Topic: Problems Of Our Own Making - Sandy B

Topic: Problems Of Our Own Making - Sandy B

What can we learn from those who have battled addiction? In this workshop-style talk, longtime AA member Sandy Bich tackles the classic Big Book line: "Our troubles, we think, are basically of our own making" and shows how that idea plays out in everyday sober life. Speaking to a room of AA members, Sandy walks through key passages from the Big Book and Twelve and Twelve, linking them to the way Alcoholics often turn neutral events into personal crises.

He contrasts the old days of "one meeting a week" and lots of prayer with today’s packed schedules of meetings, conventions and CDs, warning that comfort and busyness can quietly replace the desperate reliance on a higher power. You’ll hear Sandy joke that his story, like anyone’s, has "two parts – what happened and what I thought happened," and he uses that line to show how our stories and old ideas keep us disturbed.

He explains the AA spiritual axiom – "If something disturbs us, no matter what the cause, there's something wrong with us" – as a call to look inward rather than blaming others for our problems.

Through vivid analogies – eggs that hatch, leaves on a tree, and a knock at the door from God – Sandy illustrates how ego resists deeper spiritual growth, settling for "as much perfection as will get us by" instead of the fuller freedom offered in Step Six. He ties it all back to the aim of becoming a "channel" for peace, using the St Francis prayer and AA’s simple slogan "this too shall pass" to highlight non-judgment and letting go.

Anyone wrestling with long-term sobriety, complacency or recurring resentments may find this talk a helpful nudge to question their own story. Ready to look at which "problems" in your life might actually be of your own making?