Peter M (France) Foundation Meeting at PPG Webster 02-01-26Peter M (France) Foundation Meeting at PPG Webster 02-01-26
Mad Dog Recovery AA Speakers
Peter M from France shares his journey as a long-sober "recovered alcoholic" while walking through the AA Big Book as a practical textbook for recovery. He explains the physical and mental nature of alcoholism, the need for a spiritual solution, and how the 12 Steps offer a structured path away from alcohol.
49:39•26 Mar 2026
Peter M Breaks Down the Big Book: A Straight-Talking AA Foundation Meeting
Episode Overview
- Alcoholism is described as a two-part illness: a physical allergy to alcohol and a mental obsession that drives the first drink.
- The Big Book is treated as a textbook that lays out the problem, the solution, the method (12 Steps), and the results of applying that method.
- Step One is about seeing loss of control and loss of choice around drinking, using personal experience as the test rather than opinion.
- A spiritual experience, found through the Steps and a personal concept of a higher power, is presented as the only effective solution.
- Ongoing inventory, conscious contact with a higher power, and carrying the message to other alcoholics are framed as key to staying sober.
“There’s only two things you need to know about God. One, there is one. And the other one is not you.”
What can we learn from those who have battled addiction? This meeting with Peter M from Cannes, France, offers a straight-talking walk through the AA Big Book from someone with over four decades of sobriety behind him. Peter, 78, shares that his sober date is 11 December 1981 and openly calls himself a "recovered alcoholic" while stressing he’s still an alcoholic who would likely "die very quickly" if he drank again.
Peter breaks down Step One in detail – physical allergy and mental obsession – and keeps asking the listener to check: "Does my experience abundantly confirm that… once I put any alcohol whatever into my system, it’s virtually impossible for me to stop?" If the answer is yes, he says, "Welcome to Alcoholics Anonymous." He then moves into Step Two and Step Three as a shift from lack of power to seeking a power greater than ourselves, keeping it simple with lines like, "There’s only two things you need to know about God.
You’ll hear how, at 16 years sober, he nearly relapsed after years of running on self‑will, and how that crisis drove him back into the Big Book as a lifelong "student and practitioner" rather than someone coasting on time in the rooms. The talk is structured around the Big Book as a textbook: problem, solution, how to get the solution, and what life looks like afterwards. One, there is one.
And the other one is not you." He outlines the rest of the steps as a practical spiritual path – from moral inventory and amends to daily practice and carrying the message – insisting the goal is a spiritual experience that makes drinking unnecessary. This is a fit for anyone who wants clear, Big Book–based AA, whether you’re brand new, stuck after years dry, or just needing a reminder of why the steps matter.
Where do you see your own story in Peter’s description of the real alcoholic?
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