The Transmission of Hope and the Deflation of the Ego – James M.

About This Speaker Tape

1934, New York. Bill Wilson is a wreck, a "rebellious non-conformist" with a head full of AA and a belly full of booze. James M. describes the wreckage of the "mad dog alcoholic"—the kind of man who bribes a pilot with a fifth of whiskey just to be the first to land a plane in Vermont, only to tumble out of the cockpit wasted.

James breaks down the "physical allergy" and the "mental obsession," comparing the craving to a cucumber allergy: you don't need a cucumber sponsor, you just stop eating them. But for the alcoholic, the obsession crowds out every other idea. He traces the grit of the early days: the "jitter joints," the "deflation at depth," and the moment Bill felt a "clean wind" of spirit in a hospital room. From the Mayflower Hotel in Akron to the gatehouse of the Seiberling estate, James argues that the soul is located in the ass—because once you save your ass, the soul comes along with it.

Topics

Timestamps

• 0:00 Opening moment of silence to center the group.
• 4:15 Story of Bill W. and Ebby's drunken flight to Manchester, Vermont.
• 12:30 Discussion of Dr. S. and the 'physical allergy' concept in the Big Book.
• 18:45 Bill W.'s spiritual experience in the hospital room and the validation from Dr. S.
• 25:10 Analysis of William J.'s 'Varieties of Religious Experience' and the 'deflation of the ego'.
• 34:20 The meeting of Bill W. and Dr. Bob in Akron and the 12th Step in action.
• 45:15 The struggle to fund the Big Book and the Rockefeller encounter.
• 54:30 The writing of the 12 Steps in December 1938 and the departure from the Oxford Group.
• 1:02:10 Discussion of the early seeds of the Traditions and the importance of anonymity.
• 1:12:00 Closing thoughts on the 'fellowship' as the cure for alcoholic loneliness.