Session Three Charlie Parker and Chris S. Springtime in the Ozarks Big Book Study - Eureka Springs, AR April 2010Session Three 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. focus on AA Big Book step work, especially the transition from Fourth to Fifth Step and into character defect removal and amends. The session mixes humour with hard truths about why honest inventories, real willingness, and direct action are considered central to ongoing recovery.
1:00:22•10 Aug 2026
Hardcore Step Work: Why Half-Measures Don’t Cut It
Episode Overview
- A structured Big Book Fourth and Fifth Step can reveal truths that a simple life story never touches.
- Sharing a full inventory with someone trustworthy is presented as vital, with warnings about skipping or minimising this step.
- Real willingness in Steps Six and Seven involves deep humility and asking a higher power to remove defects, rather than trying to "work on" them alone.
- Direct amends are described as a powerful environment for having character defects removed, far beyond vague living amends.
- Consistent step work, service, and meeting attendance are linked to staying sober, while drifting from these actions is linked to relapse.
“"Without a fourth and a fifth step experience, I don't believe recovery is possible."”
Get ready to be moved by real-life accounts of step-work, fear, and hard-won change as Charlie Parker and Chris S. walk a roomful of AA members through the Big Book’s middle steps. This workshop in Eureka Springs, Arkansas focuses on what happens after a thorough Step Four, especially the often-avoided Fifth Step and the shift into Steps Six, Seven, Eight and Nine.
You’ll hear Chris describe his early confusion around inventory forms, the lack of clear guidance in 1990s North Jersey, and how his first attempt at Step Five was basically "confessional" rather than Big Book–based. When he later followed the book’s column format, he says, "Without a fourth and a fifth step experience, I don't believe recovery is possible," stressing that real truth about oneself emerges only through that structured process. There’s plenty of humour and blunt honesty.
From warning sponsees with "you were supposed to get drunk, you moron" to preferring to "step on their feelings than their grave", Chris shows a tough-love approach aimed at keeping people alive. Charlie adds stories about "exit interviews" with newcomers drifting away from meetings, and highlights the Big Book’s "negative promises"—what happens when people stop doing the work.
The episode leans heavily on practical guidance: choosing someone trustworthy for your Fifth Step, why multiple inventories may be useful, and how genuine willingness in Steps Six and Seven can feel like crying out "God, help me" from the depths. There’s vivid talk of character defects, from stealing gum at 7-Elevens to clinging to dishonesty with the taxman, all anchored in the idea that amends and spiritual action are where real change happens.
If you’re serious about AA recovery, or you sponsor others, this session offers straight-talking experience on why half-measures around the steps, especially Four through Nine, may lead straight back to a drink. How ready are you to go all in on the work?
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