You're going to be alright

now.

Let's see, I'm a member of the Happy Way group in Englewood, Colorado.

I didn't pick the name.

Sounds like a bunch of people on Thorazine.

I would have preferred it would be called the Beaten into a State of Reasonableness group, but I didn't get to choose that, so I live with it.

It's by the grace of God and the fellowship of Alcoholics Anonymous that I haven't found a need or an excuse to take a drink today, nor have I found a need or an excuse to take a drink since May 28, 1973, and for that I'm truly grateful.

I

There are really, there are really two parts to the 12-step.

One of them is carrying the message to the alcoholic who still suffers, and the other part is practicing these principles in all our affairs.

Uh, I'm almost inclined to think that the practicing these principles is the more difficult of the two.

Now, how do you carry a message to the alcoholic who still suffers? Uh, the only way I think that you can honestly do that is if you've had the experience of the recovery program.

I mean, 'cause what are you gonna do? Um, there is so much bad information in Alcoholics Anonymous.

You know, people come up with these tricky little sayings, and they mean absolutely nothing.

[laughing]

Describing the 12 steps to a sick, suffering, desperate alcoholic works.

[laughs]

I don't have a dog.

It just doesn't have anything to do with me.

And if you're new and you go, "No, no, that can't happen to me because I'm really obsessed with alcohol," no, it'll happen to you, too.

So, so how do you 10th step? First, you need someone that'll listen to you.

We have what we call 10 Step Buddies, uh, around Denver, and that is that I have about a half a dozen people that I've talked to about this and said, "If I need to 10 step something, will you listen?" And they've all agreed to do that, and I've agreed to listen to them when they wanna 10 step.

There are a couple of people that I 10 step with that I've been 10 stepping with for over 30 years.

[laughs]

[laughs]

And, uh, and then is, am I willing to be rid of all of those things that I found objectionable in the, in the fifth step? Um, now, because I think in pictures, my sponsor, he had a kind of unique way of explaining that sort of stuff to me.

And he said, "Bob, it's like a big sandbox, and you got your favorite toys in there.

And let's say that one of your toys is a Tonka truck.

And then you've got a grader in there, road grader, and you've got, um, a bulldozer in there, and, uh, and you've got a sports car in there." And so you have to ask God, are you have to be-- are you gonna be willing to be rid of all of those things that keep you from the sunlight of the Spirit? Um, what if he empties the sandbox? Are you going to be all right? Do you know what those things generally are, those character defects? They're things we protect ourselves with.

And am I willing, am I willing to lose my protection? Well, let me tell you something about all that.

You may have noticed this and maybe you didn't, but I have a history of being aggressive.

[coughs]

Good morning.

I'm Bob.

I'm an alcoholic.

So I would like to say a couple of things before we get started on the steps.

And the first one that I want to say is that you can get as well as you want to here.

And there's no end point to that.

Okay.

The question is, where's our responsibility to help people decide what they are? All right.