Recovery History

Sandy Beach of Washington DC. June 1976 at Palm Desert Roundup. Drop the Rock talk. Prefaced with Sandy Beach reading How it Works. Sandy Beach and the classic Drop the Rock talk. A very good AA talk that has been popular for decades. This talk was given at the same Roundup as Chuck Chamberlains New Pair of Glasses. This is a really good AA talk.

A classic Big Book study with Joe McQ and Charlie P. Following, that is, another Big Book study with Joe McC and Charlie P. This item has been formatted for effective use by AA Groups. The formatting will help listeners keep track of what they have listened to and find their place when they resume listening or are looking for a subject or section. For efficient use by AA groups and members, the Big Book studies are divided into chapters, which are given meaningful titles based on subject - which often is the section of the Big Book under discussion.

Mary Pearl T Understanding and Applying the 12 Steps of Alanon features funny stories about becoming honest about harms done resisting, making amends, and then enjoying relief when you do. She talks about her gradual spiritual awakening as she grows in Alanon.

In telling his recovery story, Chuck weaves into it the topic of surrender. He talks about his drinking and descent into alcoholism. His complete powerlessness to either control his drinking or stop for good. How he got sober and then learned to rely on his Higher Power through surrender. 

He tells his story AA recovery story by telling many funny stories great humor that inspires lots of identification a classic talk by a great aa speaker - very funny. 

In his plain spoken way, Father Martin tells it like it is about relapse. What relapse is, and what it is not. He talks hurtful unkind attitudes towards relapse and members coming back that are not helpful. How to prevent it happening to you, and what to do if it does. 

Bill W. recounts the stories and talks about the principles and people who shaped Alcoholics Anonymous and its program of recovery from alcoholism. 

Popular recovery speaker Mary Pearl T talks about relationships and relates them, often humorously, to the traditions. Lots of great stories. Great fun.

This is a very historic recording. First, Dr. Bob gives his last talk before his death later that year. Then Bill recounts his own story and the story of AA up till that time. In telling AA's story, he emphasizes the role of money and the dangers it presents. He describes the situations and events that gave rise to various AA traditions. 

Ernest Kurtz talks about various topics of Alcoholics Anonymous by referring to letters written by AA Co-Founder Bill W. 

 Sister Bea was born in Ireland and came to Southern California in 1964 This talk is very lighthearted and funny, but there is a very powerful message at the heart of the retrospective humor. She discovered Margaritas when a marvelous host prepared them for her and the sisters at an outing. Right from the start, she did not drink like other people, especially the other sisters. How her alcoholism progressed, and then how she found AA. 

Great insights into the 12-step process, with depth and humor.

Recovery from growing up with dysfunctional adults as parents. One concept is, the things you used to survive as a kid are ruining your life as an adult. Overcome poor self image, find your authentic self, heal your soul, and become the person you want to be. 

Speaking to an enthusiastic AA crowd, Father Joseph Martin talks about AA and then proceeds to talk in order about the 12 Steps. A very good example of Father Joseph Martin's excellent AA message.

During 1947, Bill toured the United States and Canada drumming up support for the 12 Traditions. The membership, not aware of the wide range of problems the New York Office had been addressing since AA became popular in the early 1940s, often saw no need for the Traditions. 

Marty Mann The first woman to get sober in Alcoholics Anonymous tells her story in a 1968 talk at San Francisco, CA. This is the best example of Marty Mann recovery story I have heard. The sound quality is very good, which is unusual for a 1968 AA recording. Great audiobook about recovery - historic and enjoyable. Marty was the first woman to achieve lasting sobriety in AA, founder of National Council on Alcoholism, author of at least two books on alcoholism, author of AA's The Big Book story "Women Suffer, Too", and co-founder of The AA Grapevine.

Very popular in her day, Ramona B, gives a great talk. The stories she tells of trying to fix her husband Bob are full of the wisdom of experience, strength and hope; served up with a generous helping of Rule 62 humor. She has a very powerful Al-Anon message that is very popular with alcoholics. 

A very insightful look at each of the 12 steps by a very spiritual guy with long term sobriety in early AA. John shares his own experience taking the 12 Steps and insights learned while taking hundreds of other alcoholics through them. This is a very good AA talk, an enjoyable presentation of 12-step wisdom with some humorous parts.

Chapter 1 - Steps One, Two, and Three. Chapter 2 - Steps Four, Five, and Six. Chapter 3 - Steps Seven, Eight, and Nine. Chapter 4 - Steps Ten, Eleven, and Twelve.

A definitive history of mescaline that explores its mind-altering effects across cultures, from ancient America to Western modernity. Mescaline became a popular sensation in the mid-20th century through Aldous Huxley's The Doors of Perception, after which the word "psychedelic" was coined to describe it. Its story, however, extends deep into prehistory: The earliest Andean cultures depicted mescaline-containing cacti in their temples.