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You will see several references on this site to “Joe & Charlie”. Their names are sometimes heard at local Twelve Step meetings. So, who exactly are Joe and Charlie? They were two long-recovered alcoholics who traveled the world for several decades, sharing their insights into the Big Book of AA. Because all Twelve Step programs are derived from the AA Big Book, I suspect their recordings might help anyone in ANY Twelve Step program….not just AA.

The Big Book Study (officially called “The Big Book Comes Alive”) recordings are not conference-approved literature. Any sponsee interested in listening to the series should ask their sponsor first. I can recommend the talks with confidence because many long-sober speakers have openly given credit to Joe and Charlie with their own recovery. I have heard people say said they never really “got” how Twelve Step recovery works until they heard the free-wheeling and good-natured recordings of Joe P and Charlie McQ. I know that was true for me.

If you want Recovered Podcast to come to you so you can share your story with us, please reach out to mark@recoveredcast.com and let me know.  We would love to come to your roundup, your conference, your event, your open talk….whatever, we want to carry your message to the person who still suffers.

Our generous Recovered Podcast Community allows us to be self supporting and not rely on outside contributions.  If you would like to join us, there are two ways.

1. Episode Sponsorship  We will recognize you by first name only at the top, mid, and end of the episode.  Any amount will qualify.
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Step Four of AA’s Twelve-Step Program of recovery is infamously the “scary” one, probably because it’s a crucial step towards effective and lasting recovery. Since the overall philosophy of Alcoholics Anonymous is that alcoholism is just a symptom of a spiritual disease, the real problem is in character flaws that need to be faced and when possible, overcome. This requires a searching, bare it all revelation-inducing inventory that will become the blueprint for your success.

The benefits of completing Step Four are strengthened sobriety, spiritual growth and movement towards mending your relationships to your HP, yourself and other human beings. What’s the biggest requirement for this action step? Be honest! You and the people around you will benefit from this crucial step. In case you didn’t know, keeping secrets is threatening to our recovery, and we have all had secrets that nearly killed us. Our secrets, in and out of sobriety, keep us sick.

The exact wording of step 4 is:

Made a searching and fearless moral inventory of ourselves.

Tonight, we talk about Step 4

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Check out this episode!

Our generous Recovered Podcast Community allows us to be self supporting and not rely on outside contributions.  If you would like to join us, there are three ways.

1. Episode Sponsorship  We will recognize you by first name only at the top, mid, and end of the episode.  Any amount will qualify.
2. Premium Membership  This is the single most effective way to support the show.  Watch the video in its entirety and learn how to become Premium
3. Sustaining Partners  We have three ways in which you can participate in this 12-step mission We invite you to be a partner is this work.

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When we’ve taken steps one and two we have learned and accepted that our lives are unmanageable, we are alcoholics and a power greater than ourselves can restore us to sanity.

What if we were to surrender the manageability part? We can surrender a lifetime of self-will run amok by making the decision to turn it all over to a Higher Power and allow someone and something to care for us. We can stop wearing ourselves out trying to make and force everything to happen as if we were in charge of everything in the world.

Tonight, we talk about Step 3

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Our generous Recovered Podcast Community allows us to be self supporting and not rely on outside contributions.  If you would like to join us, there are three ways.

1. Episode Sponsorship  We will recognize you by first name only at the top, mid, and end of the episode.  Any amount will qualify.
2. Premium Membership  This is the single most effective way to support the show.  Watch the video in its entirety and learn how to become Premium
3. Sustaining Partners  We have three ways in which you can participate in this 12-step mission We invite you to be a partner is this work.

Call Us Now  http://recoveredcast.com/speakpipe

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The second step is about hope, a Higher Power, and dealing with reality.
This step logically follows step one in which we surrendered and gave up.

With surrender comes all kinds of unmedicated feelings. We have to face feelings we haven’t dealt with in years or maybe ever. We likely will have to confront uncomfortable emotions like our fear, anger, hopelessness.

The exact wording of this step is:

Came to believe that a power greater than ourselves could restore us to sanity.

Tonight, we talk about Step 2

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The first step in 12 step recovery programs involves more than just admitting that there is a problem. It means breaking through the denial that has kept the person locked in their misery. The individual has to accept that they have been beaten by their addiction. The exact wording of this step is:

We admitted we were powerless over alcohol – that our lives had become unmanageable.

Tonight, we talk about Step 1

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Check out this episode!

Our generous Recovered Podcast Community allows us to be self supporting and not rely on outside contributions.  If you would like to join us, there are three ways.

1. Episode Sponsorship  We will recognize you by first name only at the top, mid, and end of the episode.  Any amount will qualify.
2. Premium Membership  This is the single most effective way to support the show.  Watch the video in its entirety and learn how to become Premium
3. Sustaining Partners  We have three ways in which you can participate in this 12-step mission We invite you to be a partner is this work.

Call Us Now  http://recoveredcast.com/speakpipe

Check out this episode!

Escaping alcoholism is a great start, but it is not enough alone to ensure a satisfying life in recovery. This is because life has to have meaning and purpose in order for it to be enjoyable. Hobbies are more than just a way to fill time. They provide pleasure and improve mental and physical well-being. These activities can give life in recovery a real purpose, and this will reduce the risk of relapse. It is possible that people can become too obsessive about their hobbies, so the key is moderation.

Tonight, we talk about Having Hobbies in Recovery.

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Relapse is not uncommon. Some people find it difficult to overcome their addictive behaviors for the long term. Once clean, the addict can easily fall back into old practices and habits. Recovery requires commitment, discipline and a network of support. The old adage “it takes a village” is clearly demonstrated in recovery. But those of us who have relapsed, coming back into the village of recovery can be difficult.

Tonight, we talk about Relapse and Coming Back In.

http://recoveredcast.com

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