The Non-AA Approved Spiritual Books She Reads Anyway 🤣 – Polly P.

About This Speaker Tape

April 11, 1977, was the day the court-ordered treatment center became the starting line. Polly P. doesn't sugarcoat the wreckage; she describes herself as "Dr. Jekyll, Mr. Hyde," a woman who lived in a beautiful home but became a child abuser when the alcohol took hold. For years, she carried a "guaranteed trip to hell" in her mind, fueled by a Baptist upbringing that preached a God of punishment.

Now 41 years sober, Polly navigates the paradox of being a caregiver for her ill husband while fighting the ego that insists "nobody can take care of him as good as I can." She speaks of a "sequence of surrenders" and the "gift of desperation." Between reading non-AA approved spiritual books and managing a three-hour Southern California commute, she has learned to "act better than you feel." From the depths of child abuse to the grace of her children's forgiveness, Polly views her life as a series of do-overs granted by a Higher Power.

Topics

Timestamps

• 0:00 Polly P. introduces herself and her sobriety date of April 11, 1977.
• 5:15 Polly discusses the failure of self-reliance and the pressure from friends to attend the conference despite her husband's illness.
• 10:45 Discussion of Step 12 and the concept of a spiritual awakening.
• 13:20 Raw admission: Polly describes herself as a child abuser and the 'Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde' nature of her addiction.
• 17:50 Polly talks about the gift of forgiveness and the role of Step 9 in repairing her relationship with her children.
• 21:10 The 'gift of desperation' and the concept of life as a 'sequence of surrenders'.
• 26:30 Polly shares her experience with sponsorship and her 'I'm one short' philosophy.
• 31:00 Laughter: Polly describes the 'alcoholic ego' and the rapid shift in attitude at the treatment center.
• 35:40 Polly discusses practicing principles in all affairs, including her experiences with Southern California traffic.
• 41:10 Polly shares the story of her grandson Ryan's success as a civil engineer despite being born deaf.