What He Told Dr. S. When He Was Baffled – Joseph M.

About This Speaker Tape

A $500 sweater for a mother or a new bike for a son—Joseph M. opens with the "mixed motive." We give out of love, sure, but we also give for the ego trip of seeing a face light up like a Christmas tree. He strips the romance from service, framing it as a gritty trade: we help others to save our own skins. He recalls Bill Wilson, baffled and desperate, discovering that the only way to stop the shaking was to try and keep another drunk sober. It was a gamble of self-preservation.

Joseph M. paints a picture of the "sick years" and the wreckage of a "busted filter" that makes one drink. He describes a world where freedom is the only currency that matters, won through the brutal trial and error of the steps. From a sponsor driving across a continent to Saskatoon to pluck a man from the gutter, Joseph M. argues that we are our brother's keeper not out of saintliness, but because it is the only way to stay sane under a Higher Power.

Topics

Timestamps

• 0:45 Discussion on the nature of being one's brother's keeper and the role of volunteers in hospitals.
• 3:15 Laughter: The 'mixed motive' example of buying a $500 sweater for a mother.
• 6:20 Analysis of the 'phenomenon of compulsive use' and the common bond of addiction.
• 8:10 The story of Bill W.'s desperation and his conversation with Dr. S. regarding helping others.
• 11:30 The 'yuppie' story about the BMW and the missing arm.
• 14:10 The history of Bill W. meeting Dr. Bob in Akron, Ohio, and the birth of AA in a kitchen.
• 17:45 Explanation of the 12 Steps as a way to resolve guilt and the necessity of the inventory.
• 20:15 Discussion of Step 12 and the 'impossible dream' of sobriety.
• 23:30 The definition of a spiritual awakening as a 'profound change in personality'.
• 26:10 The story of the sponsor driving from Connecticut to Saskatoon, Canada, to save a drunk.
• 28:45 Reflection on prison ministry and the fulfillment found in helping others.
• timecode Closing remarks on the 'Coin of Love' and the song 'The Last Farewell'.