Applying the Traditions to Personal Life – Debbie D.

About This Speaker Tape

Stateline Retreat - 2013

Debbie D. maps out how the 12 Traditions shifted from group rules to a personal survival guide for her relationships. She traces her early days in 1976, moving from a self-righteous 'know-it-all' who barely touched the meetings to someone who learned to leave her personal wreckage in the car to serve the common welfare. She cuts through the ego of 'men, money, and mansions' that nearly cost her sobriety at the six-year mark, and dismantles the idea of 'chemical dependency' in favor of the simple identity of an alcoholic. Through stories of misplaced window shades and a husband who views his own character defects as 'outside issues,' she argues that the Traditions are the only way to keep the fellowship from spoiling and to ensure the rooms remain a safe haven for the newcomer.

Topics

Timestamps

• 0:00 Debbie D. opens by discussing her early relapses and hitting bottom.
• 4:15 The 'anti-aging conference' encounter and establishing her sobriety date: February 8, 1976.
• 8:30 Discussion on applying the Traditions to personal relationships and the 'common welfare'.
• 12:45 Laughter: The story of the Concepts window shade and the struggle with group conscience.
• 17:20 Defining membership and the debate over 'chemical dependency' vs. 'alcoholic'.
• 23:10 The experience of referring a non-alcoholic to NA to maintain the integrity of the program.
• 31:00 The '6.9 years' mark: how pursuing 'men, money, and mansions' led to untreated alcoholism.
• 36:40 Breaking down spiritual and emotional self-support beyond the 'buck in the basket'.
• 42:10 Tradition 10 and the 'outside issues' of her husband's character defects.
• 48:50 The 'booze and the boys' comparison: willingness in recovery vs. willingness in drinking.
• 53:15 The metaphor of the 'beautiful forest' and the 'dead stumps' in a home group.
• 56:20 Closing thoughts on the 12th Tradition and the inheritance of the Traditions. Applause.