I Like to Stand up Here and Take Credit for My Sobriety – Sandy B.

About This Speaker Tape

Sandy, speaking after two decades clean, recounts how his early view of AA was flawed—he thought it was just about 'no drinking.' The real gift, he argues, is the promise that sobriety doesn't have to be miserable. He details how his old habit of keeping a 'scorecard' of unfairness had to yield to a new plan for living. His turning points include a devastating divorce and a professional collapse, moments where external pain forced him to focus on gratitude.

He concludes that sobriety isn't a guaranteed result, but a power to stay on course through any weather, finding the ultimate answer in a relationship with a Higher Power.

Topics

Timestamps

• 0:00 Introduction: Sandy Beach introduces himself as an alcoholic.
• 0:25 Sandy discusses his first meeting, noting the initial focus on 'No drinking.'
• 1:30 Key insight: The program's promise is that 'we can do this together' (Sobriety + Happiness).
• 3:20 Sandy describes his old habit of keeping a 'scorecard' of fairness, which he found AA contradicted.
• 7:30 Recounting a painful time: After his wife left, a friend called him to focus on what he could be grateful for.
• 11:00 Sandy describes the intense emotional struggle, initially reciting 'six thousand Our Fathers' with no results.
• 16:00 Discussion of the 'Chapter to the Agnostic' and the dilemma of choosing between spiritual principles or an alcoholic death.
• 21:00 Sandy shares the universal advice received in meetings: Serenity Prayer, Prayer of St. Francis, and 'Get into action.'