Step 11 and the Period Before You React – Sandy B.

About This Speaker Tape

SRI ROUNDUP - 2011

Sandy B. maps out a life defined by a deep-seated feeling of not belonging from the pews of a frightening Catholic church in his youth to the cockpits of Marine Corps fighter jets. He describes the 'secret of life' found in a single drink at Yale—a sudden artificial sense of wholeness that eventually morphed into a terrifying internal wreckage. Sandy details the high-stakes danger of flying the Crusader while shaking from withdrawal and the panic that led him to fake an oxygen emergency to escape the sky. After a stint in a 'nut ward' and a brush with a Marine sponsor he found a sobriety that allowed him to rewrite his own history. He cuts through the pain of losing two daughters—one to murder and one to alcoholism—by practicing a radical immediate forgiveness arguing that the only way to survive devastating loss is to move toward a Higher Power before the ego reacts.

Topics

Timestamps

• 0:00 Sandy B. opens with a joke about needing a stool due to old age.
• 4:30 Discussion of 'conscious separation' from a Higher Power as the root of all problems.
• 10:15 Childhood memories of a frightening Catholic church and the fear of the crucifix.
• 16:40 The 'third drink' at Yale and the sudden transformation from outsider to the center of attention.
• 24:10 Flying FJ-4s in Japan and the stunt of flying eight feet off the ground over a train.
• 31:50 The danger of flying the Crusader while experiencing withdrawal symptoms.
• 36:20 The fake oxygen emergency and the decision to stop flying.
• 43:10 Laughter: The story of meeting a former squadron mate in a Los Angeles parking lot.
• 51:30 The 'nut ward' experience and the first encounter with AA members.
• 56:10 The story of his first sponsor, an infantry Marine specializing in explosive ordnance disposal.
• 61:40 A deep dive into the power of immediate forgiveness after the loss of his daughters.
• 68:20 Advice for newcomers on the 'treasure map' of the Big Book and the guarantee of a spiritual awakening.