Steps 8 and 9 – Sandy B. – Saturday Morning Live – 1994
About This Speaker Tape
Sandy B. breaks down the machinery of the 12 Steps, specifically focusing on Step Nine. He argues that sobriety isn't just about not drinking—which he calls 'going on the wagon'—but about becoming 'happily and usefully whole.' He describes the spiritual process as a 'balloon ride' where one rises by throwing ballast (character defects and resentments) overboard.
Sandy emphasizes that the wreckage of the past—the fear of running into old creditors, former bosses, or the FBI—acts as a weight that prevents a person from living a day at a time. He frames Step Nine not as a penance, but as a dignified process of cleaning one's side of the street to remove the mental blockages that invite relapse. He shares a concrete story of tracking down a man in Vermont to pay back rent from years prior, illustrating how the act of making amends provides a freedom that intellectual problem-solving cannot.
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