Bill C Steps 10&11 Appalachian Roundup 2019Bill C Steps 10&11 Appalachian Roundup 2019
Mad Dog Recovery AA Speakers
AA speaker Bill C shares stories and reflections on Steps 10 and 11, focusing on awareness, ego, spiritual practice and ongoing change in sobriety. His talk blends humour with frank honesty about powerlessness, amends, meditation and the daily work of staying sober.
1:04:49•27 Sept 2026
Bill C on Steps 10 & 11: Awareness, Ego and Everyday Sobriety
Episode Overview
- Steps 10, 11 and 12 are presented as the core of daily sober living rather than mere “maintenance” steps.
- Awareness and self-observation are highlighted as key to seeing character defects and changing behaviour in real time.
- Prayer and meditation are described as practical tools for experiencing connection and stepping beyond constant thinking.
- Making amends, even for deeply uncomfortable harms, is shown as a powerful way to be changed and to bring healing.
- Feelings such as depression are framed as part of life, and Bill stresses that a person doesn’t have to become their emotions.
“Awareness is everything. Waking up is good. Being aware of it is another thing.”
What drives someone to seek a life without alcohol? At the Appalachian Regional Roundup in 2019, Bill C shares how Alcoholics Anonymous, and especially Steps 10 and 11, turned his chaos into something with purpose and a surprising amount of peace. Speaking with blunt honesty and plenty of dry humour, Bill mixes stories about Texas gun clubs, wolves in Yellowstone and Hawaiian retreats with hard-hitting reflections on powerlessness, ego and spiritual practice.
He talks about arriving in AA with no purpose at all, then gradually finding meaning through the AA programme and the ongoing work of Steps 10, 11 and 12. For him, “10 is about self-awareness… it’s making amends in the present moment,” while Step 11 is where prayer and meditation stop being “extra credit” and become daily tools for staying awake to life. This isn’t a neat how‑to guide, and he makes no attempt to pretend otherwise.
Instead, he talks about suffering sober, wrestling with ideas of God, learning to sponsor people, and the humbling process of making amends for harms done both before and after getting sober. You’ll hear lines like, “Awareness is everything,” and, “One through nine is about 10, maybe 15% of the programme… 10, 11 and 12 is where we live,” which set the tone for a talk that aims straight at people who want more than just not drinking.
The style is conversational, sometimes irreverent, and deeply rooted in AA language and experience. Those already in recovery, especially AA members working or reworking the steps, are likely to find plenty here that rings uncomfortably – and helpfully – true. If you’re curious about what ongoing spiritual practice in sobriety can really look like, this talk might give you something to sit with for a while.
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