Sent for a Loaf of Bread on Saturday and Returning on Wednesday: That’s the Way I Roll 🤣 — Myers R. and Larry S.

About This Speaker Tape

Two experienced AA members, Myers R. and Larry S., deliver a Step 1 workshop at the Flint River Roundup in Albany, Georgia. Myers opens by confronting a widespread problem in AA: most sober members cannot clearly articulate what alcoholism actually is, or explain to a newcomer how to begin recovery. He describes a workshop in Kent, England where he asked 80 men to write down the first three things they would do for a brand-new person walking into AA, and most cards came back blank or incoherent. He argues this confusion stems from dependence on oral tradition rather than the text, and from confusing the drama that brought someone to AA with an actual understanding of the disease.

Myers emphasizes the importance of qualifying newcomers, using the story of Fred from the Big Book to illustrate how early AAs told prospects what they knew about alcoholism rather than just sharing their personal stories. He draws a sharp line between being a member of AA and actually being an alcoholic, insisting that sponsors must help newcomers understand the chronic, progressive nature of the disease so they are motivated to do the work rather than drift.

Larry S. picks up with a visual teaching tool he calls the alcoholic puzzle, modeled on a Mercedes-Benz hood ornament divided into three sections: the obsession of the mind, the allergy of the body, and the spiritual solution found in a practical program of action. He walks through the distinction between social drinkers, problem drinkers, hard drinkers, and real alcoholics with vivid personal examples, including being sent to buy bread on Saturday morning and returning on Wednesday. He connects Dr. Silkworth's theory to Bill and Dr. Bob's first encounter, showing how the problem and the solution fit together.

The workshop closes with Myers returning to challenge the audience to reinvestigate what they think they know about alcoholism. He dismantles the slogan meeting makers make it, argues that fear alone cannot keep anyone sober because the mental obsession will eventually override it, and insists that love without the program of action is insufficient. Both speakers urge a return to text-based, consistent Step work as the foundation for keeping people in AA.

Topics

Timestamps

• 0:00 Myers R. opens with humor about speaking on a Friday afternoon and sets up the Step 1 workshop format
• 3:30 Myers describes the index card exercise in Kent, England where 80 men could not write down three things to do for a newcomer
• 8:00 Discussion of oral tradition versus text-based AA and how the telephone game distorts the message
• 12:00 Myers references Fred's story on page 40 and the distinction between sharing your story and teaching what you know about alcoholism
• 16:00 Qualifying newcomers: the difference between saying you are an alcoholic and actually being one
• 20:00 Larry S. takes over, introduces the alcoholic puzzle using the Mercedes-Benz ornament as a three-part visual model
• 26:00 Larry breaks down four types of drinkers: social, problem, hard, and real alcoholic with personal examples
• 32:00 Larry connects the Doctor's Opinion and Silkworth's theory to Bill and Dr. Bob's story, showing how the puzzle fits together
• 38:00 Myers returns to discuss why relapse traces back to Step 1 misunderstanding, the cancer analogy for urgency
• 44:00 Challenge to reinvestigate what you know about alcoholism; dismantles meeting makers make it and love alone as sufficient