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Suicide and Suicidal Ideation

Suicidal ideation often represents the nadir of the alcoholic experience, marking a point of total hopelessness where death appears to be the only exit from psychological and spiritual unmanageability. In the context of AA recovery, addressing these thoughts is critical, as they frequently signal the arrival at a true bottom, creating the necessary desperation required for a spiritual awakening. The core principles highlighted in these recordings center on the transition from isolation to connection. Recovery is achieved by moving away from the instinct of self-preservation and toward the act of helping others. This shift—often sparked by a lamplighter moment, a chance intervention, or the guidance of a sponsor—replaces the desire for escape with a renewed sense of purpose and self-worth. The rigorous application of the Twelve Steps and a reliance on a Higher Power are presented as the essential tools for transforming a death wish into a will to live. Listeners can expect raw, honest accounts of near-fatal attempts and the precise moments when the trajectory of the speakers' lives shifted. These tapes detail the role of the recovery community in providing a life-saving safety net and the profound impact of service work in anchoring a person in sobriety. From the realization that one is worth too much to die to the discovery that helping another alcoholic is the most effective therapy, these stories offer a roadmap from the brink of despair to a life of stability, gratitude, and resilience.

84 tapes

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All Tapes

Father Martin
Dr. Bob’s Six Words: Trust Higher Power, Clean House, Help Others – Father M.
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Will D.
Trying to Be Air Force ROTC and Drink Like I Drank Was Like Being an Opera Singer With a Tracheotomy 🫠 – Will D.
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Kathy A.
Honey, You’re Not Working Those Steps — Those Steps Are Working You – Kathy A.
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Ron M.
The Priest Who Heard My Fifth Step Was One of Us — Blood Pressure Dropped 60 Points in an Hour – Ron M.
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Donna S.
Bill Wilson Got Depressed Too — Nobody Says It in AA but a Lot of Us Live with Both – Donna S.
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Pearce M.
Most of My Life When I Stood in Front of a Podium with a Tie on I Was Called Defendant 🤣
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Maria H.
Mental Obsession Lifted at Ninety Days — I Was Scared to Breathe in Case It Came Back
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Alexander K.
Cessation of Drinking Is Just the Beginning — Emotional Sobriety Is the Final Frontier – Alexander K.
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Shannon V.
Fourth Step with a Fourth Column — What Would Higher Power Have Me Do Instead – Shannon V.
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Carrie B.
Willingness Without Action Is Just Praying for a Hole Without Digging – Carrie B.
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Mike W.
Came to Believe in Stages — First in Treatment, Then in the Program, Then in a Higher Power of My Understanding – Mike W.
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Michelle W.
I Was a Lot of Fear with a Little Bit of Skin on It — That Was My Fourth Step – Michelle W.
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Tommy M.
Favorite Sentence in the Big Book Is Four Words — It Works, It Really Does – Tommy M.
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Martin E.
Young People in AA Taught Me to Un-Be the Way I’d Learned to Be – Martin E.
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Leslie D.
Relapse Is a Trap Door Under Every Bottom — Forget It and You Repeat It – Leslie D.
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Noelle W.
Redemption Means Exchange — That Was the One Word That Finally Cracked Step 3 Open – Noelle W.
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Gene R.
First Word of the First Step Is We — Fourteen Years Before I Could Hear It – Gene R.
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Amy O.
My Grandmother Poured My First Drink at Nine — Family of Origin Did the Rest – Amy O.
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Kim L.
Al-Anon’s Twelve Steps Saved the Marriage That AA Alone Could Not – Kim L.
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Pat F.
Mom Said Don’t Drink Alone or That’ll Make You an Alcoholic — So I Drank Socially 😂 – Pat F.
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Ted H.
Head to Heart Is the Greatest Distance Known to Mankind – Ted H.
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Liz B.
Attitude Plus Gratitude Will Equal Your Recovery — Liz Bailey at Forty-Six Years Sober – Liz B.
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Bobby C.
I Didn’t Carry the Message, I Carried the Disease – Bobby C.
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Cassie L.
Getting Sober Means When We Get Together We’re Not Breaking the Law Anymore 🫠 – Cassie L.
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Chris S.
No Effective Mental Defense — Had the House, the Kid, the Husband, and Drank the Champagne Anyway – Chris S.
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