Charlie P Steps 4&5 Appalachian Roundup 2019Charlie P Steps 4&5 Appalachian Roundup 2019
Mad Dog Recovery AA Speakers
Charlie Parker talks through AA Steps Four and Five at the Appalachian Roundup 2019, focusing on resentments, fear and thorough inventory work. His humour and Big Book focus aim to show how self-centredness blocks spiritual growth and how honest sharing can bring relief.
1:13:17•26 Sept 2026
Charlie P Breaks Down Steps Four and Five at the Appalachian Roundup
Episode Overview
- Resentments, fear and sex conduct are treated as key manifestations of self that block connection with a higher power.
- The Fourth Step inventory is about seeing events from an entirely different angle, especially through the “sick man” exercise.
- Delusion, hypocrisy and self-justification often appear in the fourth column and can keep long‑standing resentments alive.
- The Fifth Step involves illuminating every twist of character and dark corner of the past, withholding nothing for full relief.
- Sponsors and sponsees do not need perfection; sincere effort and honesty allow a higher power to fill in the gaps.
“We’d rather step on your toes than stand on your grave.”
What resources and support systems are available for sobriety? This AA speaker meeting from the Appalachian Roundup 2019 hands you a very practical one: a deep dive into Steps Four and Five with Charlie Parker, a long‑time member of Alcoholics Anonymous who’s been sober since 1985. Charlie’s style is straight-talking and funny, with plenty of stories from his own recovery and sponsorship.
He jokes, “I’d rather step on your toes than stand on your grave,” as he explains why honest inventory work matters so much. You’ll hear him break down resentments, fear and sex conduct as “common manifestations of self,” always tying everything back to the Big Book and the idea that selfishness and self‑centredness are the real problem, not just alcohol.
He walks through how he guides sponsees on the Fourth Step: writing inventories, using the “sick man” exercise to see events from an entirely different angle, and spotting delusion and hypocrisy in the fourth column. One powerful example is a man’s 40‑year resentment against his father, which shifts completely once they look at what the father was facing at the time; Charlie describes watching that long‑held anger go “poof!” as perspective and compassion arrive.
From there, he moves into the Fifth Step, talking about withholding nothing, illuminating “every dark cranny of the past,” and why the real aim is freedom from the blocks between us and a higher power.
He insists you don’t need to be a perfect sponsor to help someone through this work; both people simply need to give it their best effort and let God “take up a lot of slack.” If you’re curious about how AA’s inventory and confession process actually sound in real life, with humour, emotion and plenty of Big Book language, this talk may be a strong fit. Ready to look at your own resentments and fears from an entirely different angle?
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