Bob O. AA Male Disk 5Bob O. AA Male Disk 5
Recovery Radio Network
AA speaker Bob O. shares candid stories and practical guidance on inventory, Steps Five through Seven, and the illusions of control and power in sobriety. The talk focuses on real-life application of the Big Book, willingness to change, and making amends while staying spiritually grounded.
1:04:19•10 Aug 2026
Bob O. on Inventory, Illusions and Letting Go in AA
Episode Overview
- Inventory should come directly from the AA Big Book rather than external worksheets, so that amends and patterns are clearly identified.
- Resentments and fears are often invisible to the alcoholic; gentle questioning and everyday examples can help bring them to light.
- A Fifth Step needs a trustworthy, discreet listener who is not shaken by what they hear and can help spot recurring themes.
- Steps Six and Seven are about willingness and asking God to remove character defects, rather than trying to fix them by self‑will.
- Life crises will still happen in sobriety, but practising the Twelve Steps can allow someone to walk through them and grow spiritually.
“If I could work on my defects, I wouldn’t have come to Alcoholics Anonymous.”
How do people cope with the challenges of staying sober? Bob O. from Alcoholics Anonymous shares his experience in a way that's blunt, funny and very down-to-earth, especially for anyone curious about how the Twelve Steps actually get used in real life. Across this talk, Bob focuses on inventory, Step Five, and Steps Six and Seven, mixing Big Book guidance with hard-won personal stories.
He contrasts his own approach with that of the Pacific Group, explaining that his side leans heavily on recovery through the Twelve Steps, while others might lean more on fellowship. As he puts it, both sides could benefit from moving a bit closer to the other.
You’ll hear him unpack resentment and fear inventories with practical examples, including how a seemingly fearless Chicago bill collector came to see he was “afraid of almost everything” once his sponsor started asking simple questions: snakes, spiders, failure, inadequacy, police, courts, women – all fair game for the list.
Bob spends a lot of time on what it means to share a Fifth Step honestly, stressing the need for a “closed‑mouthed personal friend” who won’t be shaken by what they hear. He’s clear that the AA textbook is the Big Book, not worksheets: he jokes he’d be happy to see every worksheet “made a huge bonfire out of them.” His explanation of Steps Six and Seven is especially pointed.
He talks about the “two great illusions” of control and personal power, and why he believes character defects can’t be removed by self‑will alone: “If I could work on my defects, I wouldn’t have come to Alcoholics Anonymous.” Yet he also describes the willingness needed to let God take what’s not useful and leave what is, even if that includes a tough, confrontational personality.
Bob’s stories about divorce, financial ruin, making amends, and learning to sit “alone at perfect peace and ease” tie everything back to daily sober living. If you’re working the steps, sponsoring, or just wondering what deep step-work really sounds like, this talk might be exactly what you need to hear next.
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