Everybody Knows the Third Step Prayer but Nobody Reads the Line Right After It – Russell S.

About This Speaker Tape

Russell S., a member of the Coral Gables Group with nearly 31 years of sobriety, shares his passion for what he calls "grown-up AA" — a program that goes far beyond simply not drinking. At 62 years old with four children and six grandchildren, he describes how he spends his days surrounded by fellowship: a morning Bible study, a noon step meeting, lunch with sponsees, and an evening talk. He opens with a funny story about a drunk stranger at a restaurant who immediately attached himself to Russell while his wife watched in disbelief, illustrating how alcoholics instinctively recognize each other.

Russell delivers a forceful message that AA is fundamentally about spiritual development and a relationship with Higher Power, not merely abstinence from alcohol. He challenges the common attitude of "just hang in there and don't drink," arguing that people who treat sobriety as the sole goal either end up drinking again or become dry and miserable. He describes sponsoring people with 14, 15, and 25 years of sobriety who look fine on the outside but are full of "ashes and dryness and brittleness" inside because they never pursued the spiritual transformation the Big Book promises.

Turning to Step 7, Russell reads from the 12 and 12 about humility being gained through "repeated humiliations" and "successive defeats." He argues that the suffering alcoholics try so desperately to avoid is actually the mechanism of character building — the very thing that transforms them from emotional children into mature adults. He draws a parallel to the Israelites spending 40 years in the desert and references the Book of James, where it says to rejoice in troubles because perseverance builds strength and character.

His central message is that alcoholics remain addicted to money, prestige, romance, and material comfort long after they put down the drink, and that only a deepening relationship with Higher Power breaks those deeper addictions. He closes by saying that when you truly internalize that even bad experiences serve your growth, you never have a bad day — because everything becomes part of Higher Power's work in your life.

Topics

Timestamps

• 0:00 Introduction — Russell S. from Coral Gables Group, describes his packed Thursday of fellowship: Bible study, step meeting, sponsee lunch
• 3:30 Drunk stranger at restaurant attaches himself to Russell — wife asks how alcoholics always find him
• 7:00 31 years sober — 'the way you do that is don't drink and don't die' — transition to what 'grown-up AA' means
• 12:00 Alcoholism vs. being drunk — the disease attacks you when you're sober, drinking was the solution not the problem
• 18:00 People with 5-25 years who are miserable but hide it — picking up medallions while full of ashes inside
• 25:00 AA history — the James Club, Bible study origins, Bill Wilson with Father Dowling and Sam Shoemaker, losing prejudice against organized religion
• 32:00 The line after the Third Step Prayer that everyone skips — 'abandon ourselves utterly to Him' — how crisis at 20 years makes those lines suddenly real
• 40:00 The committee in your head — the 'black ops executive secret committee' running 24/7, stopping you from applying for jobs, sabotaging relationships
• 48:00 Step 7 from the 12 and 12 — humility through repeated humiliations, successive defeats, crushing of self-sufficiency
• 55:00 The value of suffering — Book of James, 40 years in the desert, rejoicing in troubles because perseverance builds character and strength