Step 11 Workshop – Part 1 of 3 – 2018 – Mike D.

About This Speaker Tape

Step 11 Workshop - 2018

A south side Chicago native who once viewed himself as a 'chronic misdemeanor guy' breaks down the mechanics of Step 11 arguing that sobriety is merely the baseline. He describes the 'three-fold disease' of alcoholism—physical allergy a mind that lies and a broken soul—and posits that while fellowship replaces the drink only a spiritual connection repairs the soul. Through a series of concrete vignettes from a softball game where he felt a sudden overwhelming connection to a group of strangers to a tense amends meeting where a former victim gave him a 'hat full of peas' instead of demanding money he illustrates the shift from a life of comparison and ego to one of intimacy. He frames the spiritual life not as a religious checklist but as a process of becoming a conduit for a Higher Power's love specifically within his marriage and his relationship with his sons.

Topics

Timestamps

• 0:00 Opening with the Serenity Prayer and a reading from the Big Book regarding turning the past into assets.
• 5:15 Reflections on growing up on the south side of Chicago and the sacrifices his mother made for his education.
• 12:40 Laughter: Story about the 'Class of 91' softball game and the experience of holding hands and praying the Our Father.
• 18:20 Detailed breakdown of the 'three-fold disease' and the 'mind that lies' (Mental Obsession).
• 28:10 Discussion on the 'resentment prayer' and the realization that he was the victim of his own anger.
• 35:45 Step 11 and the connection to Jesuit spirituality and the 'examine prayer' of St. Ignatius.
• 45:10 The 'hat full of peas' story: A detailed account of a Step 9 amend and receiving unexpected forgiveness.
• 55:20 The 'Lost in Space' robot metaphor regarding spiritual power and the 'batteries' provided by a Higher Power.