The Recovery Radio Podcast - KMP3 - Long-Term Sobriety in A.A.

You can't finish the steps. They are a way of life.  In this episode I talk about my belief that the Twelve Steps always work.

In this episode, I talk to another one of my closest friends in recovery. When I had first met him he was trembling badly, and was in danger of dying due to alcohol poisoning.  Today, Jim has been sober for more than 7 years, and he is happy, joyous, and free. Topics: Relocating/relocation (he moved to the other side of the country when he was five years sober, and got heavily involved with A.A. i...

My sponsor told me right away that I should not to put him on a pedestal of any kind, that my real reliance should be on a Higher Power. And I am more and more grateful for that message as times passes.  In early sobriety I spent hundreds of hours with my sponsor, but that changed over time as I turned more and more to a Higher Power. 

In this episode I talk about how my understanding of "The Big Book" has allowed me to enjoy things more and more and more.  The more I'm guided by principles, the less the circumstances matter.  Also....another "Sarcastic Daily Meditation." 

In this episode I talk about the difference between anger and resentment. The Big Book uses "resentment" and "anger"  interchangeably, because Bill W. did not like to repeat words - but that does not mean that they are the same thing.    Allowing myself to feel it when I'm mad is a big reason that I usually feel peace now. 

(Thank you for over 10,000 listens!) In this episode, I share more specific examples of what playing God looks like in my life. Also...I introduce a brand new segment into the show relating to the Sarcastic Daily Meditations book. 

(THANK YOU FOR 10,000 LISTENS! I'M SO GRATEFUL TO YOU FANS) In episode I talk about not playing God.  Playing God keeps God out of my life. It is not loving to control people. When I am uncomfortable, I'm usually playing God - it's that simple. 

In this episode, I talk about the simple things I look for that let me know my approach in trying to help other alcoholics needs to change.   Also:     The difference between explaining it and living it.     Playing God as a sponsor.

In this episode I talk about my understanding and experience concerning Steps 6 and 7. 

In this episode I talk about some of the things I do that keep me on a course of vigorous action. 

In this episode I talk about expressing love, and how doing this is directly related to recovery.  I discuss my best friend's suicide, how that tragedy caused me to become more expressive and open.  Tomorrow is not promised.  Don't you know people who would love to hear that you love them?  

The Big Book says that cheerfulness and laughter are useful.  In this episode I discuss this. 

In this episode I describe some very basic things I watch for that determine the general state of my spiritual condition.  My spiritual condition, according to the Big Book, is of utmost importance, as it relates to my daily ability to remain sober.

In this episode I talk a little more about some ways I think about practicing the A.A. principles in my home.  Also...the shows that I watch? I've noticed that they have a big impact on how I think and how I behave. 

In this episode I talk about practicing the A.A. principles at home. What does it look like? What should we strive for? Greeting fear with love. "Clocking In" when you get home! 

In this episode I discuss my experience with practicing the A.A. principles in the workplace. I share stories, old and new, and describe my varying states of mind throughout different stages of sobriety.   

In this episode, my good friend Dave joins me yet again, and we mostly talk about Step Two.  Recorded the day after Thanksgiving, we touch on that subject as well. 

How can I make it a happier Thanksgiving for the people around me?  An attitude of, "What can I add to this occasion?" helps eliminate anxiety.  What would a person who knows their life has been saved act like today? 

In this episode, I discuss my own understanding of, and experience with, Step One.  The simplicity of how this step was explained to me likely saved my life, as I needed this to be very uncomplicated. 

I hope this offers hope to anyone struggling with the obsession.  In this episode, I read from pages 84-85 in the Big Book, where it describes being restored to sanity (this relates to the first drink).  It is my favorite thing in the book, as it is all I ever wanted, and is my experience on this day. 

In this episode I talk more about resentments, my understanding as to the difference between resentment and getting angry.  I further discuss my own understanding of the Step Four process, concerning resentments. 

In this episode, I discuss resentments, what the "Big Book" says about them ("they destroy more alcoholics than anything else"; "these resentments must be mastered", e.g.). 

On this episode, I describe the events of my first sober holiday (Halloween, 1989).  These events were profound for me, as I began to learn that my experience in sobriety was going to be. ultimately, up to me.  I discuss the idea of assigning new meaning to things. 

Two weeks before I recorded this episode, I suffered from a stroke.  Gratefully, it was minor, and I am expected to make a full recovery.  In this episode, I check in with all of you, and talk a little bit about the last two weeks of my life. 

In this episode, I read Step Three from the "Big Book." I discuss, as I go, my own understanding of it.  When this particular understanding was first passed onto me, it greatly improved the quality of my sobriety and the experience I was having with the 12 Steps, and everything else.