Amy D Steps 6-7 Southern Maryland Roundup 2026Amy D Steps 6-7 Southern Maryland Roundup 2026
Mad Dog Recovery AA Speakers
AA speaker Amy D shares a candid, funny and raw account of working Steps 6 and 7, focusing on character defects, ego, service and a powerful spiritual shift. The talk reflects on her relationship with her sober father, early recovery experiences, and what it means to become willing to let old defences go.
54:58•12 Apr 2026
Amy D on Steps 6 and 7: Character Defects, Chairs and a Fierce God Moment
Episode Overview
- Character defects are described as "character defenders" that rush in to protect fear and ego, often causing fresh harm.
- Simple service, like stacking chairs at a home group, is presented as central to staying right-sized and useful in AA.
- Step 4 and 5 work reveal how selfishness and fear actually play out in tone, behaviour and impact on others.
- Step 7 is shown as a deeply emotional plea to a higher power for change, rather than a neat, polite prayer.
- Spiritual progress is framed as gradual, with grace "covering the spread" when efforts and outcomes are imperfect.
“The truth without compassion is mean. You're out here being mean to broken women.”
Curious about how others manage their sobriety journey when life and ego keep crashing into old habits? In this talk from the Southern Maryland Roundup 2026, AA speaker Amy Spain Duncan – "a low-bottom drunk, badly mangled, beaten into a state of reasonableness" – shares her experience with Steps 6 and 7 of Alcoholics Anonymous with brutal honesty and sharp humour.
You’ll hear Amy describe growing up in Alcoholics Anonymous alongside her dad, who had 30 years sober and dragged newcomers to conferences because, as he said, "get them in the car, they can't go anywhere." That spirit of service shows up again and again as she jokes that "the most important thing I'll do in Alcoholics Anonymous is move a chair," while using that simple task to explain ego, control, and character defects.
This episode is packed with real talk about what those defects look like in daily life – not as abstract ideas but as smirks, side-eye, bullying sponsorship, and full‑blown adult temper tantrums. She calls them her "character defenders" that rush in to keep "little Amy" safe, even as they harm others. Her description of being told, "the truth without compassion is mean," hits especially hard for anyone who’s ever tried to help people by pushing too hard.
Amy also shares a raw spiritual turning point during Step 7, crying on a bathroom floor and demanding, "Fix this... how dare you let somebody like me just keep walking around, causing people to bleed." It’s messy, funny, and deeply real – very much aimed at people in recovery who want to understand how Step 6 and 7 work beyond the page.
If you’ve ever wondered why you still rage, judge, or over‑control even while sober, this talk might make you wince, laugh, and quietly think, "Yep, that’s me" – and then ask what you’re actually willing to let go of.
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