The Utter Simplicity of Letting Go – Sandy B.

About This Speaker Tape

Brazos Riverside Conference - 2008

Sandy B. traces his path from a childhood of religious anxiety in Connecticut to a career as a Marine Corps pilot. He describes the terrifying progression of his drinking—experiencing withdrawals and peripheral vision loss while flying high-performance jets—until a desperate 'oxygen emergency' forced him out of the cockpit. After a stint in a straitjacket at a naval hospital Sandy B. found the fellowship in 1964. He dismantles the idea of the 'ego-kingdom' and the shame he carried for decades which was only erased years later when a former wingman revealed how much the squadron had actually loved him. Now retired in Florida Sandy B. views sobriety not as a struggle but as a 'perfect release' and a process of letting go of the self-constructed wreckage to finally see the world as it is.

Topics

Timestamps

• 0:00 Sandy B. opens with a joke about bar stools and reflects on the global expansion of the fellowship.
• 2:45 Recounts his first meeting in 1964 and the kindness of an Al-Anon member named Betsy L.
• 6:15 Describes the 'spiritual awakening' of his first few drinks at Yale and the subsequent price he paid.
• 12:30 Details the physical withdrawals and anxiety experienced while piloting Marine Corps jets.
• 15:40 The 'oxygen emergency' and the end of his flying career.
• 18:20 Laughter: The story of meeting his former wingman in LA and the erasure of old shame.
• 22:10 Describes his time in a straitjacket at Bethesda Naval Hospital and his introduction to AA.
• 26:40 Discusses the 'hope paradox' and the nature of the present moment.
• 31:10 Discusses Step 6 and the 'kingdom' of character defects.
• 35:50 The 'movie theater' method of letting go of problems.
• 40:10 Reflects on the 'thirst for Higher Power' and the quotes of Dr. Jung.