Finding and Connecting to Your Higher Power – Sandy B.

About This Speaker Tape

SANDY B. recounts his initial descent into AA after a stint in a nut ward following his Marine C. career as a fighter pilot.

His first meeting, a chaotic anniversary celebration, nearly sent him running into the dark, but an Al-Anon lady named Betsy L. brought him back. He speaks extensively about the program's core—that it's a spiritual undertaking, not a theory.

He argues that the true path is unlearning, discarding old stories about self and life, culminating in the idea that the ultimate goal is to turn one's will over to a Higher Power, accepting that 'Higher Power is everybody in this room.'

Topics

Timestamps

• 0:00 Introduction and statement of purpose: celebrating the spiritual program of Alcoholics Anonymous.
• 0:55 Details of his sobriety start: December 7, 1964, in Washington, D.C.
• 2:00 Narrative of his first meeting, describing the setting and his initial struggle to escape.
• 4:15 The turning point: Betsy Lynch putting her hand on his shoulder, leading him back into the program.
• 10:30 Discussion on the nature of the program: 'It is just a spiritual program. And it's all about Higher Power.'
• 18:00 The 'scientific' spiritual experiment where he declares zero for prayer, meditation, and church visits.
• 24:00 The core teaching: The problem is that we are always trying to be the center, when the reality is that the Higher Power is the center.
• 32:00 Concluding thoughts on service: 'The highest pay grade in Alcoholics Anonymous is servant.'