The Training Wheels on the AA Bike – Sandy B. 😆

About This Speaker Tape

Sober Village - 2005

Sandy B. dismantles the idea that sobriety is a passive act of attending meetings warning that simply 'rubbing off' on others leads to spiritual rigor mortis. He maps out the difference between a human solution—trying to control the world to fit one's will—and a spiritual solution where the burden of character defects is lifted by a Higher Power. Using the image of a run-down house Sandy B. argues that the Fourth Step inventory is often daunting because the alcoholic imagines they must do the repairs themselves rather than simply listing the wreckage for a divine contractor to fix. He frames the lifelong journey of recovery as a constant process of uncovering and discarding acknowledging the persistent friction between the ego and the spirit and the necessity of maintaining a 'daily reprieve' through a spiritual condition that keeps the ego's training wheels firmly in place.

Topics

Timestamps

• 0:00 Opening with the Serenity Prayer.
• 3:15 Laughter: Sandy B. describes his limited patience for hide-and-seek as a child.
• 7:40 Discussion of the 'great fact' of AA and the necessity of a deep spiritual experience.
• 12:10 Analysis of the Promises and the concept of 'spiritual lease' (spiritual language).
• 16:45 The analogy of the mailbox and the necessity of preparing oneself to receive spiritual gifts.
• 21:30 The 'AA bike' analogy and the ego's struggle with training wheels.
• 25:10 Deep dive into Step 6 and the 'Riddle of Our Existence'.
• 30:20 Laughter: The negotiation of 'percentage-based' honesty and gossip removal.
• 35:45 The 'spiritual resolutions' vs. 'I' resolutions conversation with a sponsor.
• 41:10 The analogy of the run-down house and the divine contractor for Steps 4 and 5.
• 45:30 Closing thoughts on the daily reprieve and the miracle of the Higher Power.