Step 3 – Joe and Charlie – Part 1 of 3 – 2021 – Local AA Speakers

About This Speaker Tape

Joe and Charlie - 2021

A deep dive into the mechanics of the mind Charlie B. argues that Steps 1 and 2 are not 'work' but conclusions drawn from the evidence of one's own wreckage. He dismantles the illusion of the 'decision' in Step 3 using a failed trip to Los Angeles to illustrate that a decision without action is merely a wish. He maps out the 'utilities of life'—the social security and sex instincts—explaining how these Higher Power-given drives when run on self-will inevitably collide with others. Charlie B. describes the shift from being the 'actor who wants to run the whole show' to accepting a Higher Power as the Director. He recounts his own tentative surrender initially trying to negotiate with his Higher Power to keep control over his money and sex life before realizing that half-measures are a dead end. He concludes by emphasizing the necessity of taking Step 3 with another person to break the isolation of the alcoholic.

Topics

Timestamps

• 0:00 Discussion on the original manuscript of the Big Book and the purpose of the first four chapters.
• 5:15 Explanation of why Steps 1 and 2 are conclusions of the mind rather than action steps.
• 8:40 Laughter: Story about the decision to visit Los Angeles vs. the action of driving there.
• 14:20 The 'Will' metaphor: comparing the spiritual will to a legal document in a safe.
• 20:10 Discussion on the 'actor' who wants to run the whole show and the scripts we write for others.
• 26:30 Analysis of the 12 and 12 and the three basic instincts of life (social, security, sex).
• 35:15 The 'utilities of life' metaphor: how instincts can either sustain or destroy the building.
• 42:10 The 'Keystone' of the triumphant arch: Step 3 as the transition to freedom.
• 48:50 Step 3 Prayer: Charlie B. describes taking the prayer in a church to abandon himself utterly.
• 53:10 Humor: The fallacy of asking a Higher Power to ignore money and sex.
• 57:40 AA History: The original Oxford Group practice of voting on how well a member surrendered.