Dave F. Steps 4-9 Manastash Men's Retreat 2026Dave F. Steps 4-9 Manastash Men's Retreat 2026
Mad Dog Recovery AA Speakers
AA speaker Dave F. breaks down Steps 4–9 at the Manastash Men’s Retreat 2026 with raw stories, humour, and practical tools for deeper freedom in sobriety. The talk focuses on resentment, fear, sex conduct, amends, and rebuilding relationships through action and a living relationship with God.
58:40•18 Jun 2026
How Free Do You Want to Be? Dave F. on Steps 4–9 and Real-World Recovery
Episode Overview
- Resentment is described as the primary killer in alcoholism, making thorough resentment inventory and forgiveness crucial for freedom.
- Fear inventory works best when fears are reduced to a small set of root fears and brought to God using the simple prayer from page 68.
- Sex inventory and a clear sex ideal can radically change relationships, especially when backed up by honest feedback from a partner.
- Amends are framed as a multi‑stage process using structured cards, with real change coming from following through, not just apologising.
- Practical exercises like pro‑con lists, validation checks, and priorities work help expose ego, reset focus on God, and improve family life.
“Resentment kills us, not alcohol. It’s our anger, our unwillingness to let go in Step Three, that destroys more alcoholics than anything else.”
What drives someone to seek a life without alcohol? For Dave F. at the Manastash Men’s Retreat 2026, the answer sits squarely in the hard work of Steps 4–9 and a very practical relationship with a Higher Power. Speaking to a room of men in recovery, Dave mixes dark honesty with sharp humour and a no-nonsense teaching style.
He talks candidly about being suicidal with double‑digit sobriety, admitting he once sat at home with his service weapon ready, until, as he puts it, “God intervened.” From there, he stresses that long-term sobriety doesn’t make anyone special: “I’m a drunk among drunks… If there’s a way to screw up this program, pretty much I’ve done it.” The heart of his talk is a deep breakdown of Step Four’s inventories—resentment, fear, sex, sex ideal and harms done to others.
He explains how resentment “kills us, not alcohol,” why forgiveness is the main purpose of inventory, and how he covers columns one and two so he can honestly ask, “Where was I selfish? Where was I dishonest?” For anyone stuck in their head, his approach to fear—boiling it down to root fears and praying from page 68—is simple, blunt, and very usable.
You’ll also hear raw stories about sex conduct, creating a sex ideal, and how honest feedback from his wife shattered his illusions and helped rebuild a 38‑year marriage. Practical tools like pro‑con lists, validation and priorities exercises, 3x5 card amends, and daily reviews turn abstract principles into concrete homework. The tone is direct, spiritual, and often funny, but Dave doesn’t shy away from warning about emotional hangovers and “moon week” when feelings can spike.
For men who want more freedom in sobriety—whether new or with decades clean—his message boils down to action: how much freedom do you actually want, and what are you prepared to do for it?
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