Big Book – Mad Dog Recovery AA Speakers Workshop – Part 2 of 2 – 1997 – Mark H.

About This Speaker Tape

Mad Dog Recovery AA Speakers Workshop - 1997

A visceral dissection of the ego's machinery Mark H. treats the Big Book not as a suggestion but as a survival manual. He warns against the 'deadly game' of sponsorship based on personal opinion rather than the text arguing that dependence on a person rather than a Higher Power leads to spiritual paralysis. Through a series of raw live demonstrations with volunteers he maps out the 'states of being'—the Victim the Money Man and the Rambo—that drive resentments and fuel the urge to drink. He details a specific financial betrayal by a friend named Art using it to illustrate how the third column of a fourth-step inventory exposes the self-seeking and fear beneath the anger. Mark H. emphasizes the necessity of a rigorous current inventory to avoid the cruelty of the alcoholic mind concluding that true recovery is found in the death of self-will and a total reliance on a Higher Power.

Topics

Timestamps

• 0:00 Mark H. opens with a hard line on personal responsibility for seeking a Higher Power.
• 4:15 Warning against 'deadly' sponsorship and the danger of sponsors who don't follow the Big Book.
• 12:30 Mark H. demonstrates his specific method for writing a Fourth Step inventory using a notebook and ruler.
• 18:45 Laughter: Mark H. uses volunteers to act out 'states of being' like Rambo and the Money Man.
• 25:10 Detailed breakdown of a resentment toward Art over $2,200 and the resulting 'Victim' state.
• 34:20 Live inventory exercise with a female volunteer regarding relationships and the 'Sex Goddess' persona.
• 48:15 Discussion on the 'cruelty' of the alcoholic mind and the necessity of the Fifth Step for survival.
• 55:30 Explanation of the Tenth Step as 'dropping the hot horseshoe'u2014turning quickly to a Higher Power.
• 1:05:10 Mark H. describes his nightly review process and the 'spiritual law of caring'.
• 1:15:45 Final call to action: the difference between 'being in AA' and just attending meetings.