Workshop: Emotional Sobriety - The Next Step (Part 1 of 11)Workshop: Emotional Sobriety - The Next Step (Part 1 of 11)
Sober Cast: An (unofficial) Alcoholics Anonymous Podcast AA
AA members Dave F and Mark H talk about emotional sobriety, ego and making the 12 steps a full way of life rather than just avoiding alcohol. With humour and blunt honesty, they share their experiences of suicidal pain in sobriety, strict Big Book practice and daily spiritual disciplines aimed at deep, ongoing change.
1:08:51•7 May 2026
Emotional Sobriety and Ego: Dave F & Mark H Go Beyond Just Not Drinking
Episode Overview
- Emotional sobriety requires more than just not drinking; it means making the 12 steps a daily way of life rather than a one-time exercise.
- An open mind is crucial: when something in AA triggers resistance, the suggestion is to ask, “What am I resisting and what am I afraid of?” rather than defend old ideas.
- Regular inventory, amends and spiritual disciplines such as daily prayer, meditation and evening review are presented as ongoing necessities, even with decades of sobriety.
- Relying on opinions and easier, softer interpretations of the programme can leave people in serious spiritual pain, whereas strict use of the Big Book offers clearer direction.
- Connection with others in recovery is framed as a powerful “power source”, with encouragement to engage, share and let others act as mirrors for hidden ego and blind spots.
“For a guy like me, there’s only two things that ever give me ease and comfort: a tremendous amount of alcohol or a tremendous amount of God.”
What drives someone to seek a life without alcohol? This workshop-style episode drops you right into a live AA weekend on emotional sobriety, led by longtime members Dave F and Mark H at Wilson House back in 2002. It’s aimed at people who aren’t satisfied with just “not drinking and going to meetings” and want a deeper, day‑to‑day experience of the AA programme. You’ll hear two very different but complementary voices.
Dave jokes about being seen as a “Looney tune” and a “mad dog drinker” who now works the steps just as hard as he used to drink. Mark calls himself a “fundamental orthodox member of Alcoholics Anonymous”, bluntly stating that “if it’s not in the book, it’s not for me”, and talks about nearly taking his own life with untreated alcoholism at ten years sober. The tone swings between deadly serious and gently funny.
There’s the old Texas and Florida-style AA preambles, heavy on “absolute abstinence” and life‑or‑death urgency, alongside one‑liners like, “If spiritual living was easy, we’d have to rent Shea Stadium to do this.” Both men hammer home the need for an open mind, asking questions like “What am I resisting?” and “Who am I recovering for?” rather than just collecting opinions.
For anyone already sober but restless, this session highlights practical spiritual disciplines: daily prayer and meditation, strict use of the Big Book, repeated inventories and amends, and using tools like the “path of consideration” to get past the ego that “thinks it knows everything”. There’s also a strong message about bringing the programme into family life, work, and service, not keeping it confined to meetings.
If you’ve ever wondered why sobriety can still feel unbearable even with time under your belt, this opening part of the series might push you to ask tougher questions – and maybe, to want more from your recovery. Are you just dry, or are you actually living this thing?
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