The Tao – Step 2The Tao – Step 2
Tao of Our understanding Alcohol Recovery Podcast
A recovery group links Step 2 of the Twelve Steps with Taoist teachings, sharing honest stories about insanity, control and the search for a Higher Power. The conversation focuses on stillness, emptiness and meetings as practical ways to let sanity and peace return.
41:59•6 Apr 2026
Step 2, Sanity and the Tao: Finding Peace in Letting Go
Episode Overview
- Step 2 is framed as moving from trying to run life alone toward believing sanity can return through a power greater than oneself.
- Several speakers describe insanity as self-will and the belief that more effort and control will finally fix everything.
- Tao Te Ching verses about silence, stillness and emptiness are used to picture restoration to sanity as calming the mind and letting go.
- Meetings are described as essential “medicine”, where seeing recovery in others makes belief in change feel possible.
- Emptiness and surrender are presented as ongoing daily practices rather than one-time events, bringing gradual relief and clarity.
“When there is silence, one finds peace. When there is silence, one finds the anchor of the universe within himself.”
What drives someone to seek a life without alcohol? This episode circles around that question by pairing Step 2 of the Twelve Steps with Taoist teachings, giving anyone in recovery a fresh way to think about a Higher Power and sanity. Host Buddy C brings together Kate, Libby, Brian, Drew, Lou and Oscar for a relaxed, honest group conversation.
They talk about Step 2 – “came to believe that a power greater than ourselves could restore us to sanity” – and how their understanding of it keeps changing over time. For some, that “insanity” is the belief they can run their own lives; for others, it’s returning to drink or drugs even while knowing exactly how much damage it will cause. Taoist ideas show up throughout.
Drew reads from Chapter 56 about “those who know don’t talk and those who talk don’t know”, using it to point toward quiet trust rather than over-explaining spirituality. Oscar connects Step 2 with Jonathan Star’s translation of Verse 37: “When there is silence, one finds peace. When there is silence, one finds the anchor of the universe within himself,” linking stillness with relief from mental obsession. The group keeps things practical too.
They talk about meetings as “medicine”, how seeing recovery work in others helps them “come to believe”, and how trying to control everything is a fast route back to chaos. Verses about emptiness and the usefulness of space help them describe surrender: letting go of self-will so that sanity can return. You’ll hear stories about refreshing parcel tracking “20 times” and catching yourself yelling on the phone – small, funny snapshots of how Step 2 plays out in everyday life.
If you’ve ever struggled with the idea of a Higher Power, this conversation might nudge you to ask: what if the help you need is already there in the quiet?
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