Step 3 — Turning It Over – Donna J. – New England Big Book Workshop Weekend – 2020

About This Speaker Tape

Donna and Matt tackle Step Three, moving from the wreckage of self-will to a decision of surrender. Donna describes the 'keystone' of the archway to freedom, recounting her journey from Harlem to Staten I. via the number two train and ferry to do the work.

She warns against the 'buffet' approach to recovery, where one stays at the hors d'oeuvres instead of taking the full meal. Matt follows with a gritty look at his own 'self-imposed crisis,' admitting he played the villain in his own story and tried to intellectualize his way out of the disease. He recounts a pivotal moment in treatment where a counselor, Marsha, told him he was 'too smart for this program,' forcing him to move from his head into his heart.

Both emphasize that Step Three is the 'I'm in' moment—a decision that must be followed by the rigorous action of the subsequent steps.

Topics

Timestamps

• 0:00 Opening: Maureen introduces meeting and Zoom anonymity rules
• 1:15 Kel introduces Tradition speakers and the transition to Step Three
• 2:00 Donna begins share on Step Three: Willingness and the program of recovery
• 6:30 Donna: Decision making and the 'frogs on a log' analogy
• 9:15 Donna: Defining Higher Power as Principal, Director, and Agent
• 12:00 Donna: The 'Keystone' analogy for Step Three and the archway to freedom
• 14:30 Matt begins share: Surrender and the analogy of the house and doorknob
• 16:45 Matt: Three options for treating alcoholism (Alcohol, Character Defects, or Higher Power)
• 18:30 Matt: Story about counselor Marsha and the danger of intellectualizing recovery
• 20:00 Matt: Reciting the Third Step Prayer and the bondage of self
• 21:00 Closing: Moderator thanks Matt and Donna for their service