All Speakers › Grief

Grief

Grief is a pivotal yet challenging element of the recovery process, often intertwined with resentment and self-pity. In the context of these speaker tapes, grief is presented not as a hurdle to be avoided, but as a catalyst for profound surrender and spiritual growth. The core principles highlighted include the acceptance of loss, the necessity of the Twelve Steps as a continuous practice rather than a linear destination, and the critical shift from egomaniacal introspection toward active service and fellowship. Listeners can expect raw, honest accounts of navigating the loss of parents, siblings, and mentors. These narratives emphasize that sobriety does not eliminate the pain of loss but provides the emotional anchor and communal support necessary to endure it. The tapes detail the struggle of moving through the raw edges of bereavement and the danger of falling back into a funk of self-pity. By moving from the role of a passive observer to an active participant in the program, the speakers demonstrate how the weight of grief can be transformed into a bridge toward helping others. Through these stories, the listener will find that the path to healing lies in doing the work, maintaining boundaries, and accepting the humbling reality of the human condition. Ultimately, these recordings illustrate that while grief is inevitable, it becomes manageable when paired with a commitment to the recovery solution.

25 tapes

All Tapes

Barbara C.
The 24-Hour Chip That Reminds Her She’s Only Got Today – Barbara C.
★★★★★No ratings
New-2024
Joyce P. Opened the Big Book Expecting Drinking Instructions and Found a Higher Power Instead – New-2024
★★★★★No ratings
Harold M.
Ellie’s Chisel Built a Spiritual Arch, Brick by Brick – Harold M.
★★★★★No ratings
Ron M.
The Priest Who Heard My Fifth Step Was One of Us — Blood Pressure Dropped 60 Points in an Hour – Ron M.
★★★★★No ratings
Kerry S.
Went to Interview for Atlanta PD and Did a Fifth Step with the Detective 🤦 – Kerry S.
★★★★★No ratings
Karen S.
Told My Sponsor the Big Book Needed Editing for Grammar and Gender 🤦
★★★★★No ratings
Frank W.
Newcomers Aren’t Reading the Big Book — They’re Reading the Room – Frank W.
★★★★★No ratings
Wes P.
All-American at Notre Dame and Still an Eleventh-String Alcoholic Inside My Own Head – Wes P.
★★★★★No ratings
Isaac T.
Terminal Uniqueness at Seven Years Old Is How I Drank Before I Ever Drank – Isaac T.
★★★★★No ratings
Dawn H.
Old-School Sobriety Kept Me Alive When Wishy-Washy Suggestions Would Have Killed Me – Dawn H.
★★★★★No ratings
Nick W.
Sobriety Date and Honesty Date Were Not the Same — Still Working the Honesty Part – Nick W.
★★★★★No ratings
Bob E.
Something’s Wrong With Me and I’m Not Enough — Fifty Years Guarding One Secret – Bob E.
★★★★★No ratings
Don P.
Middle-Aged, Pot-Bellied, and Bald — Baby, You Ain’t Got What They Want 🤦 – Don P.
★★★★★No ratings
Sybil C.
You Might as Well Try to Incorporate a Sunset — California AA Before the Traditions Existed – Sybil C.
★★★★★No ratings
Terry S.
Worked Steps Six and Seven Until the Tough Guy From Michigan Could Finally Open His Heart
★★★★★No ratings
Sandy B.
Spiritual Awakening Isn’t Learning Anything New — Somebody Just Moved All the Scenery While You Were Sleeping – Sandy B.
★★★★★No ratings
Mike S.
Contempt Prior to Investigation Is My Favorite Line in the Whole Book Because It Got Me Off My Butt – Mike S.
★★★★★No ratings
Mary S.
Six and Seven Is Where the Magic Happens — You Found Out Who You Are in Four and Five, Now Ask Higher Power to Remove It
★★★★★No ratings
Mary L.
Twenty Months in Institutions and a House Full of Angry Alcoholic Women Laid Every Brick of My Foundation – Mary L.
★★★★★No ratings
Dick G.
Four Years Sober and Face-Down on a Dark Living Room Floor — That Was My Real Bottom – Dick G.
★★★★★No ratings
Lynn
Picking Men Like Rescue Dogs: Pathetic, Starving, and Dangerous – Lynn
★★★★★No ratings
Patty O.
Acting My Way Into Right Thinking Because Thinking My Way Into Right Living Never Worked – Patty O.
★★★★★No ratings
Becky
I Memorized the Big Book Like a Chemistry Formula and Couldn’t Tell You What It Meant
★★★★★No ratings
Fr. Tom W.
Show Up, Pay Attention, and Tell the Truth – Fr. Tom W.
★★★★★No ratings
Peter M.
“The Thinking Mind Throws a Party Every Night With Ego as the DJ” – Peter M.
★★★★★No ratings