Chris R Steps 1&2 Appalachian Roundup 2019Chris R Steps 1&2 Appalachian Roundup 2019
Mad Dog Recovery AA Speakers
Chris R shares his experience as a recovered alcoholic talking through Steps One and Two at Appalachian Roundup 2019, focusing on real alcoholism and spiritual recovery. The talk blends humour with Big Book teaching to highlight why a clear understanding of craving, obsession and a spiritual solution matters in AA.
1:05:35•21 Sept 2026
Chris R on Being a Real Alcoholic: Steps One and Two with No Sugar-Coating
Episode Overview
- A clear explanation of the physical craving and mental obsession helps people see whether they are real alcoholics.
- Stories alone are not enough; newcomers need an adequate presentation of the AA programme and its solution.
- Recovery, unity and service together form a three-part solution that supports long-term sobriety.
- A spiritual experience, however you understand it, is described as key to removing the obsession to drink.
- Telling people simply to attend meetings or rely on willpower is criticised as ineffective for real alcoholics.
“If you can stay stopped because you want to or need to, you’re not an alcoholic.”
Curious about how others handle their sobriety journey? This Appalachian Roundup talk from 2019 captures Chris Ramer (Chris R) laying out his experience with Steps One and Two in a way that's blunt, funny, and very direct. You’ll hear him introduce himself as a "very grateful recovered alcoholic" and quickly set the tone: he's here to share his own story from the Big Book, not to push a one‑size‑fits‑all method.
Chris mixes sharp humour with hard truth, going from gizzards and Boone’s Farm memories to suicide attempts and failed therapy. He talks about seven years of slipping in and out of AA, picking up countless chips, and still not understanding "what was wrong" with him. The turning point came when two "old geezers" finally sat him down, qualified his alcoholism, and showed him the three‑part problem and three‑part solution of recovery, unity, and service.
As he puts it, "If you can stay stopped because you want to or need to, you’re not an alcoholic." The episode focuses strongly on Step One: the physical craving, the mental obsession, and that loss of power over choice described in pages 23–43 of the Big Book. Chris argues that stories alone aren’t enough; the newcomer also needs a clear explanation of the problem and a practical path to a spiritual experience that removes the obsession to drink.
He’s unapologetic about AA being "about God" and challenges the idea that meetings alone or self‑help tools can keep a real alcoholic sober. You’ll get plenty of laughs along the way, but the message carries real weight: qualify the drunk, present the programme honestly, and help people awaken their spirit so life can get bigger, not smaller.
If you’re wondering whether you’re a "real alcoholic" or struggling with the obsession to drink, could Chris’s straight‑talking approach be exactly what you need to hear today?
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