over. To me is not abstinence.

When I first came around the program I looked up sober and it says sound insane thinking has nothing to do with abstinence of body.

OK, that's who I hope to become and Live Today being sound insane thinking not just mere dry. I don't want it on my tombstone anyway. At least he didn't drink. OK, groups are important

in the Big Book on page 159. One night a week for a meeting to be attended by anyone or everyone interested in the spiritual way of life. Now why would they put that in if they didn't mean it?

That's what our meanings and our groups are for, to find a spiritual way of life. In the big book, it tells us that the stories in the back of how they found their God,

not how they found a new job.

OK, and if I sound a little snoid then cynical, you'll have to excuse that I'm a Brooklyn boy and I say it like I at least think it, You know? I know you didn't get that given my lack of accent, but

OK. Our big book is the written history

and or if you want the lead, OK, it's a 12 step in print. They set out precisely how they recovered. So when you see the Wii up there, it doesn't mean a collective we in here, it means they're talking to me, the alcoholic. Because the original Big Book was meant to spread the word that they couldn't do it themselves.

So it's a 12 step in print. Our Big Book is really three big books.

OK, number one, it's my study guide. Every time I crack that sucker open, I want to learn something new. They don't rewrite it. I've changed since the last time I read it.

OK, second thing is it's a a 12 step imprint,

all right. The 12 step in print is meant that if I pick up this big book or if they sent it to me in the early days, I was expected to have all I needed

to get sober.

And the third thing is, is if I read it and with the eye of a sponsor wanting to sponsor, it's a 12 step sponsor ship pamphlet. OK? It'll tell me how to sponsor. As we go through the work today, what we're going to see is that the redundancy of how they thought me, the dumb alcoholic, needed to get repetition, OK. And that's what it is. They're going to give a problem and right after that a solution.

They're going to tell it over and over again to slam home a few pertinent ideas. And that's how I work with the newcomer, okay? I just don't tell him, don't drink and go to meetings and everything will be all right. You know,

I have to give them something more because remember, they're in here hopeless and they're going to cover how to do it. OK, just a quick little history on on page one of your handouts, you'll see the Oxford principles. They were the four absolutes, absolute honesty, unselfish unselfishness, love and purity.

They also had what's called the standards and which was the opposite of that, what we try to do away with. And that's dishonesty, resentment, selfishness and fear.

Notice if you hear those, you'll hear the steps in there. OK. And that was the genesis of the steps. Step

one is our foundation, Step 2 is the cornerstone, and step three is the keystone of the arts that we're going to go through to freedom.

The book is divided into 12 parts. Just a quick overview of the Brook, the foe. It describes the intent of the big book. The doctor's opinion validates the medical aspects that will be described in there. Those stories for identification. One of the biggest things that I heard in my first meeting is identify, Don't compare because that's what I went

all my life as. I was comparing myself with others I wasn't identifying. Therefore, I could keep myself separate

and I didn't have to do what you had to do.

Uh, there is a solution to page 23 in there that describes the physical aspects of our first step, page 23 to 43, the mental obsession. So our first step is twofold, physical and mental. Chapter 4 is for Step 2 entirely to find your God. Chapter 5

is steps 3:00 and 4:00.

Page 58 to 63

is paid. Step #363 to 71 is

step four. Chapter 6 is steps 5 through 11

steps from page 104 to one 164. The insights and experiences of the writers. They are not our program.

You're always here. Our program is the 164 OK,

but 104 to 164 is the experience. Valid experiences but not our program. Our program ends after Chapter 7 on page 103

Doctor Bob Nightmare another one to identify and if anybody don't think that you can go through the steps very quickly, you take a look at Doctor Bob story. OK this this workshop series is intended for anybody that wants to work the steps to be in 1011 and 12 after their fourth section.

So that's about 8 hours. OK, Doctor Bob was hungover and he was doing 9 steps. OK, so

expedience and speed breaks the denial down. Procrastination builds the denial,

okay, and the stories and the appendices are about how they found their God. OK, and step one is insufficient to stay well, stay healed, stay recovered,

OK. It's only when you use the three legged stool of step 1-2 and three that you finally are free to start working the program. You hear a lot. Just stick with step one, OK, We'll see in Bill story that he conceded to his innermost self at times and new alcohol was his master and he didn't get well, he drank again. So if it's good enough for him, it's good enough for me that I have to do the other steps. I think I can't stick to just step one,

so when I his just stick with step one, being told my hair gets up, I get frustrated because that hasn't been my experience. Like I said, I walked into my first AA meeting with the first three steps under my belt. I had conceded to myself. I knew I was an alcoholic and out of my desperation, I knew a God would take care of my alcohol problems. OK, I got to be specific at that because I still was running my own show on a lot of other levels,

OK?

But as far as the alcohol was concerned, OK. And I knew if I turned everything over to that God concerning my emotional state and whatnot, that I wouldn't get irritable, restless and discontent. Although that wasn't in my qinacular at the time, being irritable, restless in in discontent.

It was something else that I will repeat is here. OK. The original 6 steps derived from the absolutes, OK. As as Bill turned around and looked at them and as how they came about and it was Eddie that gave them to him. It was Doctor Bob that brought in the spiritual aspect.

OK,

Bill originally wrote the step. First step was admit hopelessness.

It morphed into complete deflation.

Second step was to get honest with self.

It morphed into dependence and guidance from a higher power.

His third step was get honest with another and that became moral inventory made amends and that became #4 confession, help others without demand became restitution and prayed to God as you understand him. Continue work with others Alcoholics. OK so Bill wrote his original ones was admit hopelessness,

self, get honest with another, made amends, help others without demand, pray to God as you understand him. Our original 6 steps as they were finally written were complete deflation, dependence and guidance from a higher power, moral inventory, confession, restitution, continued work with other Alcoholics. OK, and that became our 12 steps sometime before they wrote the big book.

One of the things I need to stress is that morning that I surrendered.

I have no doubt that I had complete and total honesty to do anything and everything to stop drinking to get well.

Now, that total honesty that morning sort of got hedged a couple of times over the years, OK? But every time I've hedged it, I get irritable, restless and discontent. And I know intuitively I'm on my way back to a drink and I have to bring back that honesty. That's what's in the big book. That's not what's in our preamble. OK,

so for me, a word to the wise is complete honesty. That's what I found. Is that okay?

I found that how is truly the key, honesty, opening and willingness.

My program, the way I work it, the way I see the founders worked, it is nothing but three things,

Inventory, Solution and Action.

Very simple. My first step is my inventory step.

I take my own inventory for the first time. I look at me as an unvarnished drunk, an alcoholic, implicit in the hopelessness of my disease. Because I do have a disease,

OK, if I'm hopeless, I need a solution. So every inventory that I take implicit, if I take an honest inventory, there's a solution that pops out.

And a solution for me was my second step. That God could and would if He was sought

#3 is the action that I need to take to turn that will and life over or my thinking and my actions over. OK, so it's inventory solution action very simple. People complain that, Oh my goodness, watch out for that fourth step. Well, you've already taken probably the biggest inventory of your life by owning that you were drunk.

OK, The rest is all downhill. Four and five is nothing but inventory taken and bouncing it off with another person. Six and seven is the solution. And the action that I take externally to start straightening out my life and making amends is my action. So it's again inventory taking solution in action.

And then step 10:11 and 12:00

is inventory taken.

Solution is my God in my 11th step. And the action that I take by carrying the message, having had a spiritual awakening, because every time I see something new about myself and I transcend who I am, I have another awakening and I carry this message, the action,

very simple. People, drunks, we make things too complicated. That's our program. It's nice and simple, OK. We take up in the evening. We take our meditation,

it's inventory, seeing where I was wrong in the implement corrective measures. In the morning, I take my inventory. I know who I am, allow myself to be different and I go out and perform the action. Very simple, OK. Our program is not and it's not hard. It's the easiest thing I do. I take back my will. I'm in trouble, OK? And I think they're easy and they also have fun

up here. You're going to, you heard me say. It's my program,

OK. And there's a reason that I say it's my program and I hope people own their program. You see, when they said we up there, I wasn't a part of that we until I did it the way they did it. But I can only do it from the where I'm standing. I can't do it from where you're sitting. I can only do my program from where I'm standing. So that's unique to me. And if I bring honesty, open and willingness into my program, I become part of that week and not before.

It's nice to have fellowship. The fellowship has never gotten me sober. OK, but my program has gotten me sober. I think I'm sober.

We're going to go to the book now,

the big Book. But before we go to the big book, one of the innovations for you which says more will be revealed

and one of the things that I got when I was

1st over.

Like I said, you always get what you need

and I questioned the 9th step at my first meeting. You see, I'm a real drunk. I'm going to look at the directions and try to see the loopholes so I can get around it.

And

I couldn't get around that nine step no matter how I tried to do it in my head at that time. And I admit I was still detoxing. I know I was off the source about a week and a half, but I was still detoxing. Stevie had asked me to go into a detox and I said no, I don't need it. This is how I can normally AM. You know, I didn't see anything wrong with it. You know, that's, that's what you do. You drink, you suffer and then you drink again. That that's what my life was.

So already my disease, even though I had taken the first step, was trying to hedge with the, the, the steps. And I asked this guy, Jimmy Mick about the 9th step and this and that. And he says, hey, listen. And he, he walked me through the first three. You know, you surrender, you believe that we can help you and you're in the right place. Just keep coming and, and you'll be all right. You just don't start your thinking with that kind of garbage. And another person to talk my language.

Well Steve you have. I know. The reason I asked him is he looked like a Bowery bump

and I figured he'd give me the answer I was waiting for, but he didn't. He turned out to be an alcoholism counselor over in South Beach Psychiatric census. So yeah, you get what you need. But he turned around and bought a book for me and it was stools and bottles. And he also gave me the 24 hour book.

And from there I picked up my own copy of The Little Red Book. Now if you don't know about it, The Little Red Book

in the 40s was written as a parent in his pamphlet form as suggested interpretation of the 12 steps. OK, it was a pamphlet in 44 and 57. It was picked up and printed by Hazelden and you still can get it. On the last page of the handouts is 800 number for hazelnut

and and it's gone through a couple of changes, but basically it's been relatively the same. I'm going to just read you.

People say easy does it. OK, see me the drunk, you told me the easy does it. I don't have to do diddly. OK. And that's me,

all right. Or I can do it tomorrow, the next day, and whenever.

And the interpretation of the 12 steps along with the big book and my not procrastinating, even though I procrastinate. OK. And I know that sounds odd, but you'll understand it. I I can't sit on my laurels. I, I can't stay sober with what I heard yesterday. I have to do my meditation to find out what I need to do today

and one of the other books I read with the Golden books by Father Ralph Powell and they under Father John Doe, but father Ralph Powell and unprocrastination. He starts off the The Golden Book

with

a little poem that states on the stands of time, that sits the bleach bones of those who, upon the moment of victory, sat down and waited and waited, died. OK. And that's me, the drunk. If I don't do what I need to do. So they took their program serious. There was no easy does it? You know, if I want to rip somebody's lungs out, they'll tell me easy does it. OK, but not when it comes to programs. OK. So just to give you a little

insight and how serious the

founders were in the early AAS were about their program,

it the the message is, is to help members quickly work out an acceptable 24 hour schedule of a a living. So it doesn't mean just plugging into a meeting and then going about doing whatever it is that you do without taking that with you.

We have found Peace of Mind and contented sobriety in a planned way of spiritual life set forth by the Big Book of Alcoholics Anonymous. Failure to realize the extent to which we are physically and mentally and ill through ignorance dwarfs parts of our program to suit our own distorted viewpoint. So they knew themselves and they knew they had to go beyond where they are. The barriers

to success are ignorance

of our illness, reservations, indifference, dishonesty, and brain damage.

They didn't bar anything else and it's a design for living. Stringent self. Honesty is an absolute requirement. An urgent desire to get well and belief in a power greater than ourselves are also essential to success. Spiritual concepts must be embraced. We must believe in a higher power to interpret it in accordance with our own understanding.

OK, so there's the caveat. You got a guard. You're good. OK. And we have recovered.

But plain sobriety is enough. Not enough. Acquire honesty, humility and appreciation and kill self centeredness to keep sober.

The book has all our answers and by using the The Big Book we'll get sober.

We need strict adherence.

We demand perfection. We merely strive towards perfecting ourselves in a way of life that is necessary to bring content to sobriety, health, insane behavior. The vital, which means necessary facts is humility, honesty, faith, coverage and appreciation of service,

service. And one last thing from there, experience has proven, and I'll just go the the words, the highlighted words. Recovery from alcoholism is contingent and that means necessary

sincere desire from our innermost heart that we are powerless. We know it's fatal and incurable buying body, mind and spirit. We consider ourselves treating ourselves and as patients. Alcohol is a poison to us. We need to learn and practice the 12 steps

we know we can never drink, OK? And that's another thing you hear people say,

oh, just stay state over for today. One of our 12 step is we'll learn. We ask the people to turn around and say, hey, is he serious? Ask him if he wants to quit forever.

Okay, there's no illusion. What am, what am I sitting here from in an AA room to not, you know, that's both to make. OK. That's the little red bulk. So they were serious back then.

If we open up our big bucks.

Mine is a little different. I have a by the way.

What I have here is

a study addiction is put out by anonymous press. As you can see, it's got writing on one side. That's the black stuff we're supposed to read and blanks on the right hand page. And as you can see I I've not only written but I highlight and I what not. And

I find this useful because my my sponsor

I've had my spots up until he passed away last year since I came in program.

Excuse me, I miss him.

He never told me what to do,

but he did show me

and he showed me what's in the book. And I learned to go get this because Walter had so much writing in his book that I couldn't even read it. He could read it. He knew what was in there, but I couldn't. And I knew I needed a little bit more space. So that's why I got this. The poet, if you pick up your poets, I'm not sure what the Roman numerals and I only have a first edition here. So

that basically we'll just go over that

and hopefully what what you'll do is highlight as I go through it because this is how I take somebody through the steps. I take them from the forward right on to page 103 in about four or five seconds. And that's how I take somebody through this step.

We highlight, make notes, comments and whatnot. And then you really expect it to read it between now and next week. OK,

the, the highlighting in the what? When I when I work with somebody, I'll go over it with them. They'll highlight,

see it in their book, and then they'll reread given hopefully a new experience. OK,

and the forward is the intent. It's a sponsorship guarantee and a promise right from the get go. The first paragraph, we who have recovered from a seemingly hopeless state of mind to show other Alcoholics precisely how we have recovered is the main purpose of this book. There is no pretense. That's what it is. That's the beginning,

OK, They do say later on in that paragraph, it has advantages for all. And I know that there have been people in my life and I meet them on a daily basis today that work the principles without knowing they work the principles because they found their God through another thing, maybe the alcoholic. I had to find my God through a a OK, all right down at the bottom. We are not

an organization in the conventional sense of the word.

There are no fees of dues whatsoever. The only requirement in his the first time you'll see a requirement, OK. The requirement for membership is an honest desire to stop drinking. And we are not allied with any particular faith, sex or denomination. We do not oppose anyone. We simply wish to be helpful to those that are afflicted. If if you have a second edition or a third edition in your second edition forward, I think it's on page

V11.

OK. I don't know what paragraph it is because I don't have it is intensive work with another alcoholic was vital to permanent recovery. And I've seen that time and time again, people saying that, oh, I can't work with anybody, I'm not good enough. Well, if you got one day more than the person walking through the day, you're good enough to help that person. That's my opinion, OK.

And the sole purpose of an, A, a group, by the way, was freedom from alcohol, the practice and teaching of this 12 steps. And that's out of bills.

That's bills, words to practice, teaching and living of the 12 steps. Which brings us to the, let's see, the doctor's opinion. You got the doctor's opinion of what I do when I read it is what's the book telling me today to do? That's that's important. So when you go over the book, you're going to see it a little bit differently with these things highlighted or underlined.

They talk about, they open up the the doctor's opinion. They're going to tell us about the plan of recovery described in this book. This is where they

they begin a plan of recovery described in the book and the Doctor talks about the physical. One of the things that we have to realize, and that's your page, is probably XXVI, the Doctor's opinion.

Three I I I OK,

sounds like a song. Well, right after,

right after the letter to whom it may concern, and very truly yours, William D Silkworks

paragraph there. I'll get better when it comes into the real numbers. By the way,

midway down, this is our first step. As the doctors prescribed it. The body of the Alcoholics is quite as abnormal as his mind. OK. And in the second paragraph there he talks about we have an allergy to alcohol. Now, what's an allergy but an abnormal reaction? I do not act normally

when I pick up a drink. OK, this is the whole first part of this first step is going to be basically on the physical aspect. When I pick up a drink, I crave another, OK? I don't get woozy and say, Oh my goodness, I feel it. Let's stop.

OK, and that's what craving means and that's what allergy means by having an abnormal reaction. Okay, now down on the bottom of that page flag to me is we work our solution on the spiritual as well as the altruistic plane. Now what's the altruistic plane is without thought of self.

OK, that's how we work our program. Well, that's how I work my program without the thought itself. Because if my if my first step is I'm totally consumed myself

to work without

to work without the thought of self is the opposite of that. Nice and simple, isn't it On page XV I I and talks about it's about the third paragraph down. It's the new writing that he or the new letter,

he talks about the ideas which he put into practical application at once. OK, which again flags us not to take our time. We need to immediately start practicing what is being given to us. If we ask for help, we start practicing it. OK, let me go into a mechanic and say, and the mechanic saying, well, you need an oil changer, you're going to blow up. Oh yeah, OK, fine.

Easy does it.

I'll get my oil change tomorrow

and and and the what to do is in the last paragraph. The unselfishness of these men as we have now come to know them, the entire absence of profit motive and their community spirit is indeed aspiring to one who has long labored and weary in the alcoholic field. They believe in themselves still more in the God power or in the power which pulls chronic alcoholic back from the gate of death

and the other requirement. And they ought to be free from alcohol. I've heard some eloquent speeches, by the way, of people out on runs how to stay sober. They just were drunk when they were giving those soliloquies. So we need hospitalization on XXD 111.

That's eighteen. It starts off at the top of the page, we believe, and so suggested a few years ago.

We up today, OK, an allergy that's a phenomena of craving is limited to this class and they're talking about real Alcoholics,

OK, And never A cause in the average temperate drinker. In other words, if I don't experience craving except once out of maybe 10 times, I'm so classified as a real alcoholic because the normal drinker never experiences that craving. They recoil from it. As a matter of fact, once they start getting too drunk, or they'll get drunk once and then they'll never do it again,

maybe twice. And again, at the bottom of that page, he mentions altruism again, or altruistic

movement, OK. And then right at the bottom

to them, their alcoholic life seems to be the only natural one when we come in here that that is, we have practiced it so much, I have practiced my alcoholism so much that anything not inconsistent or inconsistent with that frame of thought, OK, is certainly not of my experience at that time. And it's normal. It's normal for me because they are, as it says, restless, irritable

content unless they can experience the sense and ease of comfort which comes at once by taking a few drinks. And now there's the problem. OK, the problem is that I become restless, irritable and discontent. But again, the big book will never give you a problem without a solution. And right at the end of the that paragraph, there's the solution. And the solution is unless this person can experience an entire psychic change, there is very little hope of his recovery.

OK, you have the problem set out and you have the solution, an entire psychic change. The entire psychic change is in the top of page 302929 Roman numerals 29. I was going to go 1X. There's a promise right after that. Easily able to control his desire for alcohol. Now here's where we get promises are going to be all throughout the big book.

But right after that promise, there's a requirement. The only effort necessary being that required to follow a few simple rules.

So the doctor calls them rules. The doctor's a doctor and he's a scientist, and scientists are hard. They're rules for him. A cook would call this a recipe. Okay. And if there's any bakers out there, you know, when you don't do the whole recipe, you're going to have a flat cake. Midway down the page is a direction

more human power is needed to produce the essential psychic change. And he reminds us that the last paragraph on that page that willpower isn't enough. I do not hold that it is entirely a problem of mental control. Now this goes back to the 30s, but yet it's applicable today as it was then.

On the top of page 30 Roman numerals XXX

they were drinking and this is reinforcing powerlessness. That's our first step. They were drinking to overcome a craving beyond their mental control. So the doctors given his highlights there,

we dropped down to there'd be about paragraph four that he describes the real alcoholic and that's me. They are types entirely normal in every respect

except

in the effect alcohol has upon them. They are often able, intelligent. While I wouldn't go that far for me friendly people, I am friendly. Though all these and many others have one symptom in common. They cannot start drinking without developing the phenomena of craving. How many times did I sit on that barstool looking at myself in the mirror and say what the hell are you doing here? You got things to do.

That's why I had the phenomena craving once I picked up. But if I didn't pick up and I could go in there and DSA couple of times and get the hell out of there sometimes

because I did go in irritable, restless and discontent

page, I guess it'd be 31.

Right up to the top it says what is the solution? And right down in the middle of that, he accepted the plan outlined in his book and he that there was no hope. Again, powerlessness. God bless you.

The promise. A long time has passed with no return to alcohol. Another promise again. We're going to see promises all throughout the book. There's a problem at the bottom that page

and it is moral psychology. We doubted even that would have any effect. How many times people go through certain things, psychologists and whatnot, and don't get well because the solution is on the last page. He was sold on the ideas contained in this book. Okay. And is the solution again outline a problem followed by a solution. Those stories page one