Step 5 — Admitted Our Wrongs – Kathleen B. – 2026 Wilson House Big Book Workshop Retreat – with Andy B. and Kathleen B.

About This Speaker Tape

Andy and Kathleen break down the grit of Steps 5, 6, and 7. Andy recounts the 'imperious urge'—the desperate, horny drive to find a partner—and how he had to bury himself in sponsoring five guys at once just to stay sane. He describes the terror of his first Fifth Step with Timmy, a sponsor who had a PlayStation and a car, which felt like peak success at the time.

Andy shares the liberation of finally voicing a secret that had ruled his brain for decades, only to find it vanished the moment it was spoken. Kathleen discusses the brutal early sobriety battle with an eating disorder and the profound shift from viewing recovery as a mandatory obligation to a gift. The conversation moves into the practicalities of Step 7, using the metaphor of doing laundry: you can pray for clean clothes, but eventually, you have to actually separate the lights and darks.

Topics

Timestamps

• 0:00 Opening: Brenda reads the Step 6 and 7 passage from the Big Book
• 2:30 Andy introduces himself and discusses the Plain Language Big Book
• 8:00 Andy discusses the 'imperious urge' and the importance of working with other alcoholics
• 17:00 Andy shares his personal experience completing Step 5 with his sponsor Timmy
• 22:00 Discussion on the Step 5 promises and the one-hour meditation period
• 26:00 Kathleen introduces herself and discusses the necessity of an honest Step 5
• 32:00 Kathleen discusses the Step 7 prayer and the goal of becoming useful to others
• 35:00 Kathleen shares a story about practicing honesty and a mistake at the RMV
• 38:00 Andy uses a laundry metaphor to explain the process of Step 7
• 41:00 Andy discusses sarcasm as a character defect and a tool for connection
• 43:00 Kathleen shares about overcoming fear through skiing and hearing Higher Power's whisper
• 44:15 Andy's closing thoughts on conscious contact, snowboarding, and gratitude