Session Four Charlie Parker and Chris S. Springtime in the Ozarks Big Book Study - Eureka Springs, AR April 2010Session Four Charlie Parker and Chris S. Springtime in the Ozarks Big Book Study - Eureka Springs, AR April 2010
Mad Dog Recovery AA Speakers
Charlie Parker and Chris S. share detailed experience on amends, daily spiritual disciplines and working with others, using humour and real-life stories to illustrate Big Book instructions. The session focuses on how consistent application of the Steps can ease shame, deepen spiritual freedom and strengthen long-term sobriety.
1:01:38•10 Aug 2026
Cards, Courage and Daily Disciplines: Charlie Parker & Chris S. on Real AA Recovery
Episode Overview
- Making thorough, direct amends wherever possible can radically change spiritual condition and reduce guilt and shame.
- Using individual index cards for each amends helps clarify specific harms, readiness, and practical next steps with a sponsor.
- Group sharing of amends lists can trigger forgotten memories of harm and deepen honesty about past behaviour.
- Regular inventories and repeated work with Steps Four through Nine help prevent untreated alcoholism and suicidal thinking in sobriety.
- Daily disciplines of Step Ten and Eleven – spot-check inventory, evening review, and morning meditation – support ongoing God consciousness and stable sobriety.
“"You want to talk about the freedom that's available in Alcoholics Anonymous. Have nothing out there that you need to worry about."”
Curious about how others navigate their sobriety journey? This session from the Mad Dog Recovery AA Speakers series brings together Charlie Parker and Chris S. in a Big Book study packed with straight-talking experience from long-term recovery. You’ll hear Chris describe alcoholism as “an illness of minimisation”, explaining how people arrive in AA with lives full of unresolved harm, guilt and shame.
He shares how working the Steps repeatedly, especially making thorough amends, changed his spiritual condition "like the difference between night and day". His index-card method for Step Eight and Nine – listing each person or institution, the specific harm, readiness to make amends, and then checking the plan with a sponsor – offers a very practical guide for anyone facing an intimidating amends list.
Charlie adds vivid stories, from unpaid loans turning into resentments to stolen TVs and even a long-forgotten joyride in a Volkswagen and a ruined golf green. These examples keep things light while underlining a serious point: stopping harmful behaviour isn’t the same as making amends, and “living amends” can’t replace direct efforts to set things right where possible. The session then moves into Steps Ten and Eleven, described as daily disciplines rather than one-off events.
Charlie breaks down spot-check inventories, evening review, and morning meditation in plain language, stressing that many alcoholics drift back into self-will unless they actively practise these tools. Chris talks about the comfort and healing he finds in spiritual reading and quiet contemplation, echoing early AA’s conviction that prayer and meditation are essential, not optional extras.
Finally, Chris challenges a watered-down view of Step Twelve, contrasting “taxi rides to detox” with the Big Book’s detailed chapter on working with others and guiding them through the Steps. It’s a firm reminder that AA’s message carries “depth and weight” when backed by action, not just meeting attendance. If you’re wrestling with amends, daily spiritual practice, or what it really means to help another alcoholic, could this be the workshop that nudges you into stronger action?
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