The Third Step Prayer and the Seventh Step Prayer Are One Prayer Separated by Two Pieces of Action – Cliff B.

About This Speaker Tape

Cliff, a veteran AA member sober since May 26, 1984, delivers a detailed teaching on sponsorship to a small Skype group that includes members of both AA and OA (Overeaters Anonymous). He opens by establishing the single non-negotiable qualification for sponsoring: having taken the steps yourself and experienced a spiritual awakening. He laments that too many unqualified people assume sponsorship responsibility out of ego, and calls the current state of newcomer care in AA borderline "slaughter." He walks the group through Chapter 7 ("Working with Others") of the Big Book, reading key passages and offering practical commentary on how to approach a prospect, when to make a 12th-step call, and what to say and not say.

Cliff describes his own method of sponsorship in vivid detail. When possible, he brings newcomers home to detox them personally, nursing them through withdrawal with orange juice, honey, and chicken broth. Once their mind clears around day three or four, he tells them his story, establishes willingness, and walks them through Steps 3 through 9 rapidly — often completing 3, 4, 5, 6, and 7 in a single day, with amends beginning shortly after. He credits his own sponsor Paul, who was influenced by Clarence Snyder, with tricking him through the steps in one afternoon on May 26, 1984, producing a profound spiritual experience that same evening while watching "The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas."

The Q&A portion covers whether to rework the steps on specific issues (no, unless a new undisclosed problem surfaces), how to handle atheists and agnostics (stay out of the Higher Power thing early — just ask if they want to quit and are willing to follow directions), the value of birthday medallions (celebrate what Higher Power did, not what the person did, and use the gaps in milestone years to illustrate the insanity of the disease), and how to find prospects in OA (doctors, hospitals, gyms, treatment centers). Cliff is emotionally open about the recent loss of his wife of 67 years and his friend Joe McHugh, saying that the ability to keep passing on what was given to him is what sustains him. The meeting closes with Joni coordinating future Big Book study sessions and welcoming a new participant named Elaine.

Topics

Timestamps

• 0:00 Skype meeting setup and technical coordination among participants
• 2:00 Cliff opens: the one requirement for sponsoring is having taken the steps and had a spiritual experience
• 5:00 Reading from Chapter 7 Working with Others — practical experience shows nothing ensures immunity like intensive work with others
• 10:00 How to approach a prospect: find out background, wait for them coming off a binge, never force yourself on them
• 18:00 The 12th-step call method: tell your drinking story first, give them a killer case of the disease before mentioning solutions
• 27:00 Cliff's personal sponsorship method: bringing newcomers home to detox, rapid step work starting day 3 or 4
• 33:00 Cliff's own story: sponsor Paul tricked him through Steps 3-7 in one afternoon on May 26, 1984, spiritual experience that night
• 42:00 Q&A begins: reworking steps for new issues, handling atheists and agnostics, staying out of the Higher Power thing early
• 55:00 Discussion of birthday medallions, Sister Ignatia's bleeding heart medallion, and the value of gaps in milestone celebrations
• 68:00 Cliff reflects on losing his wife of 67 years and Joe McHugh, says service work is saving his life