Stepping Stones Workshop – Part 3 of 14 – Jimmy A.

About This Speaker Tape

Stepping Stones Workshop -

A railroad room apartment in New Jersey serves as the backdrop for Jimmy A.'s awakening. After five years of 'dry' sobriety and wearing a 'good AA game face' while secretly wanting to eat a bullet he was confronted by Bill G. about the gap between his abstinence and his spiritual condition. Jimmy describes the grueling process of walking through the 'darkness of the hallway'—the inventory and the fifth step—to reach the sunlight of the Spirit. He recounts the wreckage of grand theft indictments a childhood defined by a father's violent outbursts and martini-fueled rage and the surreal experience of making amends to a priest he once knocked unconscious. From robbing candy stores as a child to seek affection to the final quiet moments holding his mother's hand as she passed away Jimmy maps the distance between the 'soul sickness' of isolation and the freedom found in rigorous action.

Topics

Timestamps

• 0:00 Jimmy A. introduces himself and his home group in Neptune, New Jersey.
• 4:15 Laughter: Jimmy discusses the 'dumb man's approach' and the two goals of recovery.
• 7:30 The scene in the railroad apartment: Jimmy's encounter with Bill G. and the realization of 'untreated alcoholism'.
• 12:45 Childhood trauma: Jimmy describes his father's anger and the 'magic' of the first martini.
• 16:20 Step 3: Jimmy describes getting on his knees with Bill G. to pray.
• 20:10 Step 5: The transformational experience at Liberty State Park overlooking Manhattan.
• 26:40 Step 9: The story of knocking out Father J. and the surprising nature of their mutual amends.
• 31:15 Legal wreckage: Jimmy discusses the grand theft indictment and the $35,000 he had to pay back.
• 35:50 The 'candy store' amends: Loading a truck with food for a homeless soup kitchen.
• 41:20 Family healing: Jimmy describes the relationship between his ex-wife and current wife.
• 46:10 The story of the motorcycle gang member in prison who took a third step prayer on the pod.
• 52:30 Final moments: Jimmy describes the passing of his mother and the 'sunlight of the Spirit'.