Session Two Charlie Parker and Chris S. Springtime in the Ozarks Big Book Study - Eureka Springs, AR April 2010Session Two 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. guide an AA Big Book workshop focused on Step Three and Step Four, highlighting self-will, resentments, fear and sex conduct as key areas for change. The session stresses active participation in recovery through meetings, steps and service rather than relying on fellowship alone.
1:10:22•7 Aug 2026
All In or Just Showing Up? Charlie & Chris on Real Big Book Recovery
Episode Overview
- Balanced recovery needs meetings, steps and service, not just fellowship and coffee.
- Doing a thorough Fourth and Fifth Step can dramatically improve long-term sobriety outcomes.
- Selfishness and self-centredness are presented as the true root of trouble, more than alcohol itself.
- Written inventory and specific Big Book prayers are used to shift resentments, fear and harmful patterns.
- Developing a sane and sound ideal for intimate relationships helps prevent repeating old destructive behaviours.
“"Alcohol never was my problem. Alcohol is what I used to treat my problem."”
What drives someone to seek a life without alcohol? In this workshop-style session from "Springtime in the Ozarks" in 2010, Charlie Parker and Chris S. walk AA members through a detailed Big Book study that zeroes in on Step Three and Step Four, and why "meeting, step, service" needs to be more than a slogan. Early on, Chris talks about the trap of relying only on fellowship: coffee, chat, and going home unchanged.
He shares an eye-opening statistic from treatment professionals – a 3–7% chance of five-year sobriety from treatment alone versus "over 60%" for those who actually do a Fourth and Fifth Step – making the case that "we need to participate in our own recovery process." Charlie then breaks down Step Three as being truly "all in", not just saying a prayer and hoping for the best.
He describes the Big Book’s actor story and self-will in plain language, joking about "chanting like a bunch of kids at summer camp" but pressing the serious point: "Above everything, we Alcoholics must be rid of this selfishness." For him, the real problem isn’t alcohol; alcohol is what was used to treat a life built on self-centred thinking.
Together they unpack resentment, fear, and sex conduct as "common manifestations of self" that need to be written down, prayed over, and owned. Chris explains how resentment and fear feed a "spiritual malady" and shares how honest inventory and the Big Book’s prayers helped one man let go of a 40-year hatred of his father.
The tone stays conversational and often funny, yet the message is clear: if you’re tired of being "stark raving sober" or one of the "cranky guys" in AA, this kind of thorough Big Book work might be exactly what you’ve been avoiding. Ready to ask what you’re actually doing today about your alcoholism?
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