Jack W. – It’s Always Higher Power’s Money Until It’s My Money – 2021

About This Speaker Tape

Jack maps out the brutal distance between knowing the Big Book and actually living it. He traces a life of early starts—peach brandy at eight years old—and a descent into homelessness in Aspen, passing out in jungle gyms. He dismantles the illusion of 'white-knuckling' and the danger of the 'external' life, recounting a ten-year relapse where he flew private planes and held offices in Kona and Jackson H. while dying inside

. The turning point arrives through a series of raw amends to his parents, specifically the shame of failing to get a kidney transplant test for his father. He makes the case for a spiritual solution that isn't about information or intelligence, but about a daily, disciplined surrender to a Higher Power to keep the 'orange' of sobriety as his favorite color.

Topics

Timestamps

• 0:00 Jack introduces himself and the topic of the spiritual malady and solution.
• 4:15 Story about peach brandy at age eight and the phenomenon of craving.
• 10:20 Description of hitting bottom: living in a jungle gym in Heron Park, Aspen.
• 15:40 Laughter: The 'deaf' old timer Bruce and the reluctant trip to the prison meeting.
• 22:10 Discussion on the 'insidious nature' of the disease and the danger of unplugging from the fellowship.
• 26:30 The ten-year relapse: Reciting the Big Book while drinking Crown Royal in Kona.
• 31:15 Emotional account of the failed kidney transplant test and amends to his father.
• 38:40 The 'bats in the attic' story and the concept of 'Higher Power's money'.
• 45:10 Detailed breakdown of the 12 Steps, specifically the transition from self-consciousness to Higher Power consciousness.
• 52:00 The 'Orange' metaphor: Staying connected to the spiritual solution daily.
• 56:15 Closing thoughts on his niece's recent overdose and the importance of the fellowship.