Join Joe McDonald as he reads and expands on the Big Book of Alcoholics Anonymous, offering deeper understanding and practical advice for those on their recovery journey. In this Step 3 AA session, Joe emphasizes the profound difference between hope and certainty in recovery. For those who have struggled for years, hope can fade, but the certainty found through a higher power becomes a solid foundation to rely on. Joe shares personal insights about how addicts, despite the dangers, are often...

Join Joe McDonald as he reads and expands on the Big Book of Alcoholics Anonymous, offering deeper understanding and practical advice for those on their recovery journey. In this Step 3 AA session, Joe addresses the common reluctance many of us have to learn from the experiences of others. As humans, we often insist on making our own discoveries, even if those discoveries lead us into painful and dangerous situations. Joe emphasizes that for those of us in recovery, this insistence can...

Join Joe McDonald as he reads and expands on the Big Book of Alcoholics Anonymous, offering deeper understanding and practical advice for those on their recovery journey. In this Step 3 AA session, Joe dives into the key symptom of alcoholism: the abnormal response to substances. The Big Book describes how alcoholics experience an abnormal effect when they put alcohol into their bodies—what the authors call a “manifestation of an allergy.” Joe breaks this down, asking the group to reflect on...

Join Joe McDonald as he reads and expands on the Big Book of Alcoholics Anonymous, offering deeper understanding and practical advice for those on their recovery journey. In this Step 3 AA session, Joe shares a personal reflection on the certainty we often experience in addiction—the certainty that using would change how we felt, even if it didn’t make us better. For many, the drive to seek that feeling led to risking everything, and that certainty was rooted in deeply personal experiences....

Join Joe McDonald as he reads and expands on the Big Book of Alcoholics Anonymous, offering deeper understanding and practical advice for those on their recovery journey. In this Step 3 AA session, Joe dives into the concept that “faith without works is dead,” emphasizing that recovery is not just about belief—it’s about action. As he explains, we act our way into better thinking. This is crucial in the journey to sobriety because it is through our actions that faith becomes tangible and...

Join Joe McDonald as he reads and expands on the Big Book of Alcoholics Anonymous, offering deeper understanding and practical advice for those on their recovery journey. In this Step 3 AA session, Joe reflects on the experience many people in recovery share—realizing that the path they’ve been following may not align with what the first 100 members of AA intended. He emphasizes how easy it can be to disappear from the recovery process when we don’t fully follow the instructions laid out by...

Join Joe McDonald as he reads and expands on the Big Book of Alcoholics Anonymous, offering deeper understanding and practical advice for those on their recovery journey. In this Step 3 AA session, Joe addresses the fundamental challenge many face in recovery: the willingness and ability to be honest with themselves. The Big Book tells us that those who do not recover are usually men and women who are constitutionally incapable of being honest with themselves. Joe reflects on how difficult...

Join Joe McDonald as he reads and expands on the Big Book of Alcoholics Anonymous, offering deeper understanding and practical advice for those on their recovery journey. In this Step 3 AA session, Joe dives into the analogy of life as a show where each person, like an actor, attempts to control everything—from the lights and the scenery to the people around them. He reflects on the common delusion many of us have: the belief that if others would just follow our script, life would be perfect....

Join Joe McDonald as he reads and expands on the Big Book of Alcoholics Anonymous, offering deeper understanding and practical advice for those on their recovery journey. In this Step 3 AA session, Joe passionately emphasizes the importance of being fearless and thorough from the very start of the recovery process. The authors of the Big Book implore us with all the earnestness they can muster because they understand the stakes—recovery requires honesty, courage, and a willingness to face the...

Join Joe McDonald as he reads and expands on the Big Book of Alcoholics Anonymous, offering deeper understanding and practical advice for those on their recovery journey. In this Step 3 AA session, Joe discusses the concept of carrying a “yoke with a superior ox,” symbolizing the power of walking with a higher power that does the heavy lifting. He emphasizes that we cannot rid ourselves of self-centeredness without spiritual aid, no matter how strong our moral and philosophical convictions...

Join Joe McDonald as he reads and expands on the Big Book of Alcoholics Anonymous, offering deeper understanding and practical advice for those on their recovery journey. In this Step 3 AA session, Joe delves into the trap of self-pity, where we often demand recognition from others who are not able to see or hear us. He reflects on the times in his own life when he fell into this mindset, only to realize that true purpose comes not from seeking validation, but from breathing life into those...

Join Joe McDonald as he reads and expands on the Big Book of Alcoholics Anonymous, offering deeper understanding and practical advice for those on their recovery journey. In this Step 3 AA session, Joe emphasizes the evolving understanding of a higher power in recovery. He explains that the God we understood when we first came to the program may not be the God we understand today because this understanding is rooted in personal experience, not intellect. Joe highlights that the Big Book has...

Join Joe McDonald as he reads and expands on the Big Book of Alcoholics Anonymous, offering deeper understanding and practical advice for those on their recovery journey. In this Step 3 AA session, Joe reflects on the profound shift from hope to certainty that occurs when we truly embrace a power greater than ourselves. He emphasizes that while hope may be fleeting for some, certainty—the absolute belief that our Creator has entered our hearts and works through us—is enduring and...

Join Joe McDonald as he reads and expands on the Big Book of Alcoholics Anonymous, offering deeper understanding and practical advice for those on their recovery journey. In this Step 3 AA session, Joe discusses the certainty many of us felt in addiction—that a fix would change how we felt, even if it didn’t make us feel better. He reflects on how addiction is often driven by the need for a different feeling, not necessarily a better one, and how we were willing to risk everything to chase...

Join Joe McDonald as he reads and expands on the Big Book of Alcoholics Anonymous, offering deeper understanding and practical advice for those on their recovery journey. In this Step 3 AA session, Joe explores the concept of willingness and the deep desire to connect with a power greater than ourselves. He emphasizes that the decision to seek evidence of this power in our lives is the starting point of real transformation in recovery. Joe also reflects on the authors of the Big Book, who...

Join Joe McDonald as he reads and expands on the Big Book of Alcoholics Anonymous, offering deeper understanding and practical advice for those on their recovery journey. In this Step 3 AA session, Joe encourages us to get honest with ourselves as we confront the question: are we a “cannot” or a “will not”? He dives into the fears that often hold us back from recovery—whether it’s fear of what others think or fear of failure—and reminds us that our past actions may already have shaped...

Join Joe McDonald as he reads and expands on the Big Book of Alcoholics Anonymous, offering deeper understanding and practical advice for those on their recovery journey. In this Step 3 AA session, Joe introduces Chapter 5 of the Big Book, famously read at many AA meetings to outline “How It Works.” This chapter details the suggested manner of living for those who seek recovery, and it sets the foundation for the crucial third step: making the decision to turn our will and our lives over to...

Join Joe McDonald as he reads and expands on the Big Book of Alcoholics Anonymous, offering deeper understanding and practical advice for those on their recovery journey. In this Step 3 AA session, Joe reflects on the transformative moment when the obsession to use suddenly leaves and how, without knowing it, we become empowered by something greater than ourselves. Many people in recovery have experienced this sudden shift, where one day they simply stop using, seemingly without effort, and...

Join Joe McDonald as he reads and expands on the Big Book of Alcoholics Anonymous, offering deeper understanding and practical advice for those on their recovery journey. In this Step 3 AA session, Joe emphasizes the importance of self-reflection and honest growth. Recovery doesn’t require grand gestures like handing out leaflets or making public declarations—it requires a deep, personal commitment to change and growth through spiritual seeking. Joe encourages those struggling with...

Join Joe McDonald as he reads and expands on the Big Book of Alcoholics Anonymous, offering deeper understanding and practical advice for those on their recovery journey. In this Step 3 AA session, Joe explores the power of self-inventory, reminding us that we are not “broken” as we often label ourselves. Instead, our difficulties stem from how we think and react based on fear. The inventory process is designed to show us these patterns and give us a clearer view of ourselves and others. Joe...

Join Joe McDonald as he reads and expands on the Big Book of Alcoholics Anonymous, offering deeper understanding and practical advice for those on their recovery journey. In this Step 3 AA session, Joe focuses on the experience of thousands of men and women who have come to believe in a power greater than themselves. The Big Book highlights that by taking a certain attitude toward this higher power and following simple actions, they experienced a revolutionary change in both their way of...

Join Joe McDonald as he reads and expands on the Big Book of Alcoholics Anonymous, offering deeper understanding and practical advice for those on their recovery journey. In this Step 3 AA session, Joe dives into the complexities of human nature, reminding us that in our efforts to make life work on our terms, we can be both virtuous and flawed. The Big Book teaches that our “actor”—the version of ourselves we present to the world—can sometimes appear kind, patient, and self-sacrificing. Yet,...

Join Joe McDonald as he reads and expands on the Big Book of Alcoholics Anonymous, offering deeper understanding and practical advice for those on their recovery journey. In this Step 3 AA session, Joe delves into the moment where we stand at the turning point—when we ask for the protection and care of a higher power with complete abandon. This prayer marks a crucial spiritual step, especially for those who come into the program as atheists or agnostics, offering a bridge to faith for those...

Join Joe McDonald as he reads and expands on the Big Book of Alcoholics Anonymous, offering deeper understanding and practical advice for those on their recovery journey. In this Step 3 AA session, Joe emphasizes the power of the Big Book and its process, which has helped countless addicts recover from seemingly hopeless conditions. The authors of the Big Book, including the first 100 members of Alcoholics Anonymous, outlined a specific process for recovery, one that Joe continues to teach as...

Join Wayne Giles as he reads and expands on the Big Book of Alcoholics Anonymous, offering deeper understanding and practical advice for those on their recovery journey. In this Step 2 AA session, Wayne touches on a powerful reflection from the Big Book: while we often criticize the world and those trying to fix it, we fail to look at our own shortcomings. We talk about what should be done, but instead of taking action, we mock those who are actually making a difference. “We talked of...