Workshop: Emotional Sobriety - The Next Step (Part 2 of 11)

Workshop: Emotional Sobriety - The Next Step (Part 2 of 11)

Curious about how others navigate their sobriety journey? This Emotional Sobriety workshop session from 2002 brings together long‑time AA members Mark H and Dave F as they walk a live audience through a very raw, very honest look at Step One and what it means for emotional sobriety. Rather than theory, you’ll hear real stories of relapse, near-death, and the shock of seeing friends with years of sobriety spiral back into chaos.

Mark talks about watching sponsees lose everything behind a “relationship problem” and shares his stark view of relapse: “If you’re a victim of the disease of alcoholism and you do not have a revolutionary spiritual experience and you do not continue to grow, you’re going to drink and you’re going to die.” The heart of this session is the idea that alcohol was never the real problem.

Both men hammer home that the deeper issue is a spiritual malady expressed through selfishness, fear and emotional chaos. Mark’s description of worshipping alcohol as a god, and later realising “alcohol was my solution, not my problem”, will hit home for anyone who’s used drinking to escape feeling separate and alone.

Dave brings humour and straight talk, breaking Step One down word by word, challenging long‑sober attendees to test whether their admission of powerlessness lives in their head or in their heart. He pushes hard on uncomfortable questions about how much time anyone actually spends with their higher power, and reminds the group: “You don’t work the 12 steps so that you can get yourself better. This is not a self‑help program.

This is a God‑help program.” This workshop is ideal for people with some sobriety who feel stuck, restless or on the brink of giving up, and for anyone sponsoring others. It asks you to honestly examine your current spiritual condition and selfishness, and to consider: how safe is your sobriety, really, today?