Big Book Study: Step 3 - Surrender and Compliance (Part 4 of 15)

Big Book Study: Step 3 - Surrender and Compliance (Part 4 of 15)

What drives someone to seek a life without alcohol? This Big Book study session zooms in on Step 3 – “Surrender and Compliance” – with Scott sharing candid, often funny, and sometimes raw stories from his own journey through Alcoholics Anonymous.

Scott introduces himself as a “recovered alcoholic” and explains why: “God, of my understanding, has restored me to sanity… I know the true from the false regarding my relationship to alcohol.” He walks through how Steps 1 and 2 laid the groundwork, from identifying a “spiritual malady” and an “obsession of the mind” to realising he is “beyond human aid.” This sets the stage for Step 3: deciding to turn his will and life over to a higher power.

Rather than staying vague, Scott breaks Step 3 down using the AA Big Book line by line, swapping his name into the text to test whether self-will has truly run his life. He jokes about being “a complete and utter failure at life” when acting from his “alcoholic ego”, yet keeps bringing it back to practical spiritual action – hitting his knees, staying close to God, and working with others.

One highlight is his powerful third-step prayer experience in a biker friend’s living room, where he says he was “weeping because I was full of joy” as a huge weight lifted. He’s honest that he still relapsed later, underlining that Step 3 is a decision that needs ongoing action, not a one-time magic fix.

A short Q&A at the end touches on knowing God’s will (hint: being of service is always a safe bet) and when someone is “ready” for this work. Scott’s answer is blunt but memorable: it starts when you’re “ready to stop dying and start living.” If you’re working through the Steps or curious about what real surrender can look like in sobriety, this one might hit home.