Workshop: Joe and Charlie Big Book - Part 4 of 8 (2003)
Feb 10, 2024
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Joe McQ and Charlie P present a workshop in this podcast episode. Topics discussed include the insanity of mixing whiskey and milk, the obsession of the mind, the limitations of self knowledge, developing a personal conception of God, the power of belief and faith, taking action in the recovery process, and important ideas and controversies in the book. Gain insightful perspectives on alcoholism and recovery.
Believing in a higher power is crucial for overcoming alcoholism and finding strength in recovery.
Open-mindedness and a willingness to explore one's own beliefs are essential for embarking on a spiritual journey.
Taking action and changing beliefs, like Columbus challenging the belief that the world was flat, can lead to success in overcoming alcoholism.
Deep dives
Believing in a higher power
The podcast discusses the importance of believing in a higher power. It emphasizes that having faith in a power greater than ourselves is necessary for overcoming alcoholism and finding strength in recovery.
The power of seeking
The summary highlights the importance of seeking a power greater than ourselves. It explains that seeking this power, regardless of one's beliefs or past experiences, can lead to a spiritual experience and a new sense of power and direction in life.
Letting go of old ideas
The podcast emphasizes the need to let go of prejudice and old ideas about spirituality. It encourages listeners to open their minds and explore their own conceptions of a higher power, and reassures them that their own beliefs, no matter how limited, are sufficient to begin a spiritual journey.
The path to spiritual growth
The summary highlights that spiritual growth starts with the willingness to believe in a power greater than oneself. It emphasizes that progress can be made by casting aside old ideas and having an open mind, and that seeking a spiritual experience is the key to overcoming the dilemma of powerlessness in alcoholism.
Taking action and changing beliefs
The podcast discusses the story of Columbus as an example of how taking action and changing beliefs can lead to success. Columbus challenged the prevailing belief that the world was flat and expressed his belief that he could reach the East Indies by sailing west. He was willing to change, changed his belief, made a decision to go find out, and took action. Through his journey, he proved that the world was round and eventually obtained results.
The 12 steps of Alcoholics Anonymous
The podcast also mentions the 12 steps of Alcoholics Anonymous (AA) and highlights their importance in recovery. These steps guide individuals in admitting powerlessness over alcohol, believing in a higher power, making a decision to turn their lives over to that power, conducting a moral inventory, making amends, and continuing to take personal inventory. The podcast emphasizes that these steps offer a proven formula for change, emphasizing the need to be willing, believe, make a decision, and take action in order to achieve recovery.
This is a very late version of the Joe and Charlie Big Book workshops recorded in 2003, the audio quality is excellent. If you have never heard a J & C workshop I would encourage you to give it a listen, there is a lot here. There is also a 4th step worksheet to accompany it, if you would like a copy you can download it from google drive here: https://scast.us/jc4th
This is part 4 of 8, it jumps right in from the end of yesterdays post.
Joe McQ and Charlie P met in 1973, they instantly discovered their mutual fascinations with AA's Big Book. The study they met for regularly became something they presented at meetings, eventually becoming this workshop.
At the AA International Convention in New Orleans in 1980, Wesley P, organized a lunch for 1,500 AA members from all over the world and gave away 100 Joe & Charlie workshop tape sets as door prizes. Invitations exploded, and within a couple of years Joe & Charlie were presenting about 36 seminars a year worldwide.
The forum is about half way set up and I should have it live sometime next week, I will post the url as soon as its done.
If you have any AA or Al-Anon event coming up let me know I am happy to help get the word out. https://scast.us/events
If you have an AA roundup, retreat, convention or workshop coming up, we would be happy to give you a shout out here on the podcast and list the event on the Sober Cast website. Visit the link above and look for "Submit Your Event" in the blue box.
Sober Cast has 2500+ episodes available, visit SoberCast.com to access all the episodes where you can easily find topics or specific speakers using tags or search. https://sobercast.com
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