Big Book Workshop – The A. – 2025

About This Speaker Tape

A room full of people in recovery organize themselves into a living timeline of sobriety. Starting with Eileen, who carries 52 years, they count down from the decades to the days, creating a physical circle of experience. The ritual ends with the oldest member gifting Big Books to the newcomers, a gesture of welcome that sparks a reflection on the early, gritty days of sobriety.

One speaker recalls the sheer resistance of being only 20 days sober, admitting they didn't want to be there, but acknowledging the shift from a '1 to a 100' in their life since then.

Topics

Timestamps

• 0:00 The sobriety countdown begins; organizing the room into a circle.
• 0:45 Eileen is identified as the starter with 52 years of sobriety.
• 1:30 The countdown continues through the 30s and 20s; laughter and high-fives.
• 2:15 The countdown reaches the single-digit years and the newcomers.
• 2:50 The countdown shifts to months and then to days.
• 3:30 Applause: The countdown reaches 1 day of sobriety.
• 3:45 Eileen gifts Big Books to the newcomers.
• 4:10 A member reflects on the resistance and reluctance felt at 20 days sober.
• 4:45 An old-timer discusses the era before sobriety coins were common.