Steps 1, 3, 4 and 9 – Step-Tember to Remember Workshop – Part 2 of 7 – 2025 – Eddie D.

About This Speaker Tape

Step-Tember To Remember Workshop - 2025

A jail cell in Lancaster Pennsylvania becomes the site of a devastating first-step experience for Eddie D. after years of cycling through recovery without practical application. He describes the 'queer mental twist' that convinced him he could handle things despite a history of homelessness and living under the I-95 Girard exit. Eddie recounts the shift from viewing his life as a series of external failures—needing a new car or apartment to be happy—to realizing he was an 'awful person' when sober without a spiritual connection. Through a rigorous inventory and a surrender that felt like a third-step prayer he moved from a state of wanting to die to a life where he can pay for his daughter's wedding and maintain a relationship with a son who struggles with schizophrenia. He emphasizes that sobriety isn't about remembering consequences but about a daily spiritual discipline that prevents the internal conversation of relapse from even starting.

Topics

Timestamps

• 0:00 Rich introduces Eddie D. and reads a passage from page 92 of the Big Book.
• 4:15 Eddie describes his history of knowing the Big Book but failing at practical application.
• 11:20 Eddie discusses the 'queer mental twist' and the powerlessness that occurs before the first drink.
• 18:45 Laughter: Eddie shares the story of his mother's extreme plan to get him arrested.
• 24:10 Eddie describes his 'first-step experience' and the feeling of hopelessness in a Lancaster jail cell.
• 31:00 Eddie discusses the Third Step prayer and his shift in perspective toward a Higher Power.
• 38:15 Eddie reflects on the importance of morning meditation and quiet time.
• 45:30 Eddie shares the story of making amends to his cousin Rodney over a stolen VCR.
• 52:10 Eddie discusses the spiritual awakening required to carry the message to others.
• 58:00 Eddie reflects on the restoration of his relationship with his daughter and son-in-law.