The Game of Truth From the Oxford Group Six Steps – Mitchell K.

About This Speaker Tape

1975: earning sixty-three dollars for the year because he did nothing but attend meetings. Mitchell K. spent years as a "day one dingbat," lying and stealing while sober, until he realized that merely not drinking wasn't the same as recovering. He describes a life of "evaporating" liquor cabinets and 16-ounce Burger King glasses, culminating in a crash through French doors and fifty-seven stitches.

Driven by a need for something deeper than "I didn't take a drink and it's okay," Mitchell hunted down the ghosts of the Oxford Group and pioneers like Clarence Snyder. He recalls the grit of a weekend retreat where he was stripped bare, learning that the Big Book was written by people with very little time, not saints. He warns against the "Burger King" version of recovery—having it your way—and argues that forgetting the wreckage of the past is how a society perishes. He now measures his life by the four absolutes, knowing he'll never be perfect.

Topics

Timestamps

• 0:00 Mitchell K. introduces himself as a recovered alcoholic from Middletown, NY.
• 4:15 Story about the padlocked toy chest and the 'evaporating' booze.
• 12:30 The French doors incident and the 57 stitches.
• 18:45 First AA meeting in the Bronx; describes the greeting from the old-timers.
• 25:10 The realization that 'not drinking' isn't the same as recovery after seeing a man applauded for just not drinking despite a terrible day.
• 34:20 Meeting Clarence S. and the decision to hold a retreat in Middletown to work the steps.
• 42:10 Step 1 and Step 2: The rapid-fire process of working the steps in a weekend.
• 55:40 Discussion of the Oxford Group and the 'Game of Truth' columns.
• 1:05:15 Critique of 'conference-approved literature' and the 'Burger King' approach to recovery.
• 1:18:30 The 'Rolls Royce' story and Higher Power's weird sense of humor.
• 1:25:10 Q&A: Discussion on the 93% success rate and working the steps with newcomers.