In this powerful exploration of Step 1 from the Alcoholics Anonymous Big Book, Joe McDonald delves into the harsh reality of relapse and its devastating effects. Joe discusses the experience of a person who, after having some clean time, drank once more and faced a rapid decline in moral and bodily health, akin to going off a ski jump.

The Big Book vividly illustrates this descent: “But it was not for the frightful day came when I drank once more. The curve of my declining moral and bodily health fell off like a ski jump.” Joe expands on this picture, asking viewers to reflect on their own experiences. How many of you had some clean time, got serious about recovery, and then relapsed, only to find that things got bad very quickly?

“We admitted we were powerless over alcohol—that our lives had become unmanageable.” This s ...