Katie P Main Object Group 2 Year AnniversaryKatie P Main Object Group 2 Year Anniversary
Mad Dog Recovery AA Speakers
Katie Parker shares 41 years of AA experience, mixing humour and direct teaching about inventory, selfishness and spiritual flat spots in sobriety. Her talk focuses on practical use of Steps Three to Ten, daily disciplines and honest self-examination in long-term recovery.
53:44•16 Jul 2026
Katie P on Long-Term Sobriety, Flat Spots and the Power of Inventory
Episode Overview
- Regular written inventory is essential; if it hasn’t been done in the last three months, that gap may be too long.
- Selfishness and self-centredness, not alcohol alone, remain the root problem throughout sobriety.
- Flat spots and 'walls' at various sobriety lengths (18 months to 3 years, 3–5, 5–7, 7–12, and the double digits) are normal and even necessary for growth.
- The Step Ten practice of 'watch, turn, affirm' helps challenge fearful or dishonest thinking by consciously replacing it with new beliefs.
- Spiritual practices like 'love letters to God' and honest sharing with another person deepen humility and support continued recovery.
“Alcohol was the solution, not the problem. I misunderstood that.”
How do people find strength in their journey to sobriety? This talk from Katie Parker at the Main Object Group’s second anniversary in Austin gives a straight-talking, funny and very honest look at long-term recovery in Alcoholics Anonymous. Katie, who introduces herself as a 68-year-old alcoholic with 41 years of sobriety, blends laugh-out-loud humour about ageing, driving and marriage with very direct teaching from the Big Book.
She’s clear that on this night she’s not there to tell a long drunkalog; she wants to teach. If you’re into structure, you’ll appreciate how she walks through Steps Three to Ten, stressing that “between 3 and 10, magic happens” only if inventory and daily discipline are taken seriously. A big chunk of her message focuses on written inventory and the “watch, turn, affirm” practice in Step Ten.
She pushes hard against the idea that not drinking is the finish line, insisting that selfishness and self-centredness remain the real problem, even decades into sobriety. You’ll hear about the flat spots at different sobriety milestones, the “teenage years” of double-digit sobriety, and why many people quietly drift away around 10–20 years clean. Katie also shares how sponsorship, honest amends, and what she calls “love letters to God” keep her grounded.
She uses personal stories – from road rage at 15 years sober to being called out by her own son – to show how untreated alcoholism can still show up long after the last drink. Anyone who’s tired of coasting, or who suspects they’re stuck in a spiritual slump, will likely recognise themselves in her stories and practical suggestions.
Maybe it’s time to pick up the pen, look at where self still runs the show, and ask: what’s really driving my sobriety today?
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