Showing results by narrator "A. Bill Friend" in All Categories

Texas humorist Jim Williams talks about the 12 steps of Alcoholics Anonymous. If you don't like "God Talk", this is probably not the steps set for you. Lots of funny stories to laugh along with. Much of the humor is based in coming from Southern Baptist culture and finding sobriety in Alcoholics Anonymous. A serious message wrapped in a hilarious delivery.

This is recovery in Alanon. Mary Pearl T is a hoot with a powerful recovery message. She tells lots of great stories showing how alcoholism in others made her very ill. How she got well in Alanon. How she repaired her relationship with her mother by making amends. Some stories about getting active in Alanon service and sponsorship. This is a very high quality recovery message. Enjoyable, funny, and very helpful.

This talk by Sam Shoemaker begins with a brief history of AA told by Sam. It contains some things which only Rev. Sam Shoemaker could tell correctly. Sam was the preeminent Oxford Group leader in the US at the time Bill Wilson and Ebby T. were affiliated with it. The mission that Ebby was livening and working at during his pivotal meetings with Bill around the time Bill sobered for life was a branch of Sam's church.

In this topical talk about the family and alcoholism, the effects of alcoholism on the members of the family, and on the family as a whole, and the healing effects of sobriety and a program of recovery are discussed.

In his plain spoken way, Father Martin tells it like it is about relapse. What relapse is, and what it is not. He talks hurtful unkind attitudes towards relapse and members coming back that are not helpful. How to prevent it happening to you, and what to do if it does.

A topic talk about emotions, alcoholism, and recovery. Emotions are a thing we all have most of and know little about. I'm going to talk not about love but the negative feelings; my message on them is a simple one: Handle them or they will handle you. Use an Alanon or Alcoholics Anonymous sponsor; don't keep your problems to yourself, they get bigger when you do that. What we focus on gets bigger, focus on negativity and unhappiness grows; focus on the good and beautiful in this world and happiness grows.

Father Martin gives an extended version of his famous chalk talk to a live audience. Excellent presentation about alcohol, alcoholics, and alcoholism. Serious factual information given with some good humor sprinkled in.

Warren Chisholm was 12-stepped, sponsored by and a lifetime friend of Clarence Snyder. He talks about his drinking and how it deeply troubled both he and his wife that he had no control once he took a single drink.

This audiobook features Sister Ignatia's talk at 1960 AA Convention Medical Meeting with Colonel Townes. It was chaired by John Park Lee, administrator at St. Luke's Hospital.

Willis has a powerful recovery story and a spiritual message that is different from everyone getting sober today, because he got sober before the 12 Steps and the Big Book were written.

Tom Powers got sober in early New York AA. He was a friend and confidant of Bill W and many pioneer era AAs. He shows by his own experience what alcoholism does to a person. A lot of his talk is about getting sober in AA; his experiences in AA. Tom founded All Addicts Anonymous to help people with complicated addictions and pioneered a recovery community (East Ridge).

Mrs. Delaney’s first introduction to AA was when her brother, Oscar, sobered up with the help of Bill Wilson. It was seven years later, after battling her own alcoholism that she found herself, one of the first women, in the rooms of AA. Mrs. D was a pioneer in the field of alcoholism treatment and was instrumental in the treatment and recovery of many alcoholics and their family members.

The roles of faith, belief, and spirituality in Heroin Anonymous are covered, but mostly this audio book is about behavior motivating beliefs, like those of the cognitive model. The beliefs of using heroin addicts about their addiction, their life and heroin are what keeps them using. These beliefs are shaped by the addict’s mental obsession which excuses and justifies using at every turn. Obsessions of every kind function by excusing and justifying aberrant behavior.

The roles of faith, belief and spirituality in Alcoholics Anonymous. The beliefs of drinking alcoholics about their alcoholism, their life and alcohol are what keeps them drinking. These beliefs are shaped by the alcoholic’s mental obsession which excuses and justifies drinking at every turn. Obsessions of every kind function by excusing and justifying aberrant behavior. Loss of faith in these excuses and justifications coupled with a crisis situation and the availability sobriety knowledge enables the alcoholic to see clearly and get sober.

After Bill had accumulated significant sobriety a celebratory dinner was held in New York City at which Bill gave an AA talk. (Bill drank for 17 years and staying sober for an 17 years was a notable milestone not only to him but to Lois as well.) Bill talks about the role that Ebby played in getting Bill interested in sobriety and the role of Doctor Silkworth in helping him stay sober.

Bill is casual, upbeat and humorous as he talks about the events that founded the Alcoholics Anonymous Fellowship.