Steps 2 and 3 – Myers R. – FOTS Toronto – 2020

About This Speaker Tape

Myers maps out the danger of the 'powder dry' alcoholic—the one who stops drinking but avoids the steps, only to find themselves in a spiritual nightmare seven years into sobriety. He dismantles the myth of the 'spiritual giant,' admitting how he could be a saint in a meeting and a three-year-old in his kitchen, kicking book bags and snapping at his wife. Through stories of a Satanic worshiper and a man who found a Higher Power in the Norse god Thor, Myers argues that the starting point doesn't matter as much as the willingness to move.

He tears into the 'bondage of self,' describing the mental frenzy of a morning spent rattling around in one's own head before even leaving the driveway, and makes the case that the only way out is to get one's hand off the tiller.

Topics

Timestamps

• 0:00 Myers opens with jokes about his twin brother Chris and his beard.
• 5:15 Discussion on the 'powder dry' state and the pain of sobriety without a spiritual experience.
• 10:40 Story about a workshop in England and the disconnect between nodding in a group and actually knowing the work.
• 16:20 The process of 'qualifying the drunk' and the importance of internal motivation over external pressure.
• 22:10 Addressing the 'We Agnostics' section and the various starting points for a Higher Power.
• 27:45 Laughter: The story of the Satanic worshiper who eventually found a cross and a baptismal pool.
• 32:10 The story of the man who used Thor as his Higher Power.
• 38:50 Analysis of the 'stage character' in the Big Book and the root of the problem: selfishness and self-centeredness.
• 44:15 Personal admission of being a 'spiritual giant' at meetings while acting like a child at home.
• 51:00 The 'well-adjusted adolescent' story and the exhaustion of maintaining multiple personas.
• 56:30 Discussion on the Third Step prayer and the 'bondage of self'.
• 61:10 The 'hand on the tiller' metaphor and the mental frenzy of the morning routine.