Why Knowing How It Works is Better Than Just Knowing It Works – Joe M.

About This Speaker Tape

Big Book Study - 1987

A pair of old-timers Charlie P. and Joe M. open a weekend study in Omaha by treating the Big Book not as a sacred relic but as a practical textbook for survival. Joe M. recounts the early days of his sobriety including the 1973 night he met Charlie P. at an Al-Anon convention in Little Rock—a meeting where Joe M. was initially disappointed that Charlie P. wasn't the man he expected and couldn't sing. They trace the lineage of the program from the kitchen of Dr. Bob S. in 1937 emphasizing the distinction between the 'Fellowship' of AA and the 'Program' of recovery. Joe M. warns against the modern drift toward 'social settings' and 'filling a chair,' arguing that the high recovery rates of the first 100 members were tied to a rigorous adherence to the textbook's sequence. He uses the metaphor of a leaking roof to explain why a self-diagnosis of powerlessness must precede any attempt at repair.

Topics

Timestamps

• 0:00 Charlie P. opens the session, emphasizing joy and the informal nature of the study.
• 4:15 Joe M. shares his sobriety date: March 10, 1962.
• 8:20 Joe M. describes his early attempts to study the Big Book and how he became a nuisance to other members.
• 12:45 Laughter: Joe M. recounts meeting Charlie P. for the first time at a Little Rock convention in 1973.
• 21:10 Joe M. discusses the history of the first Big Book tapes and the role of Wesley P. in distributing them.
• 28:30 Joe M. explains the 'three legacies' and mentions the reading of the 12 Concepts.
• 34:15 Discussion of the physical first edition 'Big Red Book' and its brittle pages.
• 42:00 Detailed breakdown of Dr. William S.'s 'two-fold disease' (physical allergy and mental obsession).
• 55:10 The story of Bill W. and Dr. Bob S.'s meeting in Akron and the decision to write the book in 1937.
• 1:05:20 Joe M. uses the 'leaking roof' metaphor to explain the necessity of a correct diagnosis (Step 1).
• 1:18:45 Joe M. explains the difference between a novel and a 'basic text' (textbook) and the danger of jumping straight to Chapter 5.
• 1:35:10 Joe M. contrasts the 'Fellowship' of AA with the 'Program' of recovery and warns against 'filling a chair' without working the steps.