Topic: Action and More Action (Jane C - 19 Years)

Topic: Action and More Action (Jane C - 19 Years)

What drives someone to seek a life without alcohol? In this AA speaker meeting, long-time member Jane C from York, sober since 2003, talks about why sobriety for her is all about "action and more action" rather than simply not drinking. Jane walks through how she was guided through the Big Book, especially Steps 10 and 11, and how a simple nightly inventory sheet became a lifeline.

She explains that continuing sobriety means tracking selfishness, dishonesty, resentment and fear every day, and then doing something about them. As she puts it, the rhythm of recovery is "prayer, inventory, prayer" – ask for guidance in the morning, review the day honestly, then ask what needs to change.

You’ll hear her describe how tiny, everyday behaviours showed her just how self-centred she could be – even something as simple as leaving for a meeting too late to greet her neighbours kindly. That daily written review, plus a pocket notebook for the day’s niggles, helped her see patterns she’d never spotted before and gave her practical tools to avoid relapse. Later, Tim joins in with sharply honest reflections on relationships and ego.

He talks about being "allergic" to certain kinds of partners, why he "recoils as if from a hot flame" from old patterns today, and how Steps 10 and 11, not endlessly "working on relationships", changed how he shows up in life. His explanation of the mind as "an untrained puppy on a leash" is both funny and painfully accurate for anyone who knows restless thinking.

This meeting-style episode suits anyone in recovery who wants concrete examples of how to live the AA programme daily, especially around inventory, prayer, meditation and relationships. It’s practical, honest, and gently challenging – the kind of share that might nudge you to pick up a pen tonight and ask yourself what really needs to change.