Step 3 and the Word of Higher Power That Keeps Changing – Don G.

About This Speaker Tape

A bathrobe, a week's growth of whiskers, and a smoldering couch strapped to the roof of a car. Don G. recalls the moment he saw his reflection in a dusty dealership window and realized he was an unguided missile. He describes the "Herculean strength" of youthful panic that led him to slash open a burnt sofa with a butcher knife and lurch it toward a creek to hide the evidence.

Don cuts through the "cafeteria" approach to recovery, dismissing the idea of soaking up sobriety by osmosis. He argues that the fellowship has eroded the original program found in the book, replacing rigorous work with social activity and "group depression meetings." He views alcoholism as a simple physical disorder—a lack of endorphins—that requires a simple solution. With a sharp, sarcastic wit, he admits he uses his Higher Power as the ultimate scapegoat for his own egomaniacal blunders, noting that while he's taken Step 3, the message he receives keeps changing every month.

Topics

Timestamps

• 0:00 Don G. opens with a joke about his own arrogance and his wife's honest take on his personality.
• 5:15 Laughter: Story about the 'Run for Gay Pride' singlet and the standing ovation.
• 8:40 Discussion on the physical difference of alcoholics and the simplicity of the 12 Steps.
• 12:10 The 'couch incident': Don G. describes burning his couch and the subsequent attempt to dispose of it.
• 16:45 Deep dive into the history of the Big Book and the distinction between the book and the fellowship.
• 21:30 Critique of 'cafeteria' recovery and the importance of the original 12-step program.
• 26:10 The 'powerless' irony: from being rejected by law firms to sitting on the appellate bench.
• 31:20 Raw and emotional: Don G. discusses the tragedies and violence visited upon the women in his life.
• 35:45 Closing reflections on the brevity of life and the urgency of truly living.