Big Book – Friday Night Recovery Workshop – Part 27 of 17 – 2020 – Dave M.

About This Speaker Tape

Friday Night Recovery Workshop - 2020

A deep dive into the medical and historical scaffolding of the Big Book focusing on the life and theories of Dr. William . Dave M. traces the doctor's trajectory from a Princeton graduate to a physician at Towns Hospital where he first encountered the 'hopeless' wreckage of alcoholism. He breaks down the physical allergy and the mental obsession—the 'indispensable passwords' that allow an alcoholic to surrender. The talk moves through the gritty details of early AA history from the cost of the first 4,650 copies of the Big Book to the specific wards at Knickerbocker Hospital where sponsorship once meant paying a $75 detox fee. Dave connects these historical markers to the internal experience of the 'phenomenon of craving' and the 'psychic change' required for sobriety ending with a poignant memory of Ruth O. meeting the doctor himself.

Topics

Timestamps

• 0:00 Introduction and reading of Tradition 5 regarding the primary purpose of the group.
• 4:15 Reading from the Doctor's Opinion regarding the 'hopeless' type of alcoholic.
• 10:20 Dave M. begins his presentation, inviting his Higher Power into the room.
• 15:45 Biographical details of Dr. S., including his education at Princeton and his time at Towns Hospital.
• 24:10 Discussion of the first printing of the Big Book and the cost per copy in 1939.
• 35:30 Analysis of the 'phenomenon of craving' and the cycle of the 'run' or 'tear'.
• 44:15 Breakdown of the five classifications of alcoholics described by S.
• 52:10 History of the Knickerbocker Hospital AA ward and the original meaning of sponsorship.
• 1:01:00 Bill W.'s efforts to provide financial support for Mrs. S. after the doctor's death.
• 1:05:20 Audio clip and story of Ruth O. meeting Dr. S.; Laughter: Dave's jokes about New Jersey.