The Third Step and the Rocket Ride to the Fourth Dimension – Russell

About This Speaker Tape

San Francisco, ten years ago, at the Dry Dock Club. Russell, a lawyer who specializes in "codependent women" and "wackos," admits he is no workaholic—he’d rather quit his job to drive a van with a flat-screen TV to a meeting. He views most AA gatherings as glorified group therapy, "slop" where people cry on each other's shoulders while staying stuck in the dreck.

For Russell, the Third Step isn't a suggestion; it's the fuel for a "rocket ride to the fourth dimension." He describes early sobriety as a black-and-white movie, but a deep relationship with a Higher Power turns life into technicolor. He mocks the "intellectual pride" of the agnostics and the "two-hatters," insisting that the Big Book is a manual for a fearless life, not a coloring book to be partially filled. To Russell, you can be a member of the fellowship without faith, but you can't hit the touchdown without surrendering to a Creator.

Topics

Timestamps

• 0:45 Laughter: Russell S. jokes about the 'real Alkies' in the back room being like steerage on the Titanic.
• 3:15 Russell S. discusses his career as a lawyer and his specialty in representing 'codependent women'.
• 7:20 Russell S. addresses the antipathy some members feel toward talking about a Higher Power.
• 11:10 The 'Rocket Ride' metaphor: Russell S. describes the spiritual awakening that moves a person beyond mere sobriety.
• 15:40 Russell S. argues that the program turns from 'black and white to technicolor' as faith grows.
• 19:10 Step 3: Russell S. begins his deep dive into the Third Step and the danger of 'slipping and sliding' in the program.
• 23:45 Reading from the Big Book: Russell S. emphasizes the necessity of a personal relationship with a Creator.
• 28:10 Russell S. discusses outgrowing fear by depending on a Higher Power.
• 32:20 Russell S. reflects on his 27 years of sobriety and the evolution of his own spiritual beliefs.
• 36:15 Detailed breakdown of the 'three pertinent ideas' regarding powerlessness and the Third Step.
• 41:00 Russell S. defines 'the will' and the act of turning it over to the care of a Higher Power.
• 45:30 Closing thoughts on the 'fruits' of a focused spiritual life and a teaser for a story about his sponsor.