Janet S. – The 12 Steps – The Root of Self-Centered Fear – 2014

About This Speaker Tape

The session opens with the rigid logistics of a Narcotics A. convention—smoking policies and anonymity warnings—before shifting into a workshop on Steps 10 through 12. Janet maps out the struggle of 'promptly' admitting wrongs, using the image of her seven-year-old stepson to illustrate the friction of early apology.

She describes her meditation as a simple count to four to quiet a mind that prefers talking to listening. Brad cuts through his own anger management issues, admitting he's lived on 'borrowed time' and once prayed from a ball on the floor. The narrative moves through the wreckage of 'running' from mistakes in Florida and the relief of returning to clean house.

The tape captures the gritty reality of recovery: the 12-month payment plans for jewelry, the 4 a.m. coffee at diners, and the fragile, high-stakes act of carrying a newcomer who might not make it.

Topics

Timestamps

• 0:00 Convention house rules and anonymity policy read aloud.
• 2:15 Reading of the 12 Steps of NA.
• 6:40 Reading of the 12 Traditions of NA.
• 11:20 Janet begins sharing on Step 10 and the root of self-centered fear.
• 15:45 Janet describes her 'count to four' meditation technique for a noisy mind.
• 22:10 Janet shares a story about a 12-step call that saved her from using.
• 26:30 Brad discusses his anger management and his relationship with his boss.
• 30:15 Brad describes his spiritual awakening and the 'borrowed time' he lives on.
• 35:40 Jamie shares a tender moment of praying with her 6-year-old son.
• 41:10 Gary discusses the wreckage he left in Florida and the need to clean house.
• 48:20 Gary describes the 3 a.m. diner meetings with other addicts.
• 52:10 Closing with the Serenity Prayer.