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Blackouts

In the context of Alcoholics Anonymous, blackouts serve as a critical marker of the progressive nature of alcoholism and a frequent catalyst for the surrender necessary for recovery. These speaker tapes illustrate that blackouts are rarely isolated incidents; rather, they are often intertwined with professional ruin, legal crises such as DUIs, and severe physical danger, including delirium tremens and near-fatal accidents. The core principle explored in these accounts is the absolute loss of control and the resulting state of powerlessness. For many, the haze of excess and the subsequent bewilderment of missing time represent a profound psychological bottom, forcing a confrontation with the reality of their sickness and the futility of self-reliance. Listeners can expect raw, firsthand accounts of the destructive cycle of memory loss and self-sabotage. From the despair of waking up in total confusion to the wreckage of totaled cars and abandoned responsibilities, these narratives emphasize that the solution is not found in willpower, but in the rigorous application of the 12 Steps and reliance on a Higher Power. By sharing these experiences, speakers demonstrate the transition from a life of chaos and oblivion to one of spiritual clarity and accountability, proving that the very desperation found in these dark moments can lead to a second chance at life.

143 tapes

Top Speakers in This Category

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All Tapes

Bob S.
Bob S. Wrestled the Ghosts of Unspoken Apologies
★★★★★No ratings
Kelly T.
Took Direction From a Higher Power Instead of My Own Plans and the Anger Just Evaporated – Kelly T.
★★★★★No ratings
John L.
Remember Is the Word in How It Works That Keeps Me Sober Forty-Two Years – John L.
★★★★★No ratings
Eric W.
At Fifty-Something My Sponsor Has Me Doing Tenth and Eleventh Step with Pen and Paper Every Night – Eric W.
★★★★★No ratings
Phil B.
Same Home Group for Twenty-Seven Years — That’s How I’m Still Here – Phil B.
★★★★★No ratings
Mary Jo B.
Honesty Is the Most Spiritual Thing an Alcoholic Can Do — Step 5 With Jim C. – Mary Jo B.
★★★★★No ratings
Hashi M.
My Professor Asked If I’d Had a Head Injury — It Was Just Early Sobriety 🤦 – Hashi M.
★★★★★No ratings
David K.
The Book I Was Going to Write Was Called It’s All About Me 🤦 – David K.
★★★★★No ratings
David K.
First Step at Fifty — I Kept Changing Liquors Instead of Admitting I Was Powerless
★★★★★No ratings
Claire L.
My Sponsor Said Believing That She Believes Was Chink Enough in the Armor for Step 2 – Claire L.
★★★★★No ratings
Mary K.
Tradition One Asks Me Every Morning Am I a Unifier or a Divider
★★★★★No ratings
Michelle M.
Steps 6 and 7 — My Two Biggest Defects Are Fear and False Pride Which Is Also Fear – Michelle M.
★★★★★No ratings
Phil S.
Ninth Step Calls to Old Girlfriends Showed Me the Disease Was Still Running Me Sober – Phil S.
★★★★★No ratings
Nick W.
Sobriety Date and Honesty Date Were Not the Same — Still Working the Honesty Part – Nick W.
★★★★★No ratings
Fr. Hilary D.
Fired in a Blackout, Sent to Hazelden, Elected Abbot Sober — One Benedictine Monk’s Whole Arc – Fr. Hilary D.
★★★★★No ratings
Greg C.
Sober at Twenty-Two — the Old-Timers in That Basement Taught Me Checkbooks, Amends, and How to Grow Up – Greg C.
★★★★★No ratings
David V.
Hand It Over, Snatch It Back, Hand It Over Again — That’s My Third Step on Repeat Every Day
★★★★★No ratings
Red S.
Brought a 48-Quart Cooler of Beer to a Baptist College and Offered the Dorm a Round 🤦 – Red S.
★★★★★No ratings
Hashis M.
Sat in the Half-Measure Section and Let a Sponsor Make the Twelve Steps Come Alive
★★★★★No ratings
Susan W.
Five Months Sober and Wouldn’t Touch the Fourth Step — Three Blackouts Later She Finally Wrote It – Susan W.
★★★★★No ratings
David J.
353 Cassette Tapes and Ramen Noodles — What Carrying the Message Looked Like in Year One – David J.
★★★★★No ratings
Anne E.
Not Unable — Unwilling to Be Honest with a Single Person Alive for a Decade – Anne E.
★★★★★No ratings
Mary N.
Every Fear I Had at 11 Years Old Was Still Running My Life at 50 — Until AA Showed Me the Bondage of Self – Mary N.
★★★★★No ratings
Alan H.
46 Years Old with Zero Self-Assessment — Fourth Step Was a Brutal Introduction to Myself – Alan H.
★★★★★No ratings
Laura H.
Hi, I’m Laura, and My Husband Thinks I’m an Alcoholic 🫠 – Laura H.
★★★★★No ratings
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