Step 2 and the Willingness to Believe in the Magic – Amy D.

About This Speaker Tape

Winter Holiday Convention - 2024

Homeless and estranged from her family on March 6 2010 Amy S. entered the rooms with her dukes up expecting a secret handshake or voodoo to fix her life. She describes the early days of 'willingness to be inconvenienced'—setting up chairs only to have an old-timer quietly redo them—and the realization that the only place she wasn't in trouble was AA. Alongside Jason J. she explores the 'bait and switch' of recovery: the discovery that alcohol was merely a symptom and the real problem was the self-centeredness within. Through stories of hospital vigils bus benches and the absurdity of timing city crosswalks to feel useful the pair maps out the transition from merely not drinking to achieving a psychic change. The narrative culminates in a series of coincidences involving a plumber and a newcomer that serve as a concrete reminder of a Higher Power's orchestration in the wreckage.

Topics

Timestamps

• 0:00 Serenity Prayer and introduction of Amy S. and Jason J.
• 3:15 Amy S. recounts her arrival in 2010: homeless, estranged, and 'with her dukes up'.
• 6:40 Laughter: The 'don't make perfume' story and the dangers of discussion meetings for the easily confused.
• 12:10 Discussion of Step 1 and the 'annihilation of all things worthwhile'.
• 17:45 Jason J. shares his lowest point sitting on a bus bench wondering what it feels like to be normal.
• 24:30 Jason J. describes the 'dry drunk' stage and the struggle to be a father to his daughter, Bailey B.
• 32:15 The story of Roy and the power of a brand-new member praying in a hospital waiting room.
• 41:20 Amy S. describes the 'bait and switch' and the realization that the problem is the self.
• 48:10 The story of Sybil and the history of women in AA.
• 53:40 Amy S. shares the story of timing city crosswalks as a form of service.
• 58:15 The story of Plumber Jim and the miracle of the final amends.